Page 31 - BusinessWest July 24, 2023

“If you just go buy a loaf of bread or pastry, you may never hear about it. But when you hear from them, in their own words, talk about what they do, how what they do is special, and what they love about it, it’s a really neat experience.”
ing for something to do, specifically something that, well, whets their appetite when it comes to this region and its food.
“I thought it was a neat idea, and I thought we could real- ly inform people that come to this area about what’s going on here,” she said. “I felt the food here was of incredible quality, and I felt like people were visiting the area, dropping their kids off at college, driving off, and not knowing what we had here. I felt that this area was very underappreciated, so one of my goals was to sort of lift up the profile and make it into a food destination.”
Easily the best thing about her business is the opportuni- ties it provides to meet people and learn from them while providing some insight into this region and all that it offers.
“Something I didn’t expect was that it’s really fun to meet people from all over the country or different walks, and even locals,” Christakos said. “The conversation is different every time because people bring to this their own experiences. Some people are really into food; others are really into his- tory. It’s always interesting and fun.”
As for the communities that participants tour, there are opportunities to learn about much more than food. Indeed,
tour members get a ‘taste’ of these communities, be it the
murals, architecture, and ‘vibe’ in Northampton or Amherst’s vibrant history, including, on most tours, a stop at West Cemetery, where Emily Dickinson and several members of the 54th Mas- sachusetts Infantry Regiment, portrayed in the movie Glory, are buried.
As for the small businesses, they are the focal points of the tour, said Christakos, adding that the tours not only support such ven- tures — and, during COVID, that support was critical — it celebrates them and their specialties and the manner in which they help pro- vide a community with an identity.
For this issue, we talked with Christakos about her venture and how it has gained traction and provided tour participants with some food for thought — in every way one can imagine.
Guests enjoy one of the food tours of Northampton, which visit several sites in Paradise City.
Staff Photo
Walking, Taking, and Eating
As she talked about how and why she launched this venture, Christakos said food tours are common in other countries — as well as in larger cities in the U.S. She had only been on one herself, in Ireland, but she knew about them and all they aim to celebrate in a particular community.
Returning to that
cooking class she was ToursContinued on page 46
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