Page 46 - BusinessWest July 24, 2023

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Tours
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teaching and the visit to the farmers’ market, she started thinking there must be food tours in a region so rich in agriculture and restaurants. When some research revealed there wasn’t, she decided this void needed to be filled.
She did a trial run, spoke to the businesses that would be involved in these tours, and concluded that there was a market for such a concept. She launched in the summer of 2017, and at first tried to do both the tours and the cooking classes. Eventually, she decided that she wanted, and needed, to devote all her time and energy to the former.
The venture has seen steady growth over the years, although COVID certainly created some challenges.
At the start, most of the participants were local, she told BusinessWest, but eventually word started to spread.
“People from Central Connecticut would come up for the day, or people from Boston would come up for the day,” she explained. “And then, gradually over the next few years, people started coming from further away — Utah, California, all over, people who were coming to this area and looking for something to do.”
Many had been on food tours in other cities, regions, and countries, she went on, adding that her venture provides an opportunity to explore a different area.
In larger cities, there are many different kinds
of food tours, she explained, noting that some will focus specifically on pizza, or chocolate, or a specific neighborhood. Her tours are broad in nature and focused on specific communities noted for their food, restaurants, and culture, especially Northampton and Amherst.
In Northampton, the food tour, which runs three
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hours on average, usually starts in Pulaski Park, where participants will make introductions and sam- ple local produce that’s in season, such as blueberries, which Christakos will either pick herself or buy from a local farm. From there, there are roughly 15 differ- ent places a group might stop; Christakos generally picks five for each tour.
A common first stop is Hungry Ghost Bread on State Street or the Woodstar Café on Masonic Street, where participants can sample something Christakos has pre-selected and often hear from the establish- ments’ owners about what they do and the passion they bring to their work.
“If you just go buy a loaf of bread or pastry, you may never hear about it,” she explained. “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.”
This is the essence of the food tours, she went on, adding that participants can hear Hungry Ghost owner Jonathan Stevens and his wife, Cheryl, talk about what makes their bread unique and how they use local ingredients.
From there, the tour might go to Sutter Meats on King Street and a few of the restaurants in the city, such as Paul & Elizabeth’s on Main Street, a vegetar- ian restaurant; or the Dirty Truth, also on Main Street, a gastropub featuring craft beers; or the Mosaic Café on Masonic Street, a Mediterranean restaurant.
Along the way, participants take in murals, archi- tecture, a little history, and the feel of downtown Northampton, she said, adding that the flavor of the community, and all that goes into that phrase, comes through.
It’s the same in Amherst, she noted, where tours generally start at the farmers’ market and proceed to
Michael Preli says he was surprised when his creations first met an eager reception with buyers.
Staff Photo
He enjoys talking to customers, especially when he hears what they plan to do with the items they buy. “I don’t know what anyone would ever do with some of these things I make, but they buy them. And it gives
stops such as the Black Sheep Deli; Lili’s, a Chinese restaurant; and Mexcalito Taco Bar, as well as West Cemetery and other points of interest.
There are generally two Northampton tours a week, on Friday and Saturday, and a few Amherst tours each month, she said, adding that they are offered year-round. Spring and summer are obvi- ously the most popular times, but there is appetite for the offerings throughout the year — she conducted
a ‘chocolate tour’ on Valentine’s Day — and she will carry on unless the weather is “dangerous.”
A fairly recent addition to the portfolio has been bicycle tours, she noted, adding that these will stop in a few different communities, visiting farms, food pro- ducers, and eateries and generally covering 20 to 25 miles at a decent, but not overly fast, pace.
“The people who take those tours like to bicy- cle, but they’re more interested in their food,” she explained. “They’re not Tour de France candidates.”
Bottom Line
Moving forward, Christakos, who splits the tours with the company’s other guide, David Bannister, said she would like to continue growing the concept, per- haps expanding to other communities (Springfield is a possible candidate).
In the meantime, she will continue honing the con- cept, which is bringing the region’s restaurants, farms, and other food-related businesses to light.
As she said, these tours are really about people and communities — and an opportunity to celebrate both. BW
me some ideas, too. It’s nice to know that something I made with my hands is going to be the object of beau- ty beauty in someone’s home for a long time.”
When he started out, Preli worked with a number of different finishes, but most people gravitated to
his half-epoxy, half-wood hybrid pieces that boast a smooth, shiny finish, so that’s the work he focuses on. “People love this stuff. They sell almost instantly.”
Joy in the Journey
While Preli didn’t think of woodturning during his framing or furniture-making days, he said the tra- jectory seems natural now; essentially, as his work became finer in scope, he loved it more.
“I get a lot of joy from it. My wife is proud of me. My family is proud of me. I have time for my son. I’m very happy with it.”
He said many people come home from work and spend time with their hobby, but he feels like the Cel- lar Dweller business is a hobby-like experience: some- thing he does for fun that also generates income.
“That thing you’re compelled to do, I get to do that every day,” he said. “And it requires such a high level of concentration and patience. Everything melts away; it’s very much tunnel vision. I get to do that, and I’m so lucky.
“I keep it small, and I would say it’s a good life,” he continued. “The stress from doing commercial work, competing, bidding, dealing with different people — you know, some people aren’t as pleasant as others — and just being stuck in traffic and shopping for stuff at Home Depot ... that’s all gone. It’s a relief.” BW
Cellar Dweller
they said, ‘yeah, thanks, Mike, it looks great.’ But they’re my family. I could have given them anything, and they would say that.”
What convinced Preli that they weren’t just being polite was a craft-selling event at a local Tractor Sup- ply Co., where his wife decided to set up shop.
“I said, ‘don’t do it, Kathryn. You’re going to spend the whole day there. It’s hot out. Don’t bother,’” he recalled. “She said, ‘I’m going to do it.’ She set her- self to it, and she made a killing. We sold so much stuff. I didn’t think anyone would buy anything, but we sold a lot. It gave me some inspiration, and it got my wife motivated, too, because she could see that, with a young child, I had an opportunity to do something from home instead of going back to work.”
After all, he said, commercial finish work can be a six-days-a-week gig, and they both preferred Michael to be mainly home during that time.
“So it just worked out great,” Preli said. “And slow- ly, we started doing these craft fairs, and the revenue was good. We made it happen. My wife takes care of all the logistics for these shows and fairs.”
Those events take place most weekends and are the main sales source; online sales haven’t been so robust, and Preli believes that might be partly because he sells tactile items that people want to touch — and are far more likely to buy once they do.
“Plus, online, there are so many options,” he said. “I’m not the only guy selling wood bowls there; there are thousands and thousands. And shopping online, you want to save money, so you gravitate toward something less expensive, maybe not the best quality ... but to each his own. We do very well in person.”
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