Gift Guide for Friends with Good Tastes (In Food)

Know someone who loves food? Instead of buying them a cookbook or newfangled kitchen item, how about buying them a foodie experience?

Colorado has blossomed with food tours over the last several years, and I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing several of these delicious excursions.

Local Table Tours

LocalTableTours.com

This company was started by a Boulder food blogger who has traveled extensively in the United States and abroad. Today, Local Table run tours in Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins. In Denver, they do a tour at The Source, a Taste of Highlands and in downtown (Taste of LoDo and Union Station).

Gift Guide for Friends with Good Tastes
Photo courtesy of Local Table Tours.

Their Boulder-based tours including A Taste of Boulder, Cocktail Tours, Coffee & Chocolate Tours and May through October they offer tours at the Boulder Farmers’ Market.

In Fort Collins, tasting tours include a Cocktail Tour, Waffle & Chocolate Tour, Artisans at Scotch Pines Tour and, the one I experienced this past summer, the Jessup Farm Tasting Tour.

Getting Foodie in Fort Collins at Jessup Farm Artisan Village (1) HeidiTown
Roasted Rainbow Carrots, Carrot-topped Basil Pesto, Herb Salad, Cayenne Pepitas, Cotija Cheese (The Farmhouse at Jessup Farm)

Each tour is guided, and the participants eat and drink their way through some of Colorado’s finest and most popular eateries. They can even customize a tour just for you.

These tours start at just $30 (Boulder’s Coffee & Chocolate Tasting Tour), and are hours of scrumptious fun.

Rocky Mountain Food Tours

RockyMountainFoodTours.com

My experience on the Delicious Downtown Food Tour in Colorado Springs was an afternoon that Ryan and I will never forget. Everything from the food to the company was delightful and at the end, I’ve never been so sated.

This mother and daughter team, offers two food tours, as well as private history tours of the region.

If you haven’t been to downtown Colorado Springs lately, you might not recognize it. With a restaurant on every corner and chefs serving up locally sourced cuisine, Colorado Springs has come a long way since the time they were featured in the documentary, “Fast Food Nation.”

Gift Guide for Friends with Good Tastes - Rocky Mountain Food Tours
Bambino’s Urban Pizza, Colorado Springs, Colorado

The Manitou Springs Dinner Tour is their newest offering and features five culinary destinations within a one-half mile radius.

The charming town of Manitou Springs has also upped their foodie game in recent years with the addition of places such as, my favorite, Manitou Brewing Company, where the food is as divine as the beer. The pork belly tacos are heaven sent.

You’ll want to advise the recipient of your Rocky Mountain Food Tour gift certificate to arrive hungry and wear stretchy pants on these outings.

Grand Junction Food Tours

GrandJunctionFoodTours.com

I have not had the pleasure of going on an excursion with Grand Junction Food Tours, but I have to believe that it’s very good because Grand Junction has an excellent food scene.

I believe Bin 707 Foodbar has a lot to do with the renaissance of locally sourced food in this area. My meal there was one that I have written about again and again.

The owners of Grand Junction Food Tours started their business, in part, because they kept hearing from visitors that they wished they had more time to try all of the area’s restaurants while in town.

Gift Guide for Friends with Good Tastes (in Food) Grand Junction Food Tours
Photo courtesy of Grand Junction Food Tours.

Grand Junction Food Tours are on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons and are just $55 per person.

Whether you buy a food tour for a friend or family member, or as a gift to yourself, these tours aren’t only tasty and fun, they are an introduction to Colorado’s growing food scene. A scene that features fresh, local cuisine inspired by the seasons, embraces handcrafted cocktails and is in love with craft beer.

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