Hi everyone! Grace Here

[MiamiCulinaryTours]

Hi everyone, my name is Grace and I just peaked into this forum as I am searching for things to do and recommend to people who take my food tours. So far I have found all sorts of good tips in this forum to pass along to visitors to the area and locals.

About Me:
I started a new adventure in Miami by conducting food tours in the neighborhoods Little Havana and South Beach. So far I have met all sorts of (very nice) people and went back to my memories when I used to work in restaurants through college in San Francisco, CA. There are so many stories behind the scenes! Now, all over again I am in between one restaurant to another one, and it has been so far a hobby that I enjoy so much because I love food =)
The joy of food brings people together and you get to learn so much more about another culture just by watching what people eat.
Anyways, Hi to all!

[Maria de los Angeles]

Hi Grace! Welcome to the forums! Do you know Maude of South Florida Foodies group?

[MiamiCulinaryTours]

Thank you Maria for responding to my post! No, I do not belong to the group, is it open for everyone to join? Any other additional details appreciated.
Cheers,
Grace

[Gus]

Hi, Grace, welcome to Miami Beach 411. Thanks for introducing yourself.

How much does your food tour of South Beach cost?

Can you tell us about the tour?

[Maria de los Angeles]

We have a members-only page on Facebook called South Florida Foodies. We do regular meetups at different restaurants around town. Some of us are food writers/bloggers and/or food professionals while the rest just love food and hanging out with friends. If you are on Facebook, PM me your name.

[Maria de los Angeles]

How much does your food tour of South Beach cost?

Can you tell us about the tour?

Ditto on Little Havana ... where do you stop?

[MiamiCulinaryTours]

There's two Miami food tours I conduct, one is called the South Beach Food tour ($59) and the other one called the Little Havana food tour ($55).
I have a website that the address is Guided Food Tours of Miami | A Culinary Foodie Tour Adventure in Miami were you will be able to read all about the details. It is (I hope) well explained and should answer all the questions but I think that if you take a look at the site, you can get a better idea of the quality of the tour by also looking at the photos and video I have.
I put a lot of work into these tours =) I really like taking people to taste the many different flavors of South Florida. Any feedback that you would have, I will highly appreciate it! so don't be shy if you want to tell me something.
thank you - Grace

[crcossel]

So cool! What a great way to try new foods! We will definitely try it! It will make a great piece for our blog too! Welcome!

[MiamiCulinaryTours]

Thank you Candice! I checked your site, wow, your photography us AMAZING! I turn my MAC to show my husband your logo too =) so stylish!
Thanks for your kind words!

[MiamiCulinaryTours]

We have a members-only page on Facebook called South Florida Foodies. We do regular meetups at different restaurants around town. Some of us are food writers/bloggers and/or food professionals while the rest just love food and hanging out with friends. If you are on Facebook, PM me your name.

Maria, my name is Grace Della. I would love to be part of the group if it is possible!

[Maria de los Angeles]

Hi Grace! You can only join by request. I'm not the moderator, so unfortunately it's not up to me. Just look for South Florida Foodies and request to join. It has a picture of a woman eating noodles.

Do you give the historical part of the tour as well or only the food? I do hope one of your stops in Little Havana is El Exquisito. That's one of my favorites.

[crcossel]

Thank you Candice! I checked your site, wow, your photography us AMAZING! I turn my MAC to show my husband your logo too =) so stylish!
Thanks for your kind words!

Thank you so much!

[MiamiCulinaryTours]

Hi Grace! You can only join by request. I'm not the moderator, so unfortunately it's not up to me. Just look for South Florida Foodies and request to join. It has a picture of a woman eating noodles.

Do you give the historical part of the tour as well or only the food? I do hope one of your stops in Little Havana is El Exquisito. That's one of my favorites.

Maria,
Yes of course! I cover commentary as to history, culture and architecture of the neighborhood I bring people to see and learn. And yes, one of our foodie stops in Little Havana is El Exquisito!
Thanks for sending the info about South Florida Foodies.
Grace

[MiamiCulinaryTours]

Hi Grace! You can only join by request. I'm not the moderator, so unfortunately it's not up to me. Just look for South Florida Foodies and request to join. It has a picture of a woman eating noodles.

Do you give the historical part of the tour as well or only the food? I do hope one of your stops in Little Havana is El Exquisito. That's one of my favorites.

Maria! I researched your name and oh my gosh! actually your article (now I am putting the two and two together!) your article was the inspiration for choosing the Little Havana neighborhood for my first food tour!!! You can check that with Dr. Paul George who I mentioned to him =) when I first contacted him that I read this article Touring Little Havana With Dr. Paul George (Video) - Miami Beach 411 and I decided to do the food tour!! I have read your article probably 100 times! and now I have the opportunity to thank you because I had a hard time to find someone who documented the area as you did. At the planning stages, I hired Dr. Paul George for a private tour half a day to complement all the reading I did to prepare. Tons of books followed the research I did on the streets by talking to viejitos and people who have lived and works in the area because sometimes although they might not be exact facts, the stories that people tell you and the most precious ones!
Furthermore, the idea of starting the food tours in Miami was an evolution for me as for the last 6 years I developed and executed the creation and promotion of my mother's food tour and cooking classes in Argentina. She offers in addition to a food tour the traditional empanadas and BBQ classes in a small town called Adrogue about 40 minutes from downtown Buenos Aires. I responded to literally thousands of emails, learned what people enjoy the most, what were the highlights of her tour and gathered endless feedback from customers to learn what they find precious about the experience of getting closer to the culture, and now I bring that to the Miami food tours. You can see my mom's website at Buenos Aires Culinary Tours | One-Day Cooking Classes in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the one about the bed and breakfast I created at BED AND BREAKFAST in BUENOS AIRES | Private Guesthouse at a Beautiful Inn (BA)
I also developed the same idea a few years later for cooking classes of traditional Italian cuisine in a tiny town called Calitri in Southern Italy.
For me is not only about the food but the stories behind those doing the cooking. I moved to the states in 1994, and the sweetest memories I have of my family is when we gathered Sundays to share food with friends and family (we are a big family!). food brings people together. I share with my mother this quote "Food reflects the tradition of a territory, its people, its history and the relations that have been established. [...]"
After 6 years, last year I was walking to work and thought "why not bring the same experiences that people love so much when they attend mom's food tour in Argentina to Miami" Here we have all of these flavorful cultures; Chilean, Brazilian, Italian, Cuban, Puerto Rican, French, etc. etc. and make two distinctive food tours; one that reflects the melting pot of cultures and the other one that teaches people about traditional Cuban cuisine and showcases the people and stories behind - as the Cuban culture is so prominent in our city. I have another story on why I decided to showcase the Cuban culture but this post is getting too long and I do not want to bore you!
Anyways, I would love to have you both at my tours, if you want to come, email me, it will be a honor having you!

[Michelle]

Hi Grace, thank you for telling us about your tours. It is a great idea! I am excited to take them

[Maria de los Angeles]

Maria! I researched your name and oh my gosh! actually your article (now I am putting the two and two together!) your article was the inspiration for choosing the Little Havana neighborhood for my first food tour!!! You can check that with Dr. Paul George who I mentioned to him =) when I first contacted him that I read this article Touring Little Havana With Dr. Paul George (Video) - Miami Beach 411 and I decided to do the food tour!! I have read your article probably 100 times! and now I have the opportunity to thank you because I had a hard time to find someone who documented the area as you did.

Grace, you're very welcome but the pleasure is all mine ... I'm so glad I was able to inspire YOU! Isn't Dr. George the greatest? This is like a pay-it-forward situation because he influenced me and in turn I was able to help you. I love the idea of what you are doing not just from a cultural angle but from an entrepreneurial one.

I would love to take you up on your invite! Plus, I would just love to meet you and share stories.

I'm also doing tours but on a very informal and one-on-one basis. You will get a kick out of this thread: Irish TV Show Takes Little Havana By Storm

My piece about the travel show was republished on Tiki Tiki blog, but I added five things to do in Little Havana (which you must know by heart already): Doing Little Havana a Lo Cubano

PS ... did you know there is a tango milonga above Padilla Cigars on Friday nights?

[MiamiCulinaryTours]

Grace, you're very welcome but the pleasure is all mine ... I'm so glad I was able to inspire YOU! Isn't Dr. George the greatest? This is like a pay-it-forward situation because he influenced me and in turn I was able to help you. I love the idea of what you are doing not just from a cultural angle but from an entrepreneurial one.

I would love to take you up on your invite! Plus, I would just love to meet you and share stories.

I'm also doing tours but on a very informal and one-on-one basis. You will get a kick out of this thread: Irish TV Show Takes Little Havana By Storm

My piece about the travel show was republished on Tiki Tiki blog, but I added five things to do in Little Havana (which you must know by heart already): Doing Little Havana a Lo Cubano

PS ... did you know there is a tango milonga above Padilla Cigars on Friday nights?

I did not know about the tango milonga above Padilla Cigars - great to know! I sent you an email, it will be a pleasure meeting you!