Mark’s Score 9.2
I have been doing this project for two years now. I recently added tours as a review category. When I started investigating tours and excursions on Delmarva it became clear that they primarily come in two flavors, boat tours or ghost tours. So, I was happy to discover OC Foodie Tour Company. They conduct tours in Ocean City, Berlin, and Salisbury. I decided the best place to start would be my home town, Salisbury.
OC Foodie Tour Company was founded in the spring of 2018 by Ocean City resident, Sandy Gillis. She developed her concept after participating in food and history tours in cities she had visited. OC Foodie Tours are designed to showcase local restaurants. But in addition, they are designed to introduce tourists to the people, traditions, and history of the Eastern Shore. OC Foodie’s mission is to focus on local independently owned restaurants, share Eastern Shore’s stories and history, and create a memorable travel experience through food, hospitality, and storytelling.
The Salisbury food tour is conducted on Thursdays, so I signed up for the first available Thursday. Honestly, when I booked the tour, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I knew they had great reviews on Trip Advisor and I was fairly certain, I would be familiar with the restaurants, though their website did not provide a list of restaurants on the tour. The Wednesday night before the tour I received an email from the guide instructing us to meet in front of Roadie Joe’s at 2:00 pm.
On this particular day, there were only eight of us taking the tour. Cathy, our guide, informed us that over the next three hours we would visit six restaurants; Roadie Joe’s, Cake Art, Brick Room, Mogan’s, Two Scoops, and Evolution. Along the way, between stops, Cathy recounted the story of Salisbury, its leading businesses, and historical events. At each restaurant we would be served a tasting menu, and when possible, meet the chef and or the restaurant owner.
Show up hungry because it is a great deal of food over a three-hour period. Even though I was familiar with all the restaurants, my main impression from the tour was not the food, but the people behind the food, and their inspiration and dedication to their craft. Nicole Roger’s pride in her Liege Style Waffles at Two Scoops was inspiring. Mogan’s had us test new menu items they planned to introduce this fall. Their pride in their new creations was palpable. At Evo we were treated to a mountain of their latest creations.
Sometimes you learn more from mistakes than success, and that was the case here. Through a miscommunication, the staff at the Brick Room were unaware of our scheduled visit. Yet, on the fly, they put together a magical spread for us. So, what is my conclusion. OC Foodie Tours delivers on their promise. I plan to sign up for more of their tours. But the best part of this tour was seeing the inspiring dedication of the people behind Salisbury’s restaurants.
What else is their to do in Salisbury?
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