Food tour operator dishes on culinary tourism
July 08, 2024
UVic Poli Sci grad Bonnie Todd keeps tourists and curious locals well fed and informed with her Off the Eaten Track walking food tours.
Bonnie Todd, BA ’03, may not have, in the parlance of rocker Jon Bon Jovi, seen a million cities and walked them all, but she has sunk her teeth into her share of them.
In addition to being an avid traveller, the UVic Poli Sci grad operates Off the Eaten Track culinary walking tours. From her business’s homebase in the old CPR Steamship Terminal across from the BC Legislature, Todd and her team of guides lead tourists and curious locals through the streets of Victoria via their stomachs—introducing them to a buffet of hidden culinary gems, from Korean corndogs and craft beer to artisanal chocolate and melt-in-your-mouth macarons, with some local history and fun facts sprinkled on top.
Heading into peak tourist season, Todd took time from her busy schedule to dish out tasty insights and advice on avoiding tourist traps, food trends she’d like to see wiped from the table and why culinary tourism is the best way to see a city.
Best guess, how many food tours have you been on as a customer and how many have you given as a guide?
As a customer I’ve gone on about 15 food tours. My most recent was in Rome this April. As a guide I’ve probably led roughly 1,000 tours in the past 12 years.
Besides Victoria, what are some of your favourite cities where you’ve taken a food tour?
Every tour I’ve taken in Italy has been amazing—the food is just so good and there are such great stories and history to go along with the dishes. I also really loved a tour I did in Seattle—great energy from the guide.
What makes a good food tour?
I join food tours because I want to be taken somewhere that I wouldn’t find on my own—something hidden, unique and maybe off the tourist path. Obviously good food is integral, but I also think the stories about the businesses and why the food was chosen is just as important.
Why is culinary tourism a great way to explore a city?
It’s the best way to see a city! Food is such an important part of travel—it’s a way to connect with a culture and a way to contribute to the local economy. You must eat anyway, so why not have someone take you to the best places already curated for you. Plus, you get a lay of the land and usually a lot of hot tips and good recommendations from the guide. It’s a great way to avoid tourist traps.
How do you choose the places to stop at on your tours?
We seek out local, independent and family-owned businesses that we think are making great food and drinks and have a story behind their dishes. Bonus points if they are a little bit tucked away and not in a heavy tourist area. We are also bound by geography as we are a walking-tour company, so unfortunately sometimes I find an awesome spot but not walkable for us.
I imagine you’ve learned a lot about Victoria since starting Off the Eaten Track. What has surprised you the most?
Nothing has surprised me, but I do find our guests are surprised to find out that Victoria has more restaurants per capita than anywhere else in Canada. In fact, a lot of our guests are shocked at the sheer number of options in Victoria, and many guests often lament that they wish they had more time here.
Foodwise, how does Victoria stack up against other cities?
I think for the size of Victoria, we have a very diverse, interesting and world-class food scene. Not only do we have talented chefs and great front-of-house staff, but we also have amazing seafood, great farm markets, food producers and a top-notch local wine, beer and spirits scene.
Is there a food trend that you’d like to see end or are glad it’s on the way out?
I absolutely despise garnishes that serve no purpose and just end up in the garbage immediately. I’m glad you don’t see that as much anymore. I never really understood the cupcake phenomenon of a few years ago, but other than that, I’m on board for some fun trendy foods. Bring on the colour-changing drinks and the oversized pastries!
Off the Eaten Track is a great pun-name for food tour company. Were there any others you were considering?
Not really! The name idea came early on, and I knew it was a winner. I kind of panicked after I realized it’s not exactly Google-search friendly (most companies have the name of the city and the word food tour in it), but I do love the name and it usually make people laugh.
Excluding any stops on your tours, if you could eat one meal out in Victoria, where and what would it be?
That is a hard question. I did put together a list of the top 20 most iconic dishes in Victoria for a podcast. It included focaccia bread from Pagliacci’s, seafood chowder from Barb’s, Mussels de Cha Cha Cha from The Tapa Bar and others. I’ve always dreamed of attempting to eat all 20 dishes in one day.
What’s your advice to someone travelling to a new city who wants to sample the local food scene but can’t find a food tour?
I have a few trusted global blogs that I look at including Eater and Dished. I use Instagram and Tik Tok to find local food content creators and see what they are posting about. Then, when I’m there I just ask a few locals like an Uber driver or someone at a coffee shop. Sometimes I wing it when I’m there, but I like to have a plan and eating is about 90 per cent of my travel plans so I do some serious Google searching before I go, and I stay away from the peer review sites as they are very biased. Just because they are heavily visited by tourists does not mean they are the best in the city, in fact usually the opposite.
Where’s the next place you’ll be travelling to, and do you know what you’ll be eating?
I will be heading to Hawaii in the fall, so I am excited to try some local cuisine. I will be avoiding all the big resort restaurants and headed to the quirky local hangouts for sure! If anyone has any Maui recommendations, please DM me with your favourite spots!
—Michael Kissinger, BEd ’94