Pioneer Valley Food Tours
are walking food tours that explore local flavors from around the region. Taste a delicious selection of foods made and sourced in Western Massachusetts. Meet the dedicated producers who celebrate local ingredients in their dishes and specialty products.
PIONEER VALLEY FOOD TOURS
COVID 19 Update
Review our COVID 19 Policies here
Tour dates available for 2021 season
Pioneer Valley Food Tours offers this 2 hour 30 minute guided walking tour of downtown Northampton. We visit 5-6 local food producers and specialty shops, all proud to source their ingredients regionally. Guests taste a selection of locally made specialties that include award winning cheeses, pasture raised meats, artisanal breads, frozen yogurt, handmade pastries, heirloom ciders and craft beers. Discover a thriving local food community in downtown Northampton. See our COVID-19 policies
Enjoy delicious foods from the Pioneer Valley wherever you roam. We've put together a selection of our favorite local foods, ready to go on an outdoor adventure or savor on your back porch. Serves 2 or 4, free delivery throughout the Pioneer Valley. Vegetarian basket available.
There is no better way to appreciate the food we eat than to see its source. This year we team up with two local cycling companies to offer bicycle food tours. Each tour features visits to local farms,orchards, dairies, breweries and a picnic of local specialties. See our 2021 Tour Dates
Read the Frontier Cycling blog about our Fall 2020 West Valley Bike Tour
Our tours are limited to small groups, socially distanced, and masks are required following the MA Department of Health guidelines. See our Covid-19 policies.
Pioneer Valley Food Tours offers this 2 hour 30 minute walking food tour to explore the vegetarian culture of the city and the rich history of small farms and seasonal produce in the region. With local produce available year round, Northampton’s shops and restaurants are full of imaginative vegetarian dishes. Taste seasonal soups, tarts and savory pies, as well as locally made kombucha, specialty teas and chai. With a superb selection of vegetarian restaurants, natural food stores, and artisanal food producers, Northampton is a mecca for vegetarians and lovers of farm fresh produce.
Private and Custom Food Tours
Book a private food tour for groups of up to 6 family or close friends by reservation. We will create a custom tour to suit your tastes, or select one of our tour itineraries listed here.
Contact Pioneer Valley Food Tours to arrange a custom tour to fit your tastes and schedule.
Seasonal Tours
Pioneer Valley Food Tours offers a variety of food tours that highlight seasonal and local specialties.
Each of our local gift boxes features products sourced from the fields and farms of Western Mass. Choose a gift for the food lover who cherishes local flavor or a gift box full of comfort for the senses.
Purchase a Pioneer Valley Gift Box and support small local businesses while shopping for family, friends and colleagues.
Our Gift Cards are a perfect way to regale food lovers with a taste of local foods. Pioneer Valley Gift Cards can be used for our food tours, gift boxes or picnic baskets and they never expire.
About Your Guides
Deborah Christakos, Founder and Tour Guide
Deborah built her appreciation of local food and specialty products as a chef, working at restaurants around the US and France. She has lived in the Pioneer Valley for 17 years and is smitten with the incredible quality of its small farms and artisanal food producers. "I love giving visitors and residents an opportunity to discover the outstanding produce, farm raised meats, dairy and other specialty foods that are made in the Pioneer Valley."
Mandy Gerry, Tour Guide
Mandy Gerry, a native of Northampton, has lived in Paris, San Francisco, and Newport, and honed her cooking (and eating) skills in some of the finest restaurants in the Pioneer Valley. These days, she mostly cooks for her family, young and old, and grows some of the best basil in Western Mass. She is thrilled to share her knowledge of the local Northampton food scene, with anyone who wants to listen and taste!
Our Staff
Lilly Ross, Social Media Marketing Consultant
Lilly Ross grew up with the kitchen as the center of her home and a dining room table being the beginning of many friendships. She grew to appreciate the local food movement here in the Pioneer Valley by taking classes in the Stockbridge School at UMass Amherst. As well as being raised in Northampton, she has an ever-growing love for exploring new up and coming restaurants. Whether it be in a restaurant or at your dining room table, a great meal should always be shared with the people you love.
Testimonials
We just wanted to share that we enjoyed your Food Tour in Northampton on Saturday very much. Your knowledge and choice of the local vendors made this a really fun experience. We are thinking that we should grab some of our friends and do it again.
-Brad & Carolyn, VT
Just wanted to thank you again for a fun afternoon! Jim and I enjoyed having a private tour of the Northampton vegetarian food scene. I like how you incorporated the local farming history and local products. We ended up going back to Cornucopia and purchasing a few items. There was a nice assortment of tastings and I discovered I liked a few things that I didn’t think I did.
-Joanne, Pittsfield
A surprise gift from my daughter brought my family on your vegetarian tour of Northampton... We were treated to delicious food at interesting places that we might never have found on our own. We will look forward to another of your tours in the future.
-Suzy, PA
Great tour with a really nice group of people. My goal was to expand repertoire of local exceptional foods available for purchase in small portions. As both a cheeseaholic and chocoholic this tour was a real eye opener to exquisite locally produced gourmet selections.
- Claude, Northfield, MA
What a great way to spend an afternoon...my son and I really did enjoy your tour and learning so much about Northampton, the city we thought we knew...I will be headed back to many of the places we visited to get some great locally produced products.
-Molly, MA