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.
Covid-19 Update
We are offering only private or custom tours to groups of up to 6 people. We will not be mixing groups of people on our tours at this time.
We continue to follow guidelines issued by the MA Dept. of Health, the City of Northampton, and the CDC to insure the safety of our guests, our guides and our partners. Read below to learn about our current offerings. Thank you for your interest and continued support.
PIONEER VALLEY FOOD TOURS
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.
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 below).
Our tours focus on outstanding locally made foods and beverages that demonstrate the Valley's direct food supply chain from source to table. We follow up-to-date safety standards and best practices in all of our operations, based on current MA Department of Health and CDC guidelines. Review the practices here. In order to accommodate the safety and comfort of our guests, we now offer our private tours as walking tours, by bicycle, or self guided (where possible).
Contact Pioneer Valley Food Tours to arrange a custom tour to fit your tastes and schedule.
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.
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.
Explore the Valley's local beer and cider selection by bike tour, on beautiful scenic cycling routes and rail trails. We'll begin in Northampton and pedal a short distance to 4 brewery and cider stops nearby, with delicious local fare on the menu as well. The beverages will highlight craft breweries and tap rooms with a focus on locally sourced hops, malt and apples, and explore the range of styles produced in the Pioneer Valley. Learn about the Valley's key role in the craft brewing scene in New England, and Franklin County's revered reputation in the world of ciders.
Give the Gift of a Pioneer Valley Food tour. Gift Cards available anytime
Pioneer Valley Food Tours offers a variety of food tours that highlight seasonal and local specialties:
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 15 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