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Taste-Full Tours offers a plate of Metro Detroit

Thursday, July 23, 2009

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What started out as a lark of a self-guided tour for foodies in Ann Arbor has turned into a growing company called Taste-Full Tours.

Laura Gononian and Laura Romito are self-described foodies � those who can't get enough of cooking and fine food. Last winter, while on a tour of Ann Arbor's fine culinary spots like Zingerman's, they wondered, why not offer this service for others?

Within a few weeks, they had enlisted the help of The Night Move bus and were taking customers to culinary hot spots in Metro Detroit, such as Toast in Ferndale and Avalon International Breads in Detroit. What began with a goal of doing one tour a month turned into six tours a month, plus private trips for corporate clients and dinner clubs for the Royal Oak-based start-up.

"The goal is to take people to little-known markets and restaurants," Gononian says. "Places that really aren't on anyone's radar."

The tours often have themes, such as pizza or beer, and tell the story behind foods, restaurants and markets. For instance, if a certain market has been owned by a family for generations, Taste-Full Tours will make sure to make a point of it. This often leads to a good bite of economic stimulus and a decent number of new customers for local small businesses.

Today, Gononian and Romito run Taste-Full Tours with the help of a few independent contractors and are looking to increase the number and variety of excursions this year.

Source: Laura Gononian, co-owner of Taste-Full Tours
Writer: Jon Zemke

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