Give us a brief history of your company.
My background includes 23 years in education and before that, 4 years in restaurant management. In 2010, I began taking food tours in other areas of the country and always thought what a brilliant way that was to really get to know an area. After a few tours, I had a prayerful and cathartic experience in November of 2011 and ultimately gave in to the idea of starting a food tour in the place I passionately call my home, Lafayette. I began rolling in the late summer of 2012 and have now done over 700 tours.
What would you tell the rest of Acadiana makes you special?
We are passionate about this area and love sharing that passion with visitors from all over the world. We are Acadiana’s premier food tour; our hospitality is renown for over 400 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor.
What are you most proud of?
What I’m most proud of is the hundreds of hardworking, brilliant, talented local restaurant owners, chefs, and cooks in my hometown. They are the reason I do what I do. I LOVE showing them off to those folks not fortunate enough to be surrounded by them every day. I’m proud to introduce new patrons—visitors and locals alike– to my restaurant partners
Where do you see your business in 10 years? What are your plans for the future?
I’ve been following God’s lead so far, so I’m just going to keep doing that. I’m sort of hoping that might mean a second bus in the near future to be able to extend our tours into other incredible food areas of Acadiana
1A is “Focused on Forward” – meaning we are taking an active role in improving the community we live in. Our members are Focused on Forward too! – What does Focused on Forward mean to you? How is your company Focused on Forward?
We are constantly spending our time, talent and treasure on enticing visitors from all over the country and the world to come to Acadiana. I see myself as an ambassador for our area, stealing tourists away from the more popular New Orleans area and luring them over to experience what is uniquely different here. We are focused on Forward by supporting & marketing on behalf of our locally owned restaurants, bakeries, and meat markets!