Walking tours to ‘showcase diversity’ of city’s food scene

Walking food tours have been offered for years in cities such as Nashville, Atlanta and Memphis, but they’re brand new to Birmingham, according to Annie Reynolds, founder and owner of Birmingham Taste Tours.

“I realized our food tourism is being greatly underutilized,” she said.

However, Reynolds is trying to fix that. She officially launched Birmingham Taste Tours in September with two weekly, three-hour guided tours of downtown eateries — one on Thursday nights and one, a brunch tour, on Saturday mornings.

Customers, including tourists and locals, sample five tastings from local restaurants. They also hear colorful stories about Birmingham and its history, as well as tidbits about historic buildings along the route. 

“I want to paint that picture of Birmingham,” Reynolds said.

The tour routes change weekly.

A South Louisiana native, Reynolds said she has a “love for food and community” that comes from her “Cajun/Creole roots.” She moved to Birmingham in 2008 with her husband, Chris Reynolds, and they live in Hoover.

Reynolds will initially lead the tours and is signing up more restaurants as tour partners. “It is exciting to see some restaurants are starting to reach out to me,” she said.

Those partners include East/West, Cafe Dupont, John’s City Diner, Bistro 218 and Wine Loft. The Magic City should market its culinary assets, according to Reynolds. 

Tickets for The Downtown Classic Tour are $75, and the tours accommodate up to 12 people.

For details, call 529-9322 or go to bhamtastetours.com.