Maine Foodie Tours™ Organizes Dynamic Date Activities for Food Lovers

The Short Version: Maine Foodie Tours celebrates all that’s unique and delicious in Maine. The company’s original walking tours explore restaurants, bars, shops, and other local hot spots to give people a taste of Portland, Bar Habor, and other cities in Maine. Couples can book a private or join a group tour with Maine Foodie Tours to treat themselves to a fun and indulgent dating experience.

In 2008, Pamela Laskey left her marketing career in academic publishing and teaching role at Northeastern University in Boston to start fresh in Portland, Maine.

Pamela wanted to start a business that would give back to the local community and bring people together. She read that the food magazine Bon Appetit had just named Portland as the “Foodiest Small Town in America,” and she decided to take a chance on running the first food tour in the area.

Maine Foodie Tours captured the attention of food lovers by giving them an activity they could really sink their teeth into.

Today, Maine Foodie Tours hosts walking tours in seven cities throughout the state. Its expert-led tours offer an indulgent slice of local life with many interesting stories and fun facts sprinkled in.

Maine Foodie Tours can give daters a taste of Maine’s most popular local restaurants.

Maine Foodie Company has been around for over a decade and can offer the inside scoop on the best places to wine and dine someone special. The guides have access to local restaurant owners, museum curators, and other local professionals to ensure they have the knowledge and resources to whet people’s appetites on a food tour or spin a good yarn on a history walk.

Pamela has a background in marketing and education, so running a food tour is right up her alley. As the owner and director of Maine Foodie Tours, she has built partnerships and organized tours, and she can also sub in for a guide if necessary.

She recommends couples check out a food tour if they’re looking for a fun (and socially distant) date activity in Portland, Kennebunkport, Bar Harbor, Rockland, or Boothbay Harbor.

“The food scene is so abundant, and there is so much to talk about,” Pamela said. “It’s walking, it’s eating, it’s drinking, it’s learning — it’s perfect for a date.”

Maine Foodie Tours organizes culinary and historical adventures that appeal to people from all walks of life. But it seems to be a particularly big hit with couples. Whether they’re going on a first date or celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, couples enjoy taking a leisurely walk together and discovering hidden gems in Maine’s food scene.

“It’s easy to make conversation,” Pamela said. “It can be a great icebreaker when you’re meeting someone new, and you can make new friends en route.”

The interactive tours encourage people to chat, snack, and drink together.

Maine Foodie Tours made a name for itself with its dynamic food tours, which typically last three hours and include six restaurants or shops, but it also has history tours that share other points of interests in town. The guides have a wealth of knowledge about Maine’s past and present, and they can provide context to help people appreciate its rich culture.

Portland’s tours run throughout the year, but the other cities only offer group tours in the summer and fall.

Maine Foodie Tours can always customize a tour to suit your tastes and meet your schedule. Its private events can range in size from two people to 100 people and take place all year round.

From discussing modern food sourcing to describing the history of rum running, Maine Food Tours is on a mission to educate and entertain people so they can’t help coming back for seconds.

The tours can give out-of-towners an introduction to lots of local restaurants serving locally sourced food, and they can also entertain locals celebrating a special occasion. It’s an exciting and engaging atmosphere to connect with that special person in your life or even make new friends with people in the group.

Pamela told us that some tour groups will invite their guide to stick around after their official tour is over and share a few rounds of drinks as they talk about what they saw, heard, and tasted. “They don’t want the tour to end,” she said. “Some real friendships are formed on the tours.”

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way restaurants and bars operate, and Maine Foodie Tours has adapted to the new normal by reducing the size and frequency of its tour groups.

Maine Foodie Tours used to conduct 10 tours a day and host up to 14 people on each tour. Now it holds one or two tours a day, and each tour group has no more than eight people.

The tour company has shifted gears to accommodate new regulations and keep guests safe. Its tours may look different, but they still offer the same good times. Over the last year, private tours for couples, friends, and families have become more popular, and masks are required for all guests.

Looking ahead, Pamela is intent upon organizing more outdoor walking tours and giving people ways to get out of the house while maintaining their social distance. She told us that dog-friendly tours are her current project, and she’s working on finding treats for dog lovers and their furry friends.

Pamela said she supports local animal shelters with the profits from her current dog tours and will expand these tours to new towns.

Maine Foodie Tours can tantalize the taste buds with its local food tours.

Don’t want to join the restaurant scene just yet? Then Maine Foodie Tours can bring the restaurant scene to you with its exclusive Chocolate Tour in a Box, which contains decadent ingredients for a date night at home. Every box includes chocolate truffles, whoopie pies, recipes, and other treats handpicked from Maine’s best chocolatiers.

Maine Foodie Tours has committed to donate to Cooking for Community, a nonprofit that addresses food scarcity, with every purchase of the Chocolate Tour in a Box.

Maine Foodie Tours supports local businesses with its tours, and Pamela has made charitable efforts to support the larger community as well.

For the last three years, Maine Foodie Tours has given back through the 12 Months of Giving campaign. As part of this program, the tour company has pledged to donate $1 from each food tour ticket to a local nonprofit.

“The tours have allowed me to be charitable to causes in Maine dealing with food insecurity,” Pamela said. “It’s important to me that this business gives back.”

Pamela jumped into the Maine food scene in 2009, and she created a sensation with food tours that took locals and tourists on a culinary adventure. Maine Foodie Tours has hosted countless date nights and anniversary celebrations over the years — and now it can set a romantic table for two on a private tour.

Maine Foodie Tours can provide an engaging social activity on a happy hour tour or set a romantic table for two on a private foodie tour. Its tours have continually expanded and evolved to treat people to the best Maine has to offer. Foodies and history buffs can subscribe to the mailing list to find out what’s happening and make the most of their night out on the town.

“Making other people happy is what it’s all about,” Pamela said. “Guests really get a kick out of it. We’ve listened to their feedback and taken their suggestions as we continue to grow.”