Taste History Culinary Tours In West Palm Beach, Florida
It’s no secret that we love food and history. Taste History Culinary Tours in South Florida delivers both, and then some!
Lori greeted us right away with a warm and enthusiastic smile. She knew our names and made us feel like we had been friends for years. That kind of personal connection is what you can expect from Lori Durante, the mastermind behind Taste History Culinary Tours, a tour that combines local history, emerging art, and food from family owned eateries.
Taste History originally started off in Delray Beach, Florida but grew quickly in popularity. Soon, tours of Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach were added. Currently, public tours travel to West Palm Beach on first Saturdays, Lake Worth and Lantana on second Saturdays, and to Delray Beach and Boynton Beach on third and fourth Saturdays. Private tours are also offered during the week.
Our delicious adventure through West Palm Beach began at the Boynton Beach Mall. Our group of almost 20 boarded the private air conditioned shuttle, and we were off! Lori started telling us about the arrival of Ponce de Leon in Florida and a brief history of the local Native American tribes. Next thing we knew, we were at the first of eight stops.
Our first stop was Dontee’s Diner, a family owned Greek restaurant that opened it’s doors in 1990. Melissa, one of the owner’s daughters, brought us out a big plate of spinach pie, moussaka and Greek salad. It was all really good, especially the spinach pie!
Our next stop was an art experience at The Box Gallery. We met Rolando Chang Barrero, who passionately told us about his gallery’s history and about the various community projects they do for the development and appreciation of the arts.
Our next stop was the historic Chesterfield Hotel. This gorgeous hotel was built in 1926 in the manner of a European bed and breakfast. We made our way inside to the legendary Leopard Lounge & Restaurant, where we were served a traditional Afternoon Tea. This included pastries, homemade sandwiches, fresh baked scones, and various types of teas. The ambiance inside the lounge was fantastic and we could not get enough of the black lacquered walls, leopard skin patterned carpet, and the hand painted ceiling.
Next was Cafe Sweets Bakery. This Southern-style bakery (with a sweet touch of Southern hospitality) bakes love right into their desserts! We were served delicious mini-cupcakes and gourmet brownies.
Already feeling a bit full, we continued on to Banko Cantina. This new restaurant is located inside a historic 1921 building that is on the National Registry of Historic Buildings. We were served six kinds of mesquite grilled skewers, nachos with guacamole and salsa, and churros for desserts. Besides the food, the decor was pretty amazing as well.
Our next stop was another art gallery, this one specializing in glass art. This family run gallery has been in business for 45 years and prides itself in showcasing contemporary glass and fine art sculptures from both national and international artists.
Next up was Olivia’s Special Teas. In this small and adorable shop, owners Olivia and Dan sell over 50 premium organic loose leaf teas. They also specialize in herbal kombucha, a kind of fermented tea that is said to have many health benefits. We had a sample of their kombucha, and were surprised at how good it tasted!
Bohemia Art Haus Apothecary Gelato & Sorbetto Providers
Our last stop was both a gallery and gelato shop. Owner Paul Klov features many local South Florida artists and hosts events such as food truck meetups, art fairs, and live music shows. Bohemia also specializes in organic and vegan gelatos and sorbets. Flavors are always changing, but while we were there we sampled the unfiltered apple cider with Saigon cinnamon (their version of a Bohemian apple crisp) and the pink peppercorn gelato.
With full stomachs, we headed back to the Boynton Beach Mall. Along the way, Lori gave us a quick recap of the places we had visited and the three distinct districts in West Palm Beach that they were in.
We cannot recommend this tour enough! All of the stops were great and brought awareness to the culture and flavor of West Palm Beach. We think this tour is perfect for both new visitors to the area and locals, especially since each tour is different (they never duplicate their tours in order to keep an element of surprise).
Additional Information:
- – These tours are very popular and sell out quickly. Make sure you book ahead.
- – Tours take place rain or shine, so check the weather and bring necessary items (sunblock, hat, umbrella, etc.).
- – Wear comfortable shoes. Although you are shuttled from place to place, you will still be doing some walking and some places you visit will be standing-only.
- – The tour is kid friendly (and kids under 14 are free).
- – The tour cannot accommodate dietary restrictions and dietary substitutions cannot be provided.
So if you’d like to learn more about Palm Beach County, all while eating delicious food, check out Taste History’s website. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter. Tell them Buddy sent you! 😉
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**A big thank you to Lori and Taste History Culinary Tours. Although we were guests of Taste History, as always, all opinions are our own.**
This is indeed a flavourful and aromatic tour, I must say. Love these wonderful culinary tours, they are pleasing to the eye, the palate as well as the mind.
Yes, this tour especially offered more than just wonderful food. That’s why we loved it so much! 🙂
This tour looks incredible! I would love to check out afternoon tea at the Chesterfield.
Omg, it was so nice! I can’t wait to go back. 🙂
Looks good…but mostly sweets!
Hi Carol! We got pretty good helpings of our Greek and Mexican food too, so it wasn’t entirely sweets. Plus the portions of sweets were smaller. I think we just like to photograph the sweets more lol! 😉
There are some great restaurants in West Palm Beach, and a food tour sounds like a great way to experience several of them in one day.
Oh, definitely Erin! And this tour was extra special because it also combined art and local history into the mix. 🙂
What a cool way to combine history, art & food! This tour would be right up my alley.
Yes, the combo is really cool. 🙂
What a great idea to mix in art with food tastings. It looks like a great way to have a fuller cultural experience. The food looks delicious, especially the treats at Cafe Sweets. I’ll definitely pass on the info about this tour to my parents who are down in that area.
Oh, that would be great Jackie! I’m sure they would love it.
Hi Buddy,
Thanks so much for the cheery review about the Taste History Culinary Tours to the West Palm Beach area. It’s super that you could join us on this art, food and history daytrip. Look forward to seeing you in the near future.
Sincerely,
Taste History Culinary Tours
It was definitely our pleasure! The tour was great and we had such an awesome time learning about the history of West Palm Beach. Thanks again and I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon! 😀
Food tours are my favorite thing to do when we travel to cities! I also search them out. The cupcakes and the chips and guac look so good, probably because those aren’t things I can get as an expat in Europe.
Haha! I can understand that Jennifer. Hopefully you find some! 😉
I love food tours and I love the variety of different places you went. That afternoon tea looks amazing!
Omg, it was all so good Brianna!
Mmm.. you are making me hungry! It sounds like a great outing for a food & history buff (like me!). I like the sound of the Greek and Mexican food the most – although I’m also impartial to kombucha 🙂
I had never had kombucha before, but it was really good!
Wow, what a way to spend an afternoon. I liked the mix of art/history with food, which of course allowed a little break in between eating! I’ve been on a few food tours that were really fast paced, and it just felt like you were eating and running at the same time. Taking breaks is key if you are going to sample some many dishes!
I agree Drew! And you definitely want to sample all of it 😉
A new kind of tour, well designed around the concept of aromas.
The food presentation is too good. I like such new concepts in tourism.
It’s definitely a different kind of tour! 🙂
What a feast! I enjoy food tours and culture – the Palm Beach tour sounds like a winning combination. Love your photos from Cafe Sweets Bakery! Were the mini cupcakes as delicious as they look?
Yes they were!! 😀
Food tours are always on the top of my list of things to do in a new place. There’s just so much you can learn about a destination through its food. Combine history and food is the ultimate. Looks delicious!
Hi Leah! I completely agree, food is a great way to learn about the culture and people of an area. This tour did just that and we really enjoyed ourselves.
I’m getting more and more into glass art so I’d love to visit Habatat. I’d also love to eat all those sweets and have high tea. Sounds like a great way to explore West Palm Beach.
You’d love Habatat then! It’s such a cool gallery with works from all over the world.
This food tour is going on my list of things to do! I haven’t had the chance to explore much of the West Palm Beach area. Taste History Culinary tours seems like a perfect way to explore to do that. And I love food, so that is a plus! Great pictures & it is a cool way to combine history & art.
Yes, we loved the combination! It’s a great way to spend a Saturday! 🙂