Anyone who lives in or visits downtown Petaluma knows that when it comes to dining out, the choices are almost endless, often making it hard to pick just one restaurant to visit. But what if you could try four, five, even six local establishments in one outing?
Enter Petaluma Food Tours, which offers a sample of Petaluma's downtown dining delights, while educating locals and visitors on what Petaluma is all about, both in the past and in the present.
It takes special people to highlight Petaluma's unique qualities without cheapening the experience into some sort of "old town" tourist attraction. Just as Petaluma was built on the hard work of the community, Petaluma Food Tours was created by three local women who genuinely care about maintaining the character of the town.
Anne Johnson, Juliet Casazza and Marina Freedman grew up in Petaluma, each graduating from a different one of our high schools — Johnson from Petaluma High School, Freedman from St. Vincent and Casazza from Casa Grande, of course.
After taking a Sonoma Food Tour, run by Petaluma native Mia Zell Steiger, Johnson posed the idea of a Petaluma food tour to Casazza and Freedman.
"We love Petaluma and never get tired of talking to people about our history, food and bars," Johnson said.
"We are the right people to do this," added Casazza.
Their passion for the town is evident from the moment the tour starts and is evidenced by the care they have put into the tour's walking route, snack stops and menu options. Their knowledge of the town and connections to local food purveyors makes this more than just a cookie cutter tour. Petaluma Food Tours is a truly Petaluma experience.
Johnson is an organizer at heart. She has been a coach and program director for Redwood Empire Gymnastics, a fundraising professional in Sonoma, Marin and Napa Counties, and an event manager for a corporate travel magazine. She currently handles business development for Beau Wine Tours, which offers distinctive Napa and Sonoma Valley wine tours.
Casazza is a realtor and appraiser and sits on a local events committee. Casazza and Johnson grew up on the same block and have been best friends ever since. Freedman spent a decade as an orthodontic assistant before earning a degree in hospitality from Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco. She worked for several prominent wine country estates before taking her current position as concierge at the Olea Hotel in Glen Ellen.
"The biggest hurdle has been narrowing down the list of restaurants, tasting rooms and bars to a tour that makes sense from both a culinary and walking route standpoint," Freedman said.
With so much interest from local vendors, Petaluma Food Tours already has expansion plans for options such as a vegetarian tour, dog-friendly tour and of course a happy hour tour. In addition to the current tours, they offer special group tours, such as "girlfriend getaways," family reunions and corporate and team building. They welcome interested local vendors and potential guests to contact them at info@petalumafoodtours.com.
A recent Saturday afternoon tour was both delicious and educational, despite some stormy weather.
More surprising was that the guides knew things about Petaluma that a Petaluma "expert" did not. The tour started at the corner of B and 2nd Street, overlooking the river, where guests received a brief introduction as well as a bit of local history.
Source: Food tours provide behind-the-scenes look at Petaluma dining
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