ST CROIX — This guided food tasting and cultural walking tour on St. Croix is exactly what you need to kick off your visit to St. Croix! Virgin Islands Food Tours was founded in 2016 with the clear goal of transforming visitors to locals by way of the island’s distinctive foods, extraordinary history and eclectic culture. The founder, Anquanette Gaspard, is a Crucian-born entrepreneur, content writer & foodie whose European adventures led her back to her island roots. “I remember being a food tour guide in Miami and wondering when something like this would be available on St. Croix,” said Gaspard. “St. Croix’s food culture is unique in ways I can’t even begin to list, and many people come to the island without getting to experience it.”
The ability to enjoy multiple restaurants and dishes for one price is at the heart of their inaugural tour product, the Taste of Twin City Food Tour. Guests are whisked through the cobble-stoned streets of downtown Christiansted in a single afternoon, eating and drinking their way through St. Croix’s local food scene – but it’s much more than food! The tour offers detailed insight on the island’s rich history and diverse culture highlight-ing the seven-flag colonial past as well as historic events that shaped the territory into what it is today. You’ll also learn about the Danish architecture seen within the historic downtown area and fun facts about the Crucian dialect, festivals, cultural figures and events. Surviving two category five hurricanes and a global pandemic is not with-out its challenges. Gaspard recalled during the pandemic wondering just how the business would survive with-out in person tours. “I remember post-ing on our social media account how uncertain we were about the future, much like everyone else.” She knew this couldn’t be the end of the business’s story. That’s when the idea for the Crucian Foodie Goodie Box came into play. For one flat rate, a box of shelf-stable goods from the Virgin Is-lands would be shipped directly to your door. “It was like taking the tastings from the food tour and shipping it to our guests.” Treats included popular Virgin Islands items like butter cookies, fruit tarts, bush tea, gooseberry and tamarind stews and other treats. This pivot allowed VI Food Tours to reach those who were unable to visit the island due to the pandemic while offering Virgin Islanders living abroad a taste of home. Today, the box has become a seasonal offering where it is available 2-3 times per year.
To reserve your spot on an upcoming tour and learn more about when the goodie boxes become available, visit Virgin Islands Food Tours website at www.vifoodtours.com.
Written by Anquanette Gaspard agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com
Recent Comments