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Food Lovers Travel With Taste on Vancouver Island

There are few journeys in the world that enlighten.  There are even fewer that promise to be truly tasty.  Indeed, while an edible outing with Kathy McAree of Vancouver Island’s Travel With Taste tours is certainly succulent – think of it as more of a culinary crusade set on unearthing the very best of the Island’s palpable palate.  And with McAree’s new urban forage in Victoria, there’s plenty to please that palate.  Where to start?  Silk Road.  Set near the gates of Victoria’s historic Chinatown, this must-tea locale will start the day’s travels on a happy, scented note.  A formal tea tasting - similar to a wine tasting – will soothe the palate with fragrant and floral selections.  Savoury awaits at your next two stops at Montreal Smoked Beef and Choux Choux Charcuterie (cured meats, pâtés, cheeses and more will tempt), while sweet treats including almond dollar rolls and vanilla slices accompany a wine tasting at the Artisan Wine Shop.  The icing on the cake?  Nibble a Sacher Torte served with a special house blend coffee at the new Café Mela at The Belvedere.  Mmmmm.  So why is McAree so determined to take these urban forages to the mainstream?  There’s no better way to cultivate a little culture and see the sights than to sip, slurp and savour each bite, er, step.  Beginning in April and lasting three to four hours over Saturday lunch (natch!), the tour also includes a bit of face-time with proprietors, not just to taste hand-made treats, but to learn more about each merchant’s history.  Should you yearn for more than just lunch, McAree also hosts full-day cuisine and wine tours to the Cowichan Valley, Salt Spring Island and the Saanich Peninsula (the latter includes a special lunch at Butchart Gardens).  Think grappa is groovy?  For the Saanich Peninsula excursion, McAree also includes a trip to Winchester Cellars to sample fragrant grape-based pomace brandy from the winery’s impressive new still.  So take a really long lunch, or make a day of it.  Join McAree and Travel With Taste.  Or is that travel by taste? www.travelwithtaste.com