Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Pina.
Linda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We started the food tour late 2015 with our first official food tour February 2016. Carla and I started the food tour to show people how awesome Oceanside is and what better way to do that but through food. The Flying Pig had kicked off an amazing food scene in Oceanside with the Privateer following closely, Local Tap House opened and the rest is history. We are lucky to have been welcomed into the food scene by the Chefs and Owners. We currently have only 2 out of 4 tours going due to covid-19. We meet at a location and walk to 4 restaurants per tour. We get to experience Chef inspired foods and the history of the area. We are truly lucky to live here in the North County.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a tough road both personally and with business. September 2017 Carla was diagnosed with breast cancer, followed with a bi-lateral mastectomy. The restaurants really embraced us and helped us through that struggle. We were back on track and covid-19 hit. We once again shut down the tours and focused on helping the restaurants stay open. We have been doing limited tours since June 2021 and we are thankful to say that the tours are starting to book regularly again. We look forward to what 2022 has in store for us.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We love food! I love to make food and Carla loves to eat it. I had a limited pallet growing up so I now love to try new foods. We are lucky to have started the Walking Food Tour in Oceanside when food was just starting to have a tremendous influence in the Community. We have become personal friends with a lot of Chefs and have them to our home regularly. We get to try new foods personally and on the food tour. The Chefs at the restaurants can try new dishes on us and we give them direct feedback from our clients. Some of the dishes that we have been given on the food tour have actually made it onto the regular menu. We specialize in personal service, knowledge and hospitality with our Walking Food Tours. We support the restaurants in every way we can with advertising on social media and making sure our clients know where to go when they want a great meal.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
The Chefs deserve all of the credit. When Carla and I wanted to start the food tours, we went and spoke with Chef Michael C. Brown. He had no experience with food tours but said he was in. He gave us the confidence to talk to other Chefs and restaurants. We are lucky to have been able to follow many awesome Chefs from start to current standings like Chef Samantha Parker. She is the first female Executive Chef in Oceanside. Chef William Eick now has his own restaurant and we expect him to get a Michelin Star soon. We feel honored to see their journeys.
Pricing:
- $59 per person
Contact Info:
- Email: walkingfoodtours@theplate.com
- Website: www.shoesandchews.com
- Instagram: @shoesandchews
- Facebook: @carlaandlindaswalkingfoodtours
- Twitter: @shoesandchews
- Other: tictok: shoesandchews
