About Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours
Before it was a business, Taste Carolina was an idea that Lesley had for visiting family. The informal food tours she planned for them were driven by her and her family’s love of great local food. Instead of picking one restaurant, she created itineraries that made the journey part of the meal.
One night centered on appetizers and wine in Durham. The next day was an all-in barbecue run across through Central North Carolina that packed multiple stops into a single afternoon. The more she planned, the more she realized she enjoyed creating the routes just as much as taking them.
From there, the concept came into focus. What began as a way to share local favorites became a repeatable experience that continues to help people discover new places, try several restaurants in one outing, and connect with the stories behind the food.
In 2009, Taste Carolina launched in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. It expanded to Greensboro and Winston-Salem in 2011, to Wilmington in 2014, and to Charlotte and Asheville in 2017.
Lesley – Owner, Taste Carolina
Mission Statement
We connect restaurants and guests personally. We also set aside time for guests to connect with each other along the way. It’s fun to help folks enjoy a shared foodie experience together, and it’s a joy to share it with you.
We also provide guests with a lovely and delicious way to spend a few hours. We strive to exceed expectations.
Culinary discoveries are important to us. We, ourselves, love to discover new and cool places, so we know that others love that, too.
Sharing city history, architecture, and culture completes our vision of a holistic tour. We’re community-oriented.
About Lesley Stracks-Mullem
I started Taste Carolina after planning an epic two-day dining adventure for a visiting foodie in the fall of 2008. We began the journey with appetizers and wine at three of Durham’s best restaurants, then spent the next day trying seven classic North Carolina barbecue joints*.
The experience reminded me of hopping around to different pintxos bars in San Sebastián on my honeymoon—and of my earlier quest to try every pizza style around Chicago, where I grew up (deep-dish FTW.)
I had recently completed graduate school with a final project comparing Eastern vs. Western, NC barbecue styles. I wasn’t sure what was next, but I knew that I loved planning these culinary adventures as much as experiencing them. So I created my dream job: sharing North Carolina’s incredible food scene with others on walking tours, focusing on local ingredients and the talented chefs who use them to create delicious dishes.
When I’m not organizing food tours—or thinking about food tours to organize—I enjoy planning fun family outings, playing sports, and volunteering with SCORE as an entrepreneurship mentor. I hold an MBA from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and a BA from The College of William & Mary.
Some of my favorite foods include: cheese (all the cheese,) smoked salmon benedicts and really any fantastic egg sandwiches, fresh pineapple coconut smoothies (with or without rum), and fancy—or not fancy—chocolate chip cookies.
*I blogged the barbecue tour live at trianglecheapeats.blogspot.com. Start at the bottom and scroll up.
