Gourmand Tours: The Origin Story
It all started back in 2011. My family took a to Seattle and on the itinerary was the famous walking tour of Pike's Place Market. I greedily enjoyed the samples and bites (me: a hungry college student) as we were guided through the town's history and long-time culinary presence, but my mom, Chris McLaws, was inspired. On returning home from this family vacation, I remember her talking about how great it would be to start a food tour in our own hometown, Park City, Utah. Sure, Mom, I thought. It seemed like a Herculean task to start a business out of thin air. But just weeks later, Chris had established an LLC, designed her brand, and invited her friends on her first official food tour. Gourmand Tours was born. It was a slow, grassroots growth over the years, but more and more people heard about Chris' fun, friendly, and gastronomic tour. With word of mouth marketing and TripAdvisor reviews flowing, the business gained regular, weekly attendance. Covid hit Gourman...