GET IN TOUCH
Washington DC
DC Metro Food Tours offers guided walks merging history, architecture and food in selected DC neighborhoods.? The tours encompass several stops at local restaurants where participants enjoy small plates of food specifically designed for the tour.? Each stop builds on the neighborhood?s history.
Jeff Swedarsky, founder of DC Metro Food Tours, saw his own neighborhood, Old Town Alexandria, as a great place to begin. Old Town was originally part of the District of Colombia.? It was a colonial town that grew up on the banks of the Potomac along with Georgetown.? Because of it?s history and small size, it made an ideal location for launching the first food tours.? DC Metro Food Tours has now expanded into other neighborhoods that have a diverse history and interesting culinary scene.
Jeff Swedarsky, founded DC Metro Food Tours, inspired by a lifelong love of food, and a commitment to promote locally owned and operated restaurants.
Jeff invited us to join him on one of his afternoon tours.? We had our dog Sadie with us, so we were unfortunately not able to take the full tour. Jeff suggested instead that we meet him at the last stop on the tour at Old Town Coffee Tea & Spice. He saved us a few pieces of Alexandria Jelly Cake and some glasses of iced tea.? Jeff wouldn?t consider a visit to DC complete without savoring a local dish.
Old Town Coffee Tea & Spice is one of those tucked away treasures that seems like only locals know. I had to check the address twice.? A tiny sign placed high up in the window told me we were there. Long counters held rows of burlap bags brimming with coffee beans and every surface was adorned with an organized assortment of tea and coffee drinking paraphernalia.? It was clear from this choice of location that DC Metro Tours was about authenticity.
Don’t miss the small sign, Old Town Coffee Tea and Spice.
A slice of Jelly Cake, an Alexandria classic, served at Old Town Coffee Tea and Spice, one of the DC Metro Food Tours stops.
Jeff always wanted to be an entrepreneur.? He had a deep and vibrant love of life – specifically for food, travel and history.? Taking this relatively abstract passion and turning it into a real product was a challenge.? A great deal of planning and logistics goes into DC Metro Food Tours.? For each new tour, Jeff labors to bring other small business owners on board and incorporate them into his vision.
Jeff feels that the energy and entrepreneurial spirit is strong in DC; the founding tenets of the nation are based on people building things they believe in.? He finds great joy in building his business, creating jobs and building his local economy – while indulging his love of food, travel and history. In order to put money back into the business, Jeff works for the government as a consultant.
Preserving and continuing the local culinary heritage of his own neighborhood Jeff Swedarsky,
founder of DC Metro Food Tours stands in one of his top Old Town spots, Old Town Coffee Tea and Spice.
Jeff’s greatest hope for the coming year is to continue to build his community, one of the major responsibilities he has identified for his company.? In the next year, DC Metro Food Tours is looking to add more tours and increase the number of tour guides.? Jeff hopes DC Metro Food Tours will make an impact economically in DC.
Jeff’s advice to us all?? “Don?t let the recession be an excuse for failure.? Make it the reason you find the answer.”
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