When most people drive through Columbia’s downtown, they use their GPS to navigate Ninth, Cherry and Locust streets. But Columbia Culinary Tours let patrons’ stomachs be the navigation system as the tours bring residents and tourists downtown to sample local food.

 

Kerri Linder began the tour company in December 2014, and she has been working with restaurant owners in downtown Columbia ever since. She is a “self-professed foodie” and a Columbia native, so she has a deep knowledge of the area. The tours also employ two other Missouri natives, Karla Rumpf and Jim Mcneil, as guides.

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The tour routes shift depending on the time of day. In the mornings, the tours hit coffee shops, whereas in the nighttime, the stores focus on more of the craft beer cellars. But in general, the route of the tour covers the entire downtown area from The Candy Factory and The Vault to The Velvet Cupcake and Harold’s Doughnuts.

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Kasey Carlson, who has been an employee at Boone Olive Oil since May, gives presentations to tour groups at her store a few times a month. Linder, as the owner of Columbia Culinary Tours, gives many of the tours herself but lets store employees share their own information. From time to time, though, she does jump in to supplement the presenters’ knowledge with facts of her own.

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“Kerri Linder is such a sweetheart and leads the tours with grace,” Carlson said. “She probably knows as much about Boone Olive Oil as I do by now. She’s so good at absorbing little facts about the store and using them to surprise those on the tour and add a little something to the experience for them.”

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Jared Kaufman has been a part of culinary tours by proxy of being in the store, and he would like to take part in one if the opportunity arises.

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“I’ve been in restaurants where the Culinary Tours are happening and have heard what they’re saying from the next table,” Kaufman said. “The leader seemed really knowledgeable about the different aspects of the restaurant and the way it fits into downtown culture as a whole.”

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When Linder began the business, she had three themed tours: brunch, flavors and night on the town. Brunch was recently canceled because it was not as popular with tourists, Linder said, but the tours continue to occur on a generally weekly basis.

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The Flavors Tour is $42 per person, the Night on the Town Tour is $48 per person, and the Craft Beer and Food Pairing Tour is $58 per person. Groups of 10 or more can also book a private culinary tour for a more personalized experience.

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Jacob Chiarelli, a Columbia resident, said he would participate in a tour if Columbia Culinary Tours were less expensive.

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“The experience of being able to learn details about restaurants that I might not have known is very interesting to me,” Chiarelli said. “But I’ve already explored downtown so much on my own that it feels somewhat pointless to pay someone to tell me things I already know.”

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During a tour Saturday, Dec. 3, Linder hurried her tour group out of the cold and into the front of Boone Olive Oil. Conversing with customers and filming their private tour on a gray-sleeved iPad, Linder lets the stores speak for themselves.

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“She supplements with fun facts we sometimes leave out, like the historical status of the building or the original floor and walls, but she really lets us be the star of the show and lets us do our thing,” Carlson said.

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