Footscray food tours - new dates!

Footscray - it's a wonderful place.  I don't know what my favourite is - these sort of prices...

...this way of restocking the drinks fridge (it's sugarcane, for sugarcane juice!)...

Photo by Nat Stockley

...or these lovely friendly faces.

Photo by Nat Stockley

Whether you're a newer resident or an old hand keen to find some new favourites, I would love you to join in the next round of Footscray Food Blog's Footscray food tours. My tours are completely independent, hosted by me, with small groups and packed full of information, stories, and delicious treats!

I have two itineraries for you to choose from. The Footscray Fresh Food Ramble is a market-based tour loaded with shopping tips and samples. If you're a newer resident who feels a little intimidated by the markets, or if you're simply curious about where to buy avocados for not $4 each, but $4 per kilo - this is the tour for you.

Hobsons Bay City Council booked a private tour based on the Fresh Food Ramble, in which I introduced a group of lovely Karen people to cheese for the first time! It was a smash hit - they bought Footscray Market Deli's entire stocked of washed rind!

Photo by Nat Stockley

Or maybe you'd like to explore Footscray's amazing multicultural community - and what better way than stomach first? On my Streetwise Snacks tour, we'll say g'day to the fantastic friendly folks in our amazingly diverse community while sampling their tasty wares. Think Somali street food, burek two ways, delightful desserts and more!

About the Footscray Fresh Food Ramble, Sasha from Yarraville said: "I had a ball on the Footscray food tour with Lauren. The markets have been on my doorstep for years but I just didn't have the knowledge or confidence to utilise them. Ever since the tour I have been back at least twice monthly and I am loving the quality and the prices! Lauren is really knowledgeable and passionate about the markets and the produce and I picked up a lot of good tips from her."

...and about Streetwise Snacks, Brett and Jenny from West Footscray said: "The tour is such a great way to explore the many hidden treasures of Footscray. Lauren took us to all the best spots and gave us plenty of tips on what to keep an eye out for... A must for any worldly foodie (and those of us wannabes). You certainly won't be left hungry! So much food!"

ALL THE IMPORTANT DETAILS:

Footscray Fresh Food Ramble

DATES:  Friday 2 May, 11am

DURATION:  Minimum 1 hour

GROUP SIZE:  Maximum 10 people

PRICE:  $40 (plus 30-cent booking fee)

INCLUDES:  Drinks and generous samples

NB:  This tour is suitable for babes-in-arms or young toddlers, but due to the group size, please pop them in a carrier (eg, Baby Bjorn or Ergo), not a pram.

HOW TO BOOK:  CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY TRYBOOKING PAGE.

Streetwise Snacks

DATE:  Saturday 10 May, 1pm

DURATION:  Was 1.5 hours - NOW 2 HOURS!

GROUP SIZE:  Maximum 10 people

PRICE:  $80 (plus 30-cent booking fee)

INCLUDES:  Enough snacks to constitute a generous lunch!

HOW TO BOOK:  CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY TRYBOOKING PAGE

I also run private tours which can be tailored to your requirements - they make a fantastic team-building opportunity for businesses and brilliant gifts. To find out more, get in touch with me on 0438 583 808 or lauren@laurenwambach.com.

Come on and dive in!

FFB independent tour #2 - Footscray Fresh Food Ramble

So...  My very first independent tour happened a couple of weeks ago and was a ripsnorter!  Here's what Brett and Jenny of West Footscray had to say:

The Footscray Streetwise snacks tour was great fun. We tried dishes from all over the globe; Somalia, Vietnam, Macedonia and Turkey!

The tour is such a great way to explore the many hidden treasures of Footscray. Lauren took us to all the best spots and gave us plenty of tips on what to keep an eye out for. She could even tell us the ingredients of each dish and explain how they were cooked.

A must for any worldly foodie (and those of us wannabes). You certainly won't be left hungry! So much food!

The next Streetwise Snacks tour will not happen until after the Food and Wine fest but I have one last tour happening before I go into total festival lockdown...

This Wednesday at 11am, come on a Fresh Food Ramble with me and discover the electric, eclectic tastes of multicultural Footscray through its two amazing fresh food markets and surrounds. Discover everything from "fish mint" to sugarcane juice to just-shucked oysters.

Do you find the markets a touch intimidating? Or do you want to know where the go-to spots are? Meet the traders and get my insider tips on where to shop and what to buy - like where to get this ridiculously fresh Aussie salmon, filleted to order, for $16 a kilo!

The Footscray Fresh Food Ramble was scheduled to coincide with Footscray Community Arts Centre's 'Spectres of Evaluation' conference, and after a period of being open only to conference attendees, is now being opened up for public bookings.

The tour goes for a minimum of one hour, includes drinks and generous samples, and costs $40 (plus 30-cent booking fee). It is limited to 10 people, making it a lovely smaller group, and includes drinks and generous samples. Babes in arms are welcome on this tour, the only restriction being they must be in a carrier (eg, Baby Bjorn or Ergo) versus a pram. Of course it's fine to have a pram in the market normally, but it's just a bit tricky if there's a flotilla of ten at once!

Browsing Prahran Market last week, I was struck by how good we've got it in the west - and the Sun chose to publish my tweet in this weekend's paper!  Our markets really are the heartbeat of the 'scray. Let me show you around - book right here!

Streetwise Snacks - FFB tour this Saturday!

2013 was a big year of firsts for me.  I ran my first 10 K, hosted (along with Kenny Weir) the inaugural Westies food awards, and offered a suite of walking tours in and around Footscray under the banner of the CAE.  After a hard morning's walking, my groups and I cooled our heels everywhere from Africa Lounge...

...to Aangan.  We enjoyed everything from a sumptuous Somali spread to a special-order-only South Indian thali.

I have also been offering private tours throughout the year, creating custom tours for clients such as Lonely Planet, Second Bite, and a bunch of beautiful mums and bubs from Y-MAD (Yarraville Mums and Dads).

Photo by Kenny Weir of Consider the Sauce

I really value my apprenticeship with CAE in 2013.  I have now resigned as a tutor and am exploring offering a suite of regular public tours in addition to my private tour work.  My first publicly available tour is coming up this Saturday, 18 January and is entitled Streetwise Snacks.

Photo by Nat Stockley

Come and join me, and we'll sample the best streetside snacks the 'scray has to offer.  This tour is all about what you can eat on your feet when you're out and about.  We'll sidle up to counters aplenty and gobble traditional Somali snacks, crisp Macedonian delights, yum cha on the go and more.

I first ran this tour as part of Maribyrnong Council's suite of Discover Footscray tours.  At that time it was covered by Kenny Weir at Consider the Sauce, and Time Out magazine, who included it in their "One Perfect Day" summer spread.  You should also check out the gorgeous gallery of tour photos on the Time Out website!

Photo by Nat Stockley

The tour costs $60 (plus 30 cent booking fee) and goes for 1.5 hours, from 12.30pm till 2pm.  All food costs are included and there's enough to amply consider it lunch.  If you think you are hungry afterwards, I will eat my bag.

Book via the TryBooking link right here!  And if you are interested in a private tour, you can contact me via the details this-a way.

UPDATE, 16/1/14:  This tour is now sold out!  Please follow the link to add your name to the waiting list for the next time Streetwise Snacks runs.  Alternatively, you can also email me on lauren@laurenwambach.com and I will make sure you are notified of the next scheduled date.