Undiscovered Charleston · Waterfront Park
A four-hour morning with chef Forrest Parker: a 90-minute history walk from the Pineapple Fountain, then a cooking demonstration and lunch paired with wine. Pick it if you want one long, seated meal instead of a string of tastings.
Forrest Parker is a chef and an official South Carolina Chef Ambassador, and he guides this tour himself. His own site keeps groups "strictly limited to 11 guests". The listing has it start at 9:00 a.m. at the Pineapple Fountain with a 90-minute walk about how Lowcountry food shaped the city.
Then you sit. The chef demonstrates three recipes with heritage Lowcountry ingredients and serves them as lunch, with wine tasting pours from Bistro a Vin; more wine is sold by the glass, and sweet tea and water are there for non-drinkers. Each guest leaves with the recipes. Guests report gazpacho, shrimp and grits, and berries and cream, though the menu follows the season.
At $250 it costs more than twice the food walks, but it is a full lunch with wine, not tastings. Guests must be 21, apart from older teens with their parents. On diets it is the most flexible tour here: vegans, vegetarians, celiacs and nut or dairy allergies are welcome if the chef knows in advance.
Meet at the fountain in the middle of Waterfront Park, at the end of Vendue Range.
The chef leads you through the historic district, on Lowcountry food and the city's past.
At the bistro, he prepares three of his recipes with heritage Lowcountry ingredients.
Lunch comes with paired tasting pours; extra wine is for sale.
Every guest leaves with copies of the chef's recipes.
★★★★★[...] After a very informative and engaging walk about town, where we learned about the history, culture, food, and architecture that make Charleston what it is, we arrived at Bistro A Vin. We then dined on a feast prepared by Chef Gump (gazpacho, shrimp and grits, berries and cream) [...]
★★★★★This tour is the perfect blend of a Charleston history walking tour and a cooking class. [...] learning about Southern cuisine while enjoying a delicious three course meal with perfectly paired wines is the ideal way to end the experience.
★★★★★[...] Awesome tour, great food. Can accommodate allergies. Chef is also funny which is warmly welcome [...]
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A 90-minute walk, a cooking demonstration of three recipes, lunch with wine tasting pours, sweet tea or water, and copies of the recipes.
21, except older teenagers who come with their parents.
Yes, if he knows in advance. He welcomes vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, celiacs and dairy or nut allergies.
The listing gives 9:00 a.m. at the Pineapple Fountain in Waterfront Park; the whole tour takes about 4 hours.
Ready to book
A history walk, a chef's cooking demo and a wine-paired lunch in one morning (21+).
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