SOUTH ORANGE — Hello, South Orange foodies! Max Gray created something special just for you. On Saturdays, Chow Town Food Tours offers a 2.5-hour walking tour where you can sample from the best of South Orange’s restaurants.
Gray, a resident of Orange, recently launched Chow Town Food to express his love of the Jersey suburbs – and the food. The idea sparked while visiting Paris eight years ago with his now wife. “I went on a food tour,” he said. “It was an awesome experience and it stuck with me. Years go by, I keep thinking of this. The walking tour focuses on food and provides exclusive tastings of my favorite restaurants, each special in their own way.”
During the tour, people will meet directly with the chefs and learn what makes the venues and the dishes special. “I’m personally very interested in the people behind the food – the chefs, the restaurant owners,” said Gray.z
The tours began early June of this year and they’ve been successful. “People love it,” said Gray. “I just need to get the word out. We’ve run almost every Saturday. It’s great.”
Along the 2.5-hour tour, which covers a half-mile territory, there are currently four different restaurants to sample from. Some options include artisanal cheese, authentic Mexican street tacos, American style curated pub fare and desserts from a small batch baker, which Gray refers to as “whirling dervishes” as they add new items every week. “A French pastry chef who has worked with various celebrity chefs,” said Gray.
Some of the participants include SOMA Wheelhouse and Jus’ Tacos. Gray is actively working with other restaurants to get them aboard. “The whole point of the tour is to support local businesses,” he said.
Tours are designed in a way that’s practical and accessible. Gray chooses restaurants that are open at the same time and in walking distance from each other. Each tour has between five and 12 people.
Gray advises those who take the tour to “bring your appetite.”
Establishments are pretty casual, according to Gray. And the events usually run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., which gives people time to enjoy the summer weather before it gets intensely hot.
Gray’s background for being a tour guide is that, in his professional history, he’s a former English teacher at Rutgers in Newark. “I really enjoy teaching,” he said. “It’s about providing an education for people. I just love people and being in front of people.”
When Gray was in his 20s, he was leading volunteer groups in social services and working with homeless shelters. “Those things cultivated my interest in public services,” he said.
Gray refers to South Orange as “an unsung gem.” And while the walk is known as a food tour, he considers it both a food tour and an art walk. “We visit local murals that are by a local artist,” he said. “People love learning the background on those installations. The art component. One of the stops on our tour is we have a beer tasting in a historic 19th century police station that has been said to inspire the first Nancy Drew novel. It was formerly a police station; now a restaurant in a historic building built in 1895.”
As for his own favorite food, Gray says he has a sweet tooth. “I’ll eat baked goods,” he said. “You can’t stop me. My wife calls me the Cookie Monster.”
In fact, there is no food that Gray doesn’t like. He grew up hating Brussels sprouts as a child, but now in his 40s, he said, “I’ve encountered some life-changing Brussels sprouts.”
To learn more about Chow Town Food Tours, visit: https://chowtownfoodtours.com/#.
Vegetarians and vegans are welcome; just email Max Gray a few days in advance to assure accommodations: [email protected].
Comfortable walking shoes and weather appropriate attire are recommended. Tours are conducted rain or shine.
Chow Town Food Tours explore appetizing eateries added by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta on
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