Durango Bites, a food tour business hoping to introduce tourists to the city’s lesser-known eateries, opened its doors this month at 519 Main Ave.
The several-hour long tours, which will involve visits to three to five city establishments within walking distance, begin and end at the business’s storefront, located at 519 Main Ave.
Owner Catherine Siebel, who previously ran a food business in Chicago focused on cooking classes and cookware before moving to Durango a year ago, said connecting through food is at the core of the business model.
“One of the things that has … been important to me for my life has been building community wherever I go, and I was thinking about this idea of building community through food, getting to know people,” she said. “… (And) it feels like Durango has a disproportionately large number of amazing restaurants for the size it is.”
Durango-themed retail items are sold at the business’s physical storefront, which is located in the space previously occupied by Rio Grande Trading Co., which closed in December after 50 years in business when owner Marsha Schuetz retired.
Items in the store, which cost up to $50, are geared toward tourists, Siebel said, with offerings in the realm of mugs, postcards, popcorn and brownie mix. Thirty percent of the merchandise is made in Colorado, she said.
“I tried to have all Colorado-based snacks for hopping on the bus in one section,” she said. “And then the glassware and that sort of thing is all (Durango) place-based.”
Siebel said she wants to focus the food tours on smaller, lesser-known spots around town. So far, she’s working with SUP Craft BBQ, located at 3 Depot Place; Jimmy’s World Famous Soft Serve, at 1295 Camino del Rio; and Nini’s Taqueria, located at 552 Main Ave.
“I love working with small restaurants or food trucks … and just kind of spotlighting the thing that they’re amazing at – the thing that they love doing,” she said.
Three types of tours are offered – a “Hidden Durango” tour that focuses on hidden gems and Durango’s culinary history; a Farmers Market tour, which brings visitors through a crawl of the Durango Farmers Market on its 2nd Saturdays on Main days; and a custom tour, which can be designed by each group for their specific event or gathering.
“For people who live here, when you have family who come into town and they’re like, ‘What should we do?’ and they don’t want to hike … (you can) do a private family food tour, … family reunions, parties,” she said.
As of Tuesday, the company had provided tours only to family and friends.
Tour offerings might increase in the future, Siebel said, but those three will be the only ones on the metaphorical menu for the time being.
Tickets to the Farmer’s Market tour go for $50 per person, and tickets for the Hidden Durango tour and custom tours both go for $125 per person. The Farmer’s Market tour is dependent on the market’s schedule, and the Hidden Durango tours are set for Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 2 to 5 p.m.
The cost covers all food tastings and gratuities.
The retail store is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Mondays.
Few business owners have attempted a food tour in Durango.
Ebike and paddleboard rental company ROLL was advertising a “Foodie” tour on their website in July, with Sage Fresh Eats at 3101 Main Ave. mentioned as a stop – but ROLL’s tours are self-guided, which diverges from Siebel’s guided model.
Siebel said collaborating with and uplifting other local businesses through Durango Bites is important to her.
“I’m trying to have a business that’s focused on that idea that a rising tide lifts all boats – (that) we can all do well together,” she said.
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