About Our Food Tours
Off The Beaten Path Food Tours’ mission is to share delicious food, support local businesses and entrepreneurs, and highlight the rich cultural history of off-the-beaten path destinations in Massachusetts and beyond!
We also offer unique event experiences throughout the year in order to delight and entertain our guests.
Lizzie & Sam: Food Tour Founders
Off The Beaten Path Food Tours’ founders Lizzie and Sam are long-time Somerville and Cambridge residents and currently live in the heart of Davis Square with their great dane dog Maddie. With a genuine love for the region and passion for food tours and off-the-beaten-path travel adventures, Lizzie and Sam set out to showcase their hometown by giving guests an authentic and satisfying tour experience!
Lizzie has worked in the food industry for over 20 years, and both of them love entrepreneurs of all kinds. The quirky, artsy, lovable Somerville neighborhood was the perfect destination for their first tour and the colorful local owners we’ll meet together are full of pride for the area.
We’ve been giving tours for 10 years – last year we were honored to have over 2,000 guests. Let us show you around!
Don’t forget to tag Off The Beaten Path Food Tours
in your photos as #otbpfoodtours!
Our Food Tour & Chocolate Tour Guides
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Lani is originally from Los Angeles, California. She has lived in Harvard Square for the past 5 years. She graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and Health Policy. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also has experience teaching abroad in Japan!
In her free time, Lani enjoys playing video games, tennis, watching cartoons, and using science to perfect her recipes.
What she loves about Harvard Square: All the local businesses! There are so many places that she just wouldn’t be able to get back home in California!
Favorite Food: Eggs; they’re so versatile! (Did you know that the pleats in a chef’s hat represent the one hundred different ways a chef knows how to prepare an egg?)
Favorite Stop on the Tour: All the stops! But, she has a huge sweet tooth so the Boston Burger Company spot fulfills her cravings with their gigantic milkshakes and fries!
Favorite time in history: 1900s. Lani knows plenty of the interesting architectural choices made in Harvard Square during that time! It was also a monumental time in history for (good) changes in Harvard University and science!
Super Power: Ability to stop time
Other Fun Fact: Lani is an Emergency Medical Technician. She has saved people from allergic reactions and choking, so safety is guaranteed on the tour! :)
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Caleb is a Cambridge local and has lived in Cambridge or Somerville for most of his life. He is an actor and
playwright, performing with theater companies in Boston, Cambridge, Jamaica Plain and Worcester, and every October pretends to be a Puritan in Salem. He’s starting a business as a professional Dungeon Master and loves performance, history, food, and the Greater Boston area!
What he loves about Harvard Square: It’s beautiful, regardless of the time of year. The way the sun comes through the trees and reflects off the bricks in both the yard and the square is magical.
Favorite Food: Teriyaki Chicken
Favorite Stop on the Tour: Very hard to choose with so many great options. Saloniki is a classic though.
Favorite time in history: He knows quite a lot about the Puritans and the Revolutionary War and has also been increasingly intrigued by the history of the 1800’s.
Super Power: Perfect sense of direction
Other Fun Fact: He lived in London for three years.
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Jasmine is originally from New Jersey and recently graduated from Tufts University, where she studied Architecture and Mathematics. She is an avid restaurant connoisseur who can often be found rating restaurants (local or all across the world!) on food review apps. Growing up in a multiracial household, she had a childhood filled with unique dishes that blended flavors, spices, and cultures. Today, her creative spirit shows itself in the fusion food she cooks as well as in her deep passion for art.
What she loves about Central Square: Jasmine loves all the liveliness and whimsy found throughout Central Square. From live music to incredible murals to countless local curated shops to, of course, amazing food, this gem has so much to offer! It is truly a place she can frolic for hours!
Favorite food: Jasmine is a cheese lover at heart! She also loves udon and carrot cake.
Favorite stop on the tour: PAGU for sure! The food and ambience are immaculate.
Favorite time in history: The Renaissance period because of its advances in art and architecture!
Superpower most wanted: To be able to speak all languages so that she can travel around the world (and try all the foods too)!
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Short Bio: Tvisha was born and raised right here in New England, and has just graduated from Tufts University with a degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology. Growing up, she would visit India every other year, and have had the amazing opportunity to travel through Europe and Asia. In doing so, she has developed an expansive pallet. Boston has so many good eats, but she particularly loves Central Square because it has all the types of food you can imagine.
Favorite Time in History: She thinks the 1960’s is such an important and moving time in history!
Favorite Food: There are so many good dishes but hers has to be sushi!
Superpower Most Want: To have unlimited space in her stomach so she can constantly eat food
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Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Katie loves all things community, nature, and food. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Social Work and is interested in equipping students with community and civic engagement skills.
Outside school and work, Katie loves exploring new cafes and parks, attending free community events, traveling, swimming, biking, and staying up to date with the Seattle Aquarium’s live otter cam.
What She Likes About Harvard Square: Katie enjoys the old history and architecture mixed with the flourishing independent businesses. She especially loves learning how Harvard Square has evolved over the decades.
Favorite Food: Baked salmon
Fave stop on the tour: Saloniki!
Favorite time in history: She loves learning about the various activism movements around Boston in the 60s and 70s.
Super Power: Katie wishes she could communicate with all living things (including animals) in their languages!
Other Fun Fact: As a high schooler, Katie camped outside overnight for the opening of a donut shop chain. She missed state testing, but did win a free dozen a month for a year!
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Arthur is originally from Florida and he has enjoyed getting to know Boston food but not so much Boston winters! His background is in healthcare and he enjoys spending time outdoors as well as playing water sports. Coming from a multicultural family, he hopes to continue learning about new cultures and tasting new foods.
What he loves about Cambridge: The innovation! Did you know that many of today’s modern innovations were developed at various research labs, companies, and universities right here in Cambridge?
Favorite food: Fried clams and blueberry cobbler. Briny and bright!
Favorite stop on the tour: Commonwealth Kitchen. What makes ice cream so special? The science behind creating that perfect creamy frozen texture. I scream for ice cream!
Favorite time in history: Late 18th, early 19th century and the Age of Enlightenment. What an exciting time for food! We saw the refinement of French cuisine and the establishment of many modern day cooking techniques. Bon appétit!
Super-hero power he’d most want: Time travel. I’d want to go back to see how food changed over time. Ever wonder what the first blueberry cobbler was like? Did it look like the ones we know today? Did it taste good? So many questions.
Other fun fact: Arthur can speak three languages (Mandarin, French, English)!
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Andrew has been a tour guide for the past 5 years and loves being surrounded by the history of Boston. He especially loves to learn new things and discover new areas and the Boston food scene.
Favorite Food: a hearty Clam Chowder and a great Boston Cream Pie.
Favorite Stop on Tour: Omni Parker for the pie!
Favorite Time in History: 1760 to 1800 – the Road to Revolution.
Super Power: has a fun story or fact about almost every corner of downtown Boston
Other Fun Fact: loves acting, singing and dancing in community theatre productions.
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She’s a Pinterest enthusiast and has over 17k pins on her largest board.
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Melissa is a proud Wellesley College and Harvard Graduate School of Education graduate! For several years after college, she gave tours of Boston and Cambridge (Harvard / MIT) to international students who were in America to learn English and is thrilled to return as a tour guide. You can catch her on stage as a stand-up comedian as well!
Favorite Food: What food doesn’t she like?! The weirdest food she loves is raw spinach.
Fave stop on the tour: Union Square Donuts
Favorite time in history: There are complications with every time period, but they really did make the roaring 20s sound fun!
Super Power: Teleportation
Other Fun Fact: She once won a televised dance contest!
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Brief bio: Grown and raised in Hong Kong, Sophie has always loved trying new foods and learning how to make things taste good. In fact, she first started learning to bake in middle school to satisfy her own sweet tooth. Now as a resident of Central Square, she loves how vibrant this area of Cambridge always is and how there is something for you to love and discover here no matter what your interests are. Sophie works as a 5th Grade teacher and can be found trying new fitness classes, discovering new restaurants, and exploring Boston and its greater neighborhoods.
Favorite Food: It’s hard to pick a favorite but if she had to, it would be dumplings or cake.
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Wendy loves history, having grown up in Philadelphia and later moving to Boston. Between those cities, she detoured and found herself in Tokyo, where she delighted in exploring the culture for three years.
A former museum educator, Wendy now teaches English to recent arrivals —developing courses and tours that highlight the best of Boston.
She loves travel, photography, bicycling, writing and consuming chocolate!
Favorite food: Banana ice cream drenched in hot fudge syrup.
Favorite time in history: the early 1960s, after Kennedy was elected when there was a youthful energy and sense of optimism
Superpower most wanted: The ability to introduce everyone in the US to someone from a distant land to appreciate the beauty of cultural differences and universal human desires
Fun Fact: She can’t look at a flower arrangement without wanting to rearrange it, a habit acquired after studying ikebana in Japan.
What do you like most about Cambridge? The amazing and diverse museums, including the free Harvard Art Museum!
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What she loves about Union/ Central: Central and Union square both are so special to Alex for the huge mix of food, art, culture, and community. She loves how Union and Central have such a diverse array of food across different cuisines and type of restaurant. She also loves the emphasis or art in the squares- whether it’s murals, the great local live music scene, or the awesome local artist pop ups in the squares. She also just loves the community events that are huge in the squares- whether its their farmers markets, or events like block parties, outdoor music festivals, fluff fest and beyond!
Favorite food: Dim sum/ tacos al pastor/ ramen
Favorite stops on the tour: She has a soft spot for Machu Pichu! She also loves feeling like she’s been transported to Mexico City at Barra- it’s such a special place.
Favorite time in history: She’s really interested in Boston’s role in the civil rights movement!
Super power most want: Teleportation!! To be transported personally around the world to eat her way through it!
Other fun fact: She does a mean Britney Spears impression at Karaoke.
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Emily is originally from Western Mass and moved to the Boston Area after graduating from college. Emily is an alumna of City Year Greater Boston, and she now works at an education nonprofit in the Boston Area. Emily is a lover of 60s and 70s music, the arts, traveling, trying delicious foods, and spending time with loved ones.
What she loves about Union: She loves how vibrant Union Square is-there’s always so much to do! On a given weekend, you can find vintage markets, live music, comedy shows, and of course, great food. There’s also such a neighborly and friendly feel here, which is so special.
Favorite food: It’s hard to pick one…but she’ll narrow it down to soup, ice cream, and pasta.
Favorite stop on the tour: She has fond memories of going to Barra with her family and her roommates. It has a really cool atmosphere, and the food and drinks are unique and great to share.
Favorite time in history: She is very interested in 19th Century Paris! This period of rapid change and modernity has had a lasting influence on art and culture, and she especially loves the way women artists shaped the Impressionist movement.
Super power she’d most want: Teleportation would be so convenient- she can’t imagine an easier commute!
Other fun fact: Emily worked at the Tribeca Film Festival upon graduating from college.
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Roberta is an Associate Professor of Hospitality Management at MassBay Community College. Prior to teaching at MassBay she taught at Newbury College in Brookline where many of her students were culinary arts majors. She loves visiting the restaurants of her graduates. Roberta and her business partner have a small mystery shopping business. They specialize in evaluating hospitality operations.
Favorite Food– Boston Crème Pie because it originated in Massachusetts, and it is delicious.
Favorite Stop on the Tour– They are all her favorites because they all contain some form of chocolate!
Favorite Time in History– The 1960’s which were filled with music, politics, peace and love.
Super-hero Power She Would Most Want– She would love to be able to eradicate homelessness.
Other fun facts– She ran the Boston Marathon 15 times and completed an 8-mile open water swim in the Boston Harbor without a wetsuit.
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Chloe grew up in the Boston area and after living across the country and traveling she moved back several years ago. A former art teacher with a background in design, Chloe is also an inventor and is working on a startup company to launch one of her products. She loves food, travel, photography, design, outdoor activities and is a former competitive runner.
What she loves about Harvard: Chloe loves the independent shops, unique restaurants, and bustling vibe
Favorite food:
It’s a tie between pizza, tacos and flourless chocolate cake
Favorite time in history: Ancient Rome – she’s fascinated by ancient civilizations and how people lived back then.
Super-hero power most want: The power to save and rescue animals and improve their welfare.
Other fun fact: She lived on Maui, Hawaii for 2 years