Lynn on Guelphology Podcast

photo of Lynn at Guelph Farmers' Market
Taste Detours will help answer the age-old question, “We want to try something new, where should we go?” Lynn talks about her history working for the city, life downtown, and how that led her to creating Taste Detours in 2015. She shares her unique approach to her food and drink tours that will take you to…

I am becoming the street

downtown guelph streetview
Here’s a bit I wrote years ago. I am wordy – sheesh. But I don’t believe it’s irrelevant, despite its age. Or maybe it’s tone deaf in our climate today?

Our Alumni page with Guelph Business

Are you looking to try amazing local food, learn more about the history of your home, and connect with others and your community? Then you are looking for Taste Detours! Taste Detours is a moveable feast experience that allows for you to explore your local food scene, while slowing down and taking in the history…

A little taste of this, a little bite of that, and a big slice of Guelph history

I had a most fascinating tour yesterday with six men from Walkerton, Kitchener and Guelph. Four of them were born and raised in Guelph, each attending Sacred Heart School and then St. Stanislaus, St. Agnes and eventually Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School — the renamed Loretto Academy and Notre Dame, now gone from Catholic Hill.…

We tell stories, we learn a little something ourselves

Ok, admittedly, these aren’t our best shots but we need them here to tell a story.  Just this past week we’ve had guests from Tasmania and Qatar.  Justin requested a custom tour because she couldn’t make it any other day and she hadn’t been to Guelph since she was 6 months old – over 45…

Collaboration Nation. Not just one of our hashtags

Food tours essentially unwrap (or uncork!) a region by offering access to its local ingredients. Food – good, fresh, local food – comes naturally to us. We have deep agricultural roots in this region. Roots from soil that holds both our old stories and a strong instinct to grow. This forms perhaps the largest part of our history. These are the roots that we continue to nurture and retell.

Let’s Eat: Bread. Ingredients. Heat. The panini hits all the right notes

Picture of panini
This week’s Let’s Eat looks at the origins of the toasted sandwich adored by more than Italians Sandwiches were popularized in England in 1762 by John Montagu, none other than the Earl of Sandwich. As legend has it, Montagu had a considerable passion for gambling, which had him spending countless hours playing cards. During one…

Safe Travels Stamp

Safe travels stamp Ontario
Taste Detours is delighted to announce it has been awarded the #SafeTravels Stamp.

BEST BITES: In praise of the precious pierogi

Pierogi came to North America with waves of Polish and Ukrainian immigrants arriving throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries Almost every culture and country has some form of dough stuffed with meats, fish or vegetables. From Chinese dumplings, Japanese gyoza and Cornish pasties, to empanadas, ravioli, samosas, and tamales, it really is a handy…

BEST BITES: Hot, sour and very very, tasty

This edition of Best Bites takes a look at the delicious hot and sour soup at one of the longest-serving restaurants in Guelph It’s a shiny Lunar New Year and the hardworking metal Ox reigns supreme for 2021. As with previous Best Bites columns thus far, I’ve been hyper-focussed on comfort. Covid continues to demand…

BEST BITES: A local offering of historic Lebanese sujek

Land acknowledgement
But let’s talk about Sujek. Also known as Sujuk, Sucuc, Soudjouk, Sudzhuk, Sudžuk, depending on where in the world you are. Traditionally prepared with ground beef and spices such as cumin, salt, paprika, and garlic, the Sujek you’ll find at Retour Bistro has all the makings of tradition rehashed.

BEST BITES: Celebrating the tourtière, a French Canadian holiday classic

The tourtière that we know today was first written about in the 1840 French-Canadian cookbook, La Cuisiniere Canadienne For many, there’s very little that flavours this season more perfectly than a tourtière. It certainly continues to reign supreme as a traditional dish in Québec for Christmas Eve’s night-long celebration, le réveillon, and New Year’s Eve meals. To…

BEST BITES: The simple, warm embrace of comfort food

Naruemon Verspagen of Na Ha Thai’s Kitchen goes back to her childhood with sticky rice and mango. “In the uncertain ebb and flow of time and emotions much of one’s life history is etched in the senses.” ― Banana Yoshimoto, Kitchen I’ve been reflecting on the comforting nature of food during these curious COVID months…

Little Bites for the Season

Buy our IsoCookbook and add sweet seasonal gifts We’ve gathered a few of our friends from this IsoCookbook to help you customize your own festive bag of goodies. Every purchase of the book gets you a $20 gift certificate for one on a future tour with us. Don’t forget that $5 of every book sold…

BEST BITES: A new food column

Let’s talk about squid. Delicious, versatile squid. Local foodie Lynn Broughton brings you her take on an exceptional local dish and the story that comes with it.

#IsoCookbook is well done

Little Bites: Tastes from Isolation cookbook is alive Taste Detours began working on this book in mid-March 2020 when COVID stunned us all into a radical change of lifestyle — of living — and in our case, a 100% shut down of tours. By mid-April, we had signed on with Jenna Kessler to illustrate the cookbook, and the…

Little Bites: Tastes from Isolation

Through this #IsoCookbook, we’ve attempted to continue a conversation similar to one we’d be having together across a table on our tours. We gain a bit of insight into who these people are, and why they chose a particular recipe to represent themselves. This is our chance to hear their stories. To download these recipes…

Recipe: The Conscious Kitchen

Our mission is to create a community-based hub that connects people who care about where their food’s coming from, who’s growing and making it, and how it’s impacting the planet. We want to change the food system for the better, and that starts with making sustainable food more accessible and easy for consumers to access. GUELPH

Recipe: Guelph Caribbean Cuisine

A true taste of Trinidadian street food — doubles, traditionally made Roti and curry with their own special blend of fresh seasonings and pepper sauce. Everything is made in house. GUELPH

Recipes: [RE]Fresh Juice Co. + Shannon Doherty

We know first-hand that great food brings people together. As life-long friends, we’ve always bonded over our shared passions for cooking and health, and our drive to share the value of healthy eating with our families. Cold pressed | 100% Organic | Never hpp’d | Always in glassGUELPH At [RE]Fresh we use only the highest…

Recipes: The Friendly Society + Polestar Hearth

…a romantic night out with classy cocktails, and a stunning river view. Since opening in July 2019, The Friendly Society has quickly established itself as a destination in Elora. ELORA Polestar Hearth makes good bread right in the heart of Guelph, Ontario GUELPH

Recipes: Jewels Under the Kilt + FRED’s FOOD Co.

A fruit and nut orchard in Fergus, Ontario…we planted 100 trees. The nuts tasted great.  We loved living off the land. We gave them to our friends and neighbours, and for 2 years I would farm, cook and create recipes with our home grown nuts. FERGUS FRED’S focuses on quality comfort foods with an emphasis on…

Being isolated and quarantined makes cooking a social affair

We’re isolated, we’re quarantined – and we’re hungry for really good recipes. Being isolated doesn’t mean we’re alone in our quest for delicious, nutritious meals, and – let’s face it – it seems everyone has jumped on the culinary bandwagon to create mouth-watering works of art that are being shared on all levels of social…

Recipes: Chef Scotty + Bin 23 Restaurant

When you get a chance to see Chef Scotty, always remember his tag line… “What Love Tastes Like” GUELPH Bin 23 offers a unique dining experience with a seasonal menu options from locally sourced farms, bakery’s, grocers & distributors as well as daily features and desserts all made in-house. GUELPH

Recipe: Eric the Baker

It’s as if Eric and Paula have been on Carden Street for decades — like dear old friends who make you the best food. When they take time off there are nose prints on the windows from all of us willing them back.

Recipe: Elora Mercantile

A visit to Elora Mercantile is like opening the door to a secret trove of treasures. Made by Patti or Michèle or a local artisan, EMs products have been sourced with care for the producer, the consumer and the environment top-of-mind.

Interview with Jan Hamilton of Rogers TV about IsoCookbook

Taste Detours provides award-winning, locally flavoured food tours in Guelph and Elora that tell stories of people and places via food and drink. Chief Epicurean Officer Lynn Broughton talks with Rogers tv’s Jan Hamilton about the impact of the pandemic on her business and how she’s found a unique way to support the many restaurants and food…

Recipes: Retour Bistro + Tithorea

Today’s recipe pairings offer you tastes of both Lebanon and Greece. From Retour Bistro in Guelph, a Mouttabal, and from Tithorea in Rockwood, Spanakopitakia.

Recipe: Na-Ha-Thai’s Kitchen

The taste of Thai food comes mainly from a wide range of ingredients. The blending of spices & herbs, fresh vegetables, variety of meats, coconut milk, fish sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar, and curry paste which vary from region to region contributes to the harmonious tastes unique to each dish. GUELPH

Local restaurants collaborate for free online cookbook

Gyoza hands
Little Bites: Tastes from Isolation was created in an effort to help local restaurants share their food and Taste Detours tell their stories. While many are polishing their cooking skills during the lockdown, Taste Detours is releasing recipes from restaurants across Guelph, Elora and Wellington County for free.  Taste Detours founder Lynn Broughton’s initiative Little Bites:…

Recipes: Miijidaa Café & Bistro

A Cool as a Cucumber Cocktail and a modern spin on a traditional French-Canadian Tourtière. Two recipes that feature Miijidaa Cafe & Bistro’s favourite things: Canadian ingredients that honour our northern gastronomic history

Recipes: Atmosphere Cafe + The Olive Experience

Chef Shawn of Atmosphere Café + etc. has offered his popular Braised Lamb Shanks recipe and The Olive Experience shows us how to use some of their oils and balsamics with Chipotle Lime Roasted Cauliflower Bites

Recipes: Crafty Ramen + La FONTANA

A modern take on a traditional family recipe for Gyoza from Crafty Ramen in Guelph, and healthy, homemade Pasta in Kale Pesto from La Fontana, Elora.

Little Bites: Tastes from Isolation

A free virtual cookbook featuring food-people and restaurants from throughout Wellington County, Ontario. We’ll roll out submitted recipe pages two at a time throughout May and into June. These downloadable *pairings* will continue until the book is complete and housed online here for you to access as a whole towards the beginning of June 2020. All art and layout by Jenna Kessler jennakessler.com

Updated! Our COVID plan going forward

Sitting separately at a cafe
Dear food friends, We’re slowly relaunching in-person tours! Look for Agri-tours, Town + Terroir, self-guided bike tours, and virtual experiences that highlight a circular food economy in the near future. More tours will be added as we navigate the changes with our partner businesses. The tour stops and days of the week may change due…

Fall for Taste

Our pre-holiday newsletter Good day food friends! It’s been a busy and beautiful Fall in Wellington County so far. We’re just past our 4th Birthday, and very proud to be on the verge of touring almost 1600 people. Guests ranging from 9 countries, 11 U.S. States, and 9 Canadian provinces. A reminder that all of these repeat visitors…

Finalist Ontario Tourism Awards!

Ontario Tourism Awards
As a category of the Ontario Tourism Awards of Excellence, these awards recognize tourism industry successes by honouring organizations and individuals who have made significant contributions to tourism in the province. We are thrilled and honoured! Read on: https://ontarioculinary.com/meet-the-finalists-of-the-2019-ontario-culinary-tourism-awards/

Feast + Flavour Guelph

We began a photo journey in 2019 and called it Feast + Flavour Guelph in which we hired Storymaker Photography for sessions in two seasons. The shoots occurred outdoors throughout the year to capture a variety of Guelph businesses, culture, food, people, and landscapes. Our project successfully emphasized the diversity of food and tourism experiences to…

Taste Detours launches The Grand Food Tour in Elora

Food Tour Elora
“It feels natural to have our tours in both Guelph in Elora. There are shared agricultural roots within Wellington County, even historic connections. Telling these stories through food and drink — connecting our regional flavours, even slowing down and connecting people with each other — is the very essence of Taste Detours,” she said. “Elora’s vitality…

Taste Detours now offering food tours in Elora

Food Tour Elora
“It feels natural to have our tours in both Guelph in Elora. There are shared agricultural roots within Wellington County, even historic connections. Telling these stories through food and drink — connecting our regional flavours, even slowing down and connecting people with each other — is the very essence of Taste Detours.” says Broughton. “Elora’s vitality is evident with every…

Telling Guelph’s stories through the food we share

Lynn Broughton has taken many detours on her way to Guelph and picked up a wealth of cultural and culinary experience in the process. “I love eating with strangers,” said Broughton. “I really like meeting people and finding out their stories, sort of digging for those hidden gems.” Broughton is the founder of Taste Detours,…

Proud 50 over 50 Entrepreneur

Photograph of Lynn Broughton who organises local food tasting tours in Guelph, Elora, Wellington County
Lynn was honoured to receive a Wise 50 over 50 National Award in 2018. The WISE 50 over 50 Award recognizes and celebrates Canadian Entrepreneurs over the age of 50! The newest and fastest growing segment of entrepreneurship is led by people over the age of 50. It’s time to recognize their accomplishments and let all…

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