Side Tour Hits Philly


So you know that friend who’s like, really crafty? And the one who always knows the hottest drinks at the hottest new speak-easy style bars? Well, now there’s a way for them to formally show off their talents while making a little money off ‘em, as well as a way for you to learn some skills or get some behind-the-scenes interactions with your favorite chefs.

Introducing Side Tour, a Time magazine “Company to Watch” that’s just added Philly to its list of cities that so far covers NYC, DC and Chicago. Side Tour is an experiential “tour” company with a twist. Anyone who can demonstrate and provide participatory engagement in an activity can market it on Side Tour, which then takes a cut of the fee. So for example, in a few weeks Russet chef Andrew Wood is going to welcome me and a few Side Tour custies to his restaurant to teach us how to make charcuterie using a suckling pig as his demo model. After he gets his hands elbow-deep in pork guts, he’s cooking up the animal for a four-course feast. And it’s all for $65.

Though there are a lot of really cool experiences that don’t involve food and drink, there are many more that do. Check it: In the next two weeks, there’s a tequila and mescal tasting, a honey, cheese and wine tasting, a day spent at an urban farm, a Mexican dinner, a tiki cocktail class at the home bar of a Franklin Mortgage Co. bartender, and a pie gobble. And most of them are run by just plain ole’ folks.

Phew. Just reading all those descriptions makes me fat. But don’t think for a second that means I’m not going to as many of them as possible.

Side Tour [Official]