"food tours" news and stories

I'm not a huge tour person generally -- I get antsy and like to explore new cities on my own (or maybe just go shopping). But a food tour is something I definitely think that I could handle. I've been hearing about them a lot lately, as many cities now offer them. More recently, I've come across City Food Tours, which offers both walking and coach tours in Philadelphia and New York City. This company has gotten a bit of press, and they even offer personalized group packages. Philadelphia also offers tours of Reading Terminal Market, one of my favorite spots in the city, and Chinatown tours with some foodie destinations.

I've never taken a food tour, but I'd love to hear accounts from those of you have had -- especially tours that you found especially great or awful.

(Thanks, Marisa for the great picture!)

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If you are an culinarily inspired traveler like me (not that I travel much, but I'm not going anywhere unless there will be very good food involved), but schlepping through jungles to eat beating cobra's hearts like Tony Bourdain is a little too exotic, then perhaps something like Worlds of Flavor is more suited for you.

Worlds of Flavor is a travel program from both the Culinary Institute of America and the Viking Range company. This isn't a vacation where you lounge around on the beach all day. Travelers follow a world-renown chef or other culinary expert to Spain, Italy, central Mexico, Southeast Asia, India, and the Mississippi Delta. The trips are all about the cuisines of those cultures, involving visits to local markets, demonstrations by home cooks, meetings with local professional chefs, wine-tasting, and even some hands-on cooking classes.

The tours last about 10 days, cost anywhere from $2500 for the Mississippi Delta Tour to over $5000 for Spain.