Taste Cultural Food Tours are a powerful example of the Social Gastronomy Movement at work in Sydney. Social Gastronomy aims to transform lives through food by addressing social inequity and creating local jobs. While there are many food rescue and waste minimisation initiatives, several social refugee barista, hospitality and catering training enterprises in Australia, Taste Tours are unique as they are the only social enterprise in Australia whose sole focus is food tours and guiding skills.

Using food to help address social inequities and create local jobs for Sydney's migrants, refugees and youth have been TASTE's  mission since it began in 2010, and was launched with the support of The Benevolent Society, Australia's first and oldest charity. In 2015 Taste Tours started up as an independently-run, not-for-profit operator known as Taste Cultural Food Tours Inc., founded by Lesley Unsworth, its current CEO. 

“Taste has evolved into a member based association, run by the community members who co-created the concept. They are united in their passion to build cross-cultural understanding and social cohesion in the communities they operate," says Lesley.

As a social enterprise and charity, Taste Tours was founded on the principles of mutual respect, celebration of diversity and promotion of social cohesion. All profits are invested into the training and employment of the refugees, migrants and youth identified through their networks as suitable for food tour guiding. They gain life skills they can take into their home and future workplace lives.

Sahar is one such example. She arrived in Australia from Egypt in 1997. A Bankstown local, Sahar takes care of her four children, her husband and her dog. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge of food and culture and she enjoys meeting new people. She now has her own catering business after becoming a Taste Tour guide in 2011, running tours in Greenacre and Bankstown, as well as giving cooking lessons. She is a Senior Tour Guide with a truly unique sense of humour.

Taste offers a varying and seasonal variety of back-stage pass food tours including:

• Taste of Australia in Parramatta
• Taste of India in Harris Park
• Taste of Chinatown in Haymarket
• Taste of Afganistan and Persia in Merrylands
• Taste of Vietnam in Cabramatta
• Taste of the World in Liverpool
• Taste of the World in Bankstown- Private and school tours only

 Contact: Lesley Unsworth - 0417 206 323 - lesley@tastetours.com.au