Welcome to the Friday Explorer Series on Go Mexico Guide. The Friday Explorer Series promotes tour services throughout Mexico. Today I’m pleased to welcome Lesley Tellez of Eat Mexico.
Tacos al pastor (spit-roasted, marinated pork topped with pineapple) from El Tizoncito in Condesa
Please introduce yourself and talk a little about your business.
Eat Mexico Founder Lesley Tellez
LT: Well, I’m originally a newspaper reporter. I worked in Texas for eight years, in both Dallas and San Antonio. My husband’s job moved us to Mexico City in January 2009 (it was a move we both wanted) and I arrived thinking I’d do some freelance writing. Instead I started a blog about expat life and Mexican food called The Mija Chronicles. (You can find it linked to my name above.) And slowly I just became more and more entranced with Mexican cooking, and Mexican ingredients.
My friend Jesica happened to be running an arts-and-culture tourism business called More Mexico and she wanted to branch out and open a gastronomic-only arm. So we got together and talked and decided to launch Eat Mexico, a culinary tourism business focusing on Mexican food. It’s been a lot of fun.
We’re both nuts about Mexican food, so the basic point behind Eat Mexico is to share Mexico’s culinary traditions and culture with rest of the world. At the same time, we want to provide a fun experience that shows foreigners what Mexicans really eat — in many cases in Mexico City, it’s street food or tacos. We offer private food tours of both of those scenes, along with markets.
Where in Mexico does Eat Mexico operate? What are some of your featured tour itineraries?
LT: We’re based in Mexico City. At this point, we only offer tours within Mexico City, although in the future we’d love to expand elsewhere. We offer three signature tours: Street Food, Tacos and Mexican Markets. The Street Food tour is four hours long and showcases some of the best of DF goodies: quesadillas, tlacoyos, tacos de canasta. On the taco tour, we try carnitas, tacos al pastor, tacos de guisado and tacos árabes, among others. And the market tour is really what you need to put it all in perspective. We stop by either the Mercado San Juan or the tianguis, depending on the person’s schedule, and we learn about dried chiles, native Mexican ingredients, and the history of markets in Mexico.
The history and culture perspective is an important part of our tours. We’re not just eating, but we’re learning about where the food comes from, how it’s prepared, and who is preparing it.
Additionally, while we offer three signature tours, all of our itineraries are completely customizable. If you’re interested in exploring the best sweets of Mexico City (concha rolls, churros, Mexican candy, etc.), we can organize a tour for you. Likewise if you’re interested in pre-Columbian insects — grasshoppers, worms and the like — we can set up an itinerary that meets your needs.
Taco de acelgas (chard) at Tacos Hola in Condesa
Are the tours offered by Eat Mexico all-inclusive or geared more toward the independent traveler in Mexico?
LT: We’re actually aiming for a slight mix of both. Our tours range from $50 to $100, depending on if you’re traveling solo or with a group. We can provide transportation to and from your hotel for an additional cost. Some of our tours include handouts that you can take home, and we will happily provide you recommendations on where to eat in the city, and other attractions worth visiting.
Overall, our tours have a fun, informal spirit that’s geared toward people who like to try new things, or learn something new. None of our tours are over four hours long, so you can still fit in another activity in the same day, if you wish.
Can Eat Mexico tours be customized to accommodate special dietary needs or preferences? Is English spoken?
LT: English is definitely spoken! I’m American and bilingual in Spanish, and my Mexican business partner, Jesica, speaks fluent English. All of our tour guides speak fluent English, too. We can accommodate special dietary needs, as long as you let us know what they are in advance. To do so, you can contact us at info@eatmexico.com or just fill out the contact page on our website.
Taco árabe (spit-roasted pork with parsley and spices) at Tacos El Greco in Condesa
Are you currently offering any special rates or promotions? How should someone go about booking a tour with Eat Mexico?
LT: We’re not currently offering any special rates, but we do have plans to offer half-off tours once or twice a month. We’ll launch the news on our Facebook page and over Twitter (@EatMexico.) To book a tour with us, please fill out the contact form on our website, www.eatmexico.com. Or you can send us an email with your desired interests or itinerary to info@eatmexico.com.
Is there anything else you’d like to mention about the tours offered by Eat Mexico? Where can readers go for more information?
LT: We’re just really excited to be offering this service to people. True, authentic Mexican food is unlike any other cuisine in the world, and it deserves more attention and recognition!
For more information and for mouth-watering food photos from our tours, readers can visit our website, www.eatmexico.com.
For up-to-the-minute information on discounts, promotions, and tours we have planned for the future — ideas we’re mulling around now include a pulque/mescal/tequila/wine tour, and a chiles en nogada tour — please visit our Facebook page and our Twitter feed, @EatMexico.
Of course, we’re always open to suggestions, so if there’s a tour you think we should be offering, reach out to us at info@eatmexico.com.
Thanks Lesley for taking the time to chat with me today! The tours sound fantastic!
No, thank you! We appreciate being asked to participate.
All photos are the property of Eat Mexico.
I hope you enjoyed today’s interview. A special thanks to Lesley for taking the time to participate. Please contact Lesley directly with any tour-related inquiries. If you’d like to see your tour services featured on the Friday Explorer Series please contact me.
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