What: City Food Tours’ Philly Homegrown limited-edition local food tour
Where: Tour begins at Reading Terminal Market, 51 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA
When: November 27; December 11 and December 18
Why: Aside from the fanatical sports scene, nowhere is Philadelphia’s local pride stronger than in the city’s gastronomic movement, which spans artisan bakeries, top-rated BYOBs and powerhouse cheesesteak meccas. And no one does a better job of singing the praises of the Philadelphia area’s local eats than Philly Homegrown, a consumer education and tourism organization that promotes the culinary delights of the area’s 100-mile foodshed, “from Amish Country to the Atlantic Ocean.” This fall, Philly Homegrown pairs with City Food Tours for a limited-edition walking (and tasting) tour that highlights local food, farm-to-table restaurants and fair food in Center City Philadelphia.
The two-hour tour kicks off at Reading Terminal Market, the foodie destination well-loved by locals and tourists alike. Fruit, granola, bread and cheese sourced within 160 miles of the city please your palate at the market’s Fair Food Farmstand, where President Obama recently shopped for autumn apples, and Salumeria, which maintains a rotating selection of local cheeses. The tour moves on to Tweed, Chef David Cunningham’s restaurant where locally-farmed food gets the spotlight in a chic, contemporary setting. The highlight of Tweed (apart from the Q&A with Cunningham) is the tasting of three of Tweed’s seasonal dishes, sourced from around the Delaware Valley. “I think the products are better,” says Cunningham of Tweed’s locally-produced ingredients. “When food comes from only 50 miles north, it also retains its nutritional value.” With little room left for dessert, the tour puzzles your palate with a blind tasting of six gelato flavors from Philadelphia’s popular Capogiro Gelato. The company sources its whole milk from one special Lancaster County, Pennsylvania herd. What could be more satisfying than supporting the local food movement while enjoying one of the world’s most beloved treats?
Cost: $35 per person. Reserve your spot in City Food Tours’ Philly Homegrown tour online at cityfoodtours.com or by calling 800.979.3370. Space is limited to 15 per tour. Tour requires less than 20 minutes of walking.
How to get there: Consult the Philadelphia Transportation guide in the Transportation Advisor section of offManhattan. (Reading Terminal Market, 51 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA readingterminalmarket.org, 215.922.2317.
Photos: Courtesy of Marisa McClellan
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram