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Upcoming Tour Dates

All tours are 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

2013 Tour Dates

 

To join a tour, please complete online contact form and include date and number of people. $25/person

Group tours (6+ people) may be booked for these or a separate date; group rate $25/person

After your date has been reserved, I will bill you via paypal.

Saturday July 13th 

Saturday August 3rd

Saturday September 8th (reserved for USPCA New England chefs chapter tour)

Saturday September 14th (reserved for and can be scheduled through Dover-Sherborn community ed.)

Saturday September 21st 

 

Contact the Chef

Lester Esser

617 512 5114

lesteresser@hotmail.com

Testimonials
Learn more in this 
interview with
boston.com.  
 

I had a great time and I learned so much. Thanks for the great tour and ideas. 

Kathleen R. 


In all, we had a blast spending time outside in the glorious day, talking with a universally happy crowd of farmers (perhaps there's something to that!), and finding unique new places to add to our shopping itineraries. Lester was a magnificent and deeply knowledgeable guide who could answer just about every question we had about the foods we found. How lucky we were! I mean, how many times do you find something in a store or at a market and say to yourself--what IS that? or how would I use that? It was great to have someone right there to answer us.

A Teachable Feast, Food Blog

 

I enjoyed Lester's excitement about the shops/market. I appreciate his willingness to
answer any question that popped in my head about food. I like that my money went to the farms directly.

Shari, Roslindale Ma.

Roslindale Farmers Market and Local Ethnic Gourmet Shopping Tour

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., June – October

This is a 3 hour guided tour through Roslindale Village, with Personal Chef Lester Esser of one of the most popular farmers markets in Boston and over a dozen surrounding ethnic and gourmet shops. While less well-known than some other neighborhoods, Roslindale is an up-and-coming destination for foodies – called a “Food lover’s paradise “ by the Boston Globe as well as a “Top spot for foodies.”

We begin the morning with a quick meet and greet, before heading to the Roslindale Farmer’s Market, where we will visit farm stands, talk with farmers and local food producers, and discover new items to add to your dinner table. I will give you shopping tips, storage and recipe ideas.  After we meet the vendors, you will have time to revisit the farm stands to complete any personal shopping. Every visit is unique, depending on the seasonal items. There is nothing more satisfying than buying produce directly from the person who grew it.

We will then visit Rozzie’s local shops, including European-style bakeries, Greek, Mexican and Lebanese markets, Italian grocery and butcher shop, gourmet cheese shop, Halal butcher, and boutique wine store – a variety you will not find anywhere else in Boston!  As we make our way through this selection of food purveyors, I give examples for preparing and serving the many items we will explore.

This is a fun learning experience for anyone interested in healthier eating, local shopping, ethnic and artisan foods and learning about this great Boston neighborhood.

This shopping adventure is open to individuals and groups. It makes a great outing for mother’s groups, foodie friends, healthy eating groups, team building with employees or coworkers. Call to schedule a group tour or to find out about joining a regularly scheduled tour.

The tour can be custom designed to include a cooking lesson using the food items we’ve discovered and/or dinner that I will prepare for you. Roslindale Village also welcomes you to enjoy many of the excellent restaurants in the Square, that will be pointed out during the tour.

A tour of just the local markets can also be arranged outside the farmers market season.

It is recommended to bring your own reuseable shopping bags and if you are traveling very far by car, a cooler with ice packs or ice to keep your purchases fresh. Please plan on 3 plus hours.