Undiscovered Charleston: Half Day Food, Wine & History Tour with Cooking Class

Embark on a chef-led historic food tour in Charleston, exploring the city’s culinary heritage. Enjoy a walking tour, cooking demonstration, lunch, and wine tasting at Bistro a Vin.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 1 Vendue Range - Charleston’s acclaimed Chef Forrest Parker guides you along an undiscovered path where food and history meet on in historic Charleston, distilling 400 years into a walking tour experience culminating with a cooking demonstration and three course tasting of the iconic flavors of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Chef Forrest leads you…
What's Included
  • 90-minute walking tour of Charleston’s historic district
  • Cooking Demonstration by Chef Forrest Parker
  • Each guest will leave with copies of Chef Forrest’s recipes
  • Lunch
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Meal Options
  • Lunch - Tours conclude at a cozy bistro where Chef Forrest demonstrates how to prepare Lowcountry classics. Enjoy a lunch carefully paired with wine.
Additional Information

Charleston’s sole chef-led historical walking tour, cooking show, and lunch! Our adventure starts with a 90-minute culinary history walking tour through the historic district, followed by a cooking show, lunch & wine tasting at the beloved local venue, Bistro a Vin. The experience is led by Charleston’s only South Carolina Chef Ambassador & Palmetto…

Location
Pineapple Fountain
Vendue Range
Waterfront Park, also called Joe Riley Waterfront Park is at the end of a street called Vendue Range. We'll meet at the famous Pineapple fountain in the middle of the park.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(913 Ratings)
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Deeanna_b
Aug 10, 2025
Highly Recommend the culinary tour with Chef Forrest. - Everything about this tour was beyond our expectations. Chef Forrest was incredibly knowledgeable about the area and extremely personable and entertaining. Our group of 4 took a leisurely stroll through Charleston while Chef Forrest pointed out beautiful architecture and shared stories of each. The tour ended at his charming location where his hospitality really shined. I have worked with a well known caterer in Richmond Va for several years but have never had a better meal than I did that day. We were all very impressed and pleased. The wine pairings were point on and the food was incredible. If you have the opportunity to tour with Chef Forrest I highly recommend it. We all agreed this was our favorite activity during our stay in Charleston.
Review provided by Viator
Jennyw415
Aug 8, 2025
Well done chef! - This tour was simply the best. Chef Parker is a sensation! First off, he knows his history very well. He tells the good, bad, and the ugly and transforms it into how that has impacted current cuisine. The way he ties history and culinary is amazing. Once he starts cooking for you…just expect your taste buds to go to heaven. He will cook with the some of the facts you learned along walking tour. The flavors in his food make you want to lick the plate. This tour is much worth the value and I can’t wait to go back again. Well done chef!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
317luannc
Aug 4, 2025
Awesome experience of history & cuisine with Chef Forrest Parker - We had a wonderful informative walking tour of Charleston followed by a cooking class and amazing wine paired lunch prepared by Chef Forrest Parker. Delightful informative way to spend your morning in a small group format that is topped off by a fun (he cooks the meal for you as he explains everything) delicious lunch. We learned a lot about Charleston history, architecture, and learned some new fun cooking skills. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lydiadt7795ee
Aug 2, 2025
10/10 Experience for Foodies in Charleston - This tour was fabulous! 10/10 would recommend. The concierge at Hotel Bennett, Kevin McQuade, suggested that we go since we mentioned we’re foodies. We met up with Chef Forest and the rest of our group (max group size is 10) near the pineapple fountain downtown and from there Forest led us through the city, explaining the sights and history of the town. We stopped frequently along the walk, which was nice, since the July heat was starting to pick up. As we walked, he pointed out and recommended restaurants, as well as other landmarks we might want to check out on our own. Around noon we arrived at our lunch spot to watch Forest cook! He poured various types of wine for us to accompany each dish, and left the bottles out in case we were tempted for a 2nd or 3rd helping. As he cooked, he invited us to ask him questions and watch his process. First, he prepared gazpacho which was AMAZING. Super light and flavorful. One of my favorite dishes from our entire Charleston trip. He also served some toasted bread with melted pimento cheese to accompany the soup. Next was the shrimp and grits which was incredible. Very filling and rich. Forest also gave us his homemade hot sauce to eat with any and all dishes during lunch, and it was fantastic. Last was the berry tart dessert which was served with a peach, whipped cream, and lemon curd. So refreshing and delicious. After lunch, as we hung back to chat with him further, he recommended the restaurant Volpe for us to have dinner later that day. We ended up switching our reservation to Volpe and it was definitely the right move! All in all this was the highlight of our trip. I would recommend this tour for anyone who wants an intimate, historical, and tasty experience in Charleston.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
V1076tdrebeccab
Aug 1, 2025
Incredible experience. - Incredible food and such a wonderful history and culture tour. Forrest showed us around and has such good knowledge and humor which is often lacking in tours. Everyone in our adult group loved it despite the heat. The food and story telling was exceptional and could t recommend it more highly. Such good value for money as had large wine pairing with each course and all the food was so high quality. Best thing we did in Charleston
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C7646uaelenas
Jul 28, 2025
Best Charleston tour for those who love history and food! - This was by far the best Charleston tour we have taken! More than a tour, chef Parker’s knowledge of Charleston history (culinary and otherwise) was in depth and he cooked an amazing 3 course meal to cap it off. Highly recommend this one!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anthony_f
Jul 21, 2025
Great ... - Great Chef Forest was a wonderful raconteur and outstanding chef. Highly, highly recommend this experience
Review provided by Viator
E6562qqkimberlyf
Jul 19, 2025
- We live locally and decided to book a day date while our kids are away. We loved this tour. Chef Forrest is a great storyteller and very funny. The food and wine pairings were delicious. So much wonderful history behind the food he prepared for us. There were two other couples in our group and it felt like we were attending a dinner party at our friend Forrest’s house. I have to mention again how great the food was!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Allisonlg9173ej
Jul 14, 2025
Great time amazing food! - I have lived nearby for 20 years and this was The coolest thing I have done in town! Great tour and even better food! It was a great time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Drcik
Jul 12, 2025
An Unforgettable Taste of Charleston with Chef Forrest Parker - This was our first trip to Charleston, and we booked Undiscovered Charleston’s Walking and Tasting Tour hoping to get a small taste of the city. We had no idea it would turn out to be one of the best meals we had all week—and that’s really saying something in this food-loving town. Chef kicked things off with a fascinating walking history tour—not just of Charleston, but of how its rich and complicated history has shaped its culinary landscape. He’s a natural storyteller, and his passion for the city and its food traditions made the experience that much more meaningful. Then came the food demo, tasting, and wine pairing, and wow—what a treat. Chef shared techniques, shortcuts, and even recipes (including his addictive candy crystal hot sauce—I could have eaten a whole bowl of it!). The gazpacho was fresh, bright, and bursting with flavor. But the true star of the meal was the shrimp and grits. Hands down, the best I’ve ever had. While Chef gave us all the tools to recreate this at home, I doubt I’ll ever do it justice—but every time I try, it will bring back amazing memories of this tour and the new friends we made along the way. If you’re ever in Charleston, this tour is an absolute must. Come hungry, leave inspired.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $250
up to 11 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).