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As Larry Landolt and I sit down to chat over our Brambleton Deli lunch (him, the turkey club; me, the Philly cheesesteak), his eyes light up with excitement. He’s passionate not only about food and drink, but the experiences people can have while breaking bread together. As the founder of “Experience Local” (formerly Tour Roanoke), Landolt is creating unique food and beverage experiences for visitors and locals alike thanks to his interactive tours.
Landolt was looking for the next chapter in his life when he came across food tours. As he dug deeper, discovering food tours in many other cities, he wondered if such a thing could fit here in Roanoke. He and his wife traveled to Chicago where they attended a food tour school (yes, they exist!), and were excited about what they could bring back home.
The Food Tours started three years ago, with Craft Beer Tours quickly following a year later. That led to Wine Tours, which led to working with Step On tours, a Lexington food tour, corporate gatherings…and so on. The success of his company is due to Landolt’s enthusiasm, as well as the unique premise of touting Roanoke’s history during the ride.
“We were just going to do this cute little food tour,” Landolt says, “but people ask lots of questions. We became ambassadors to the city, which is an interesting component I hadn’t anticipated. We’ve had people on tour talk about moving or retiring here, so I feel sort of responsible for bringing them and showcasing the best of what we have to offer.”
The tours are fun and informative. With one iconic recipe on Roanoke’s map (the peanut soup at Hotel Roanoke), there are of course other iconic locations such as Texas Tavern. Due to the Lebanese community that dominated the food scene so many years ago, a downtown Lebanese restaurant is always included.
“The premise of all the tours we try to do is pretty simple,” Landolt says. “How can we tell the story of a city or the neighborhood through its food? How does the food showcase the history, our icons and locations?”
All stops are strategically done to illustrate the food, but the focus is actually about Roanoke itself.
“Even if you’ve lived here your whole life, you’ll take our tour and learn things about Roanoke you never knew!” Landolt says with a laugh. “Part of how we try to weave the tour is piecing together the timeline of how things have happened; it becomes understandable.”
While he’d worked plenty of events before, it wasn’t until he started researching for the tour that he began to understand Roanoke’s story. It reignites his passion and appreciation with every new piece of research.
Even when Landolt isn’t working, food and beverage are a big part of his life. He and his wife visit the local breweries and wineries; when it comes to his favorite spots to eat, he tries to divide his time equally between restaurants, supporting those who support his tours.
“I love watching some of the people we work with,” he says. “It’s interesting to watch the food scene emerge in town, and is key to keep continuity with restaurants coming and going.”
Landolt’s daughter is currently in her senior year, plus is a swimmer, so Landolt’s free time is currently occupied with meets and a different kind of tour–the college kind!
Landolt believes the best part about his business is bringing people together. Most of their public tours are full of groups of people who start out as perfect strangers; after sharing such experiences and bonding over food and drink, friendships merge and stay intact.
“Who knew tours would do that?”
