As a travel writer, I was lucky enough to experience two Culinary Backstreets' foodie walks, one in Queens, New York, and one in Naples, Italy. I have a soft spot for both the company that runs small-group food-related walking tours in cities around the world and for Queens and Naples, a lot of it due to the fun, well-informed and charismatic guides I spent a day with. In short, they allow tourists to get under the skin of a destination by visiting small, independent shops, restaurants, street sellers, and food trucks.

In Queens, I learned immigrant history through sampling food and visiting venues with local guide Esneider Arevalo,  a trained chef who also sings in a punk band and hosts guided tours of Queens. I stuffed my face with multi-nationality food, from Colombian buñuelos to Mexican cemitas, around the residential neighbourhoods of Jackson Heights, Corona, and Elmhurst. 

In Naples, our genial guide was Amedeo Collelo, the self-proclaimed ‘king of Naples,’ a lecturer, performer, writer, and expert on his home city. We ate cake, pizza, more cake, more pizza and so on all day.

In support of the many independent, family-run restaurants that are closed or else opening with restrictions since the outbreak of COVID-19, Culinary Backstreets created a new initiative. Starting with Lisbon, and now launching in Naples, for every Saving Your Seat gift certificate sold from €20, CB donates the price of a full meal to a local restaurant in that city. The aim is to sell enough seats to fill the restaurant with the support of future guests. Once travel is possible again, you can use the gift certificate (or gift it to a friend to use) on any CB activity.

*When it’s safe to travel again, Ryanair flies from London Stansted Airport to Naples.