Raleigh, NC - People-first Tourism (P1t) is offering foodies the opportunity to meet with celebrated chefs and the charismatic local farmers who supply their kitchens with fresh ingredients. This holiday season P1t is offering vouchers that can be redeemed for experiences from the NC mountains to the coast in 2018 - www.peoplefirsttourism.com/gifts

North Carolina’s celebrated farm-to-table chefs enthrall discerning consumers with creative flavors while incorporating local foods into their delicious dishes. However, few people appreciate the close partnerships and deep respect the chefs have for the select small farmers who supply them with fresh local ingredients. 

For the first time, there is now an easy way to book an enjoyable, hands-on interaction with the small farmers who have been largely invisible to the public. They are eager to receive visitors to show how they devote their lives to produce delicious ingredients! P1t is offering these unique experiences with select chefs across North Carolina, including Asheville, Asheboro, Raleigh, Clayton, and Kinston. 

After selecting the chef/restaurant and a date, the company will customize a hands-on farm experience with one of the small farmers recommended by the chef. These farmers are critical to the success of our favorite chefs. John Fleer, from Rhubarb in Asheville, for example, stated that spending a day making goat cheese with a local artisanal dairy producer helped him understand the integrity of the product he then uses in his menu. 

After the hands-on farm experience, P1t offers the exclusive opportunity to interact with the chefs, sampling their culinary creations using ingredients from the farm visited before the meal, and discussing the techniques and devotion used to bring out these flavors. 

In collaboration with a USDA-funded project from NC State University called fork2Farmer, P1t offers “first time experiences” that combine delectable meals prepared by celebrated farm-to-table chefs with hands-on visits with the charismatic small farmers that supply their kitchens with fresh, healthy, and delicious ingredients.  Guests are first engaged in light farming activities alongside the passionate and skilled farmers. Then guests meet the chef in their restaurant and experience how they honor the craft of “their farmers” by preparing food in ways that simply accentuate the natural flavors and textures of the fresh ingredients they receive from them. 

People-first Tourism Inc., NC State’s first tech-based social startup, provides transformative experiences for discerning travelers while empowering their genuine hosts. For more information on Pit, go to www.peoplefirsttourism.com or check us out on Facebook or Twitter.

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