Seven tourists and their guide strolled down the streets of Jackson Heights on a Sunday afternoon to get a taste of Latin American foods.
“Jackson Heights is one of the best known areas among foodies,” said Myra Alperson, founder and guide of NoshWalks, a food walking tour business launched in August of 2000. “There is just so much to see and do there.”
The Latin American Jackson Heights food tourists “noshed” their way along the culinary corridors of Roosevelt and 37th Avenues. The visitors paid $30 each to sample specialties of Colombia; Uruguay; Mexico; Ecuador; Argentina and more on June 27.
For John Ritzcovan, 63, this was his 19th food tour with Alperson. He said he has also gone on food walking tours of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx.
“I wanted to learn about Jackson Heights,” said Ritzcovan, who lives in Pound Ridge in Westchester County. “I am always interested in learning neighborhoods’ history and culture.”
Joanne Greene, 55, from Leonia, N.J., didn’t mind eating on the sidewalks of Jackson Heights.
“It sounded like a tasty adventure,” she said. “I love ethnic food. My son lives in Colombia right now, so I love to do anything that I could share with him.”
Greene said she has been to Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Costa Rica. Others on the tour also all shared their love for Latin America and food. They ate “anticuchos” (veal heart) at a Peruvian restaurant, munched on seasoned potatoes from an Ecuadorian food street vendor, sipped on “cholados,” a frozen drink from a Colombian restaurant and tasted many foods from other Latin American countries. Along the way they learned about the historical and cultural landmarks of the neighborhood.
The next tour of Queens will be of Rego Park and Corona on Sunday, July 18. For more information, visit: www.noshwalks.com
