Our Tour Guides

I grew up with grits and hush puppies but never appreciated pimento cheese, deviled eggs, mac and cheese and red velvet cake till I found the Lowcountry of Charleston 11 years ago.  I find myself in the kitchen making all of the above, and I am seen in at least one restaurant a week sampling other Lowcountry fare.  Many of my summer days are spent tending to my patch at the community garden filled with collards, okra, and heirloom tomatoes.

My name is Cathy Hinson, a guide for almost 24 years, and my favorite tours are the Culinary Tours. I cook a lot. I love comfort food, Italian food, and veggies, and am an avid gardener. This year, I grew 26 varieties of tomatoes in my backyard garden. In addition to my profession as a tour guide, I also supervise an annual Tea Room at Second Presbyterian Church, held during Spoleto each year. Thanks goodness for Charleston, a true food mecca!

I grew up in Athens, GA and have lived in Charleston for the past 26 years.  My fondest food memories are growing up in a time when my mother would make homemade biscuits or cornbread for almost every meal, plus meat and two vegetables cooked the slow southern way.  It was a slower time and we always dined together at the kitchen table or dining room on special occasions.  My favorite restaurant dining experience was back when I worked for AAA.  The food critic that does the reviews for the AAA tour books invited me to join him for dinner while he rated a Charleston 4 diamond restaurant.  Needless to say, the food and service that night were both fantastic.  My favorite Lowcountry food traditions are oyster and pig roasts.

Diane’s love of food began in her hometown of Camden, SC. Growing up at her mother’s side, she became a natural in the kitchen, and by the age of 12, was cooking Sunday dinner for her extended family. Diane’s favorite food is anything Southern. When asked what her favorite restaurant is, she said there are too many great ones to choose from. Diane is not only a culinary tour guide, she also runs this show. In addition to the daily tours, she also books and facilitates group culinary tours, educational groups, and culinary speaking engagements.

In addition to being a 9th generation Charlestonian, I am the proud mother of 4 children and the grandmother of 3 precious grandchildren.

In my spare time, I love to invite friends over and serve them my newest culinary creations.  I often use local recipes handed down over the years and jazz them up with a variety of spices and other flavorful concoctions. Among my favorites are shrimp and grits, crab dishes, collard greens, she crab soup, okra soup, and boiled peanuts.

I love doing the culinary tour because it’s one more way to show off this wonderful city.  We have some of the finest cuisine in the world.  That’s why I say your experience in Charleston will be that much better when you indulge in our food while you enjoy our city.

John’s culinary tour epiphany came during a ghost tour with The Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis.  Giada was asking him ghost questions but John was more concerned with talking about food.  Realizing he was more passionate about food than ghosts, John bought the only culinary tour company in town and added it to the menu of offerings at Bulldog Tours.

“Of course I love food, I’m a Southern boy, grew up on biscuits, bacon, Coca-Cola, and lots of gravy.  Every family function revolved around food, whether it was a birthday, funeral, football tailgate party, or a church social.  Food is the common denominator of every social gathering in the South.”

It’s a good thing these tours involve some walking or John would be 300 lbs.  Some people eat to live; John on the other hand, lives to eat.

Raised in the Northeast on Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, Maine lobsters and Massachusetts clam chowder, Sarah arrived in the Lowcountry in 2006 to steep in the history of its Lowcountry cuisine. She joined the staff of the Charleston Food and Wine Festival, became the Manager of the nationally ranked Charleston Farmers Market and a culinary tour guide.  After retiring from the Market, Sarah continues to provide visitors with insights into the heritage and lore of our local cuisine and the personalities of the local Farm to Plate movement which has vaulted Charleston chefs into the national culinary spotlight.

I have no “claim to fame” except that I recognized that old family recipes would get lost if not carefully collected! I started at age 10 to collect! Over the years I followed old aunts and the like around and not only got recipes, but learned to be a good cook. Luckily I had a mother who encouraged not only excellence and elegance, but adventure as well. Love the family favorites, but try the new!! Hate to admit it, but I have been cooking for over 60 years!