Our Story

Pam Shwartz and Sara Gonzalez are the founders of New Bedford Food Tours. Pam, whose training includes teaching, museum studies, and anthropology, grew up in the region, returning to the area in 2019 with her wife Sara.

As a local whose family has been involved in the food industry of New Bedford since the 1960's, Pam brings a perspective to the food scene you won't find anywhere else. Sara, a New Yorker with a love for food and travel, thought she knew about all manner of cuisine from around the world. Little did she know the South Coast held an untold treasure trove of new culinary experiences, from coffee milk to stuffies to pastel de nata and beyond. Pam and Sara enjoyed digging into the growing food scene in New Bedford, but bemoaned the lack of a structured way to learn about the best of the region's delicacies.

As avid travelers they dreamed of taking a food tour similar to the ones they'd experienced both in their previous home city and internationally. Pam shared this frustration with a local restaurateur who agreed - New Bedford needed a food tour! If only there was someone with the passion necessary to start such a venture... This was the lightbulb moment for Pam and Sara.

They decided to enter the EforAll pitch contest in summer of 2021 to test the idea's viability, and were awarded first prize. With this validation, they enrolled in the Winter 2022 EforAll Business Accelerator, where they have been learning the ins and outs of starting a new and viable business. Armed with their newfound business knowledge they plan to launch tours in spring of 2022.