Food Touring: Interview with Erin & Brian Beard from River City Food Tours
Although Cynthia and I have traveled quite a bit over the last eleven years, we've never lived anywhere else but Miami. Often we will wonder what it would be like to live in other cities in the US or even abroad. There is no doubt if we lived outside of the US, it would be someplace in Ireland – although Switzerland and Austria are appealing, albeit expensive. Inside the US, though, where would we go? There are so many great cities!
Our friends Erin & Brian ended up in Richmond, which at the face of it, doesn't sound like one of the big cities most people would name. Nevertheless, the more we've visited Richmond (at this rate, at least once a year for the last several years), the more it's grown on us. It has an eclectic mix of excellent traits that speaks to us. It’s because of this mix and charm, we tell as many people as we can, without being annoying about it, that they must visit Richmond.
It also helps that our friends operate a successful food tour business: River City Food Tours. It’s an operation they built from scratch that now employs several guides, runs different tours, and even does private tours for companies, parties, etc. Talk about bootstrapping!
Apart from being swag entrepreneurs, Erin & Brian are also avid travelers who take ridiculously cool photos. Given all this, I wanted to sit down with them and discuss Richmond, their travels, and their business, to gain a little insight.
Grab your favorite ice cream, pull up a chair, and let’s get some details.
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JB: First things first, you two are big ice cream aficionados - what is your favorite ice cream place ever, and which is the go-to flavor? The correct answer is Murphy’s in Dingle, Ireland, obviously.
Brian: Oh, yeah, Murphy’s was a good one for sure. We had an amazing Rye Ice Cream in Reykjavik, Iceland, too. And locally we’ve got many great ice cream shops. For example, in my kitchen. I make a mean Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel.
Erin: It’s true! We bought a really nice ice cream maker and he makes at least one new flavor a week. It’s gotten to be a problem during this pandemic…a delicious problem, but a problem. Murphy’s was delicious - we went to three separate Murphy’s locations while we were in Ireland. I loved the Brown Bread! Here in Richmond, I love Charm School. They make an insanely delicious and creamy cereal milk flavor - it changes all the time, but I love the Cinnamon Toast Crunch with torched Fluff on top!
JB: I can speak from experience that Brian’s Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel is pretty bonkers.
JB: I’ve known you two for quite a while; Erin, you’ve known Cynthia for how long?
Erin: Forever! Cynthia and I have known each other since middle school, but she’s only liked me since high school; she thought I was an airhead and a ditz (the joke’s on her - I still am! ha!). We’ve been best friends since 10th grade, though. So, not counting that bizarre lapse in judgment, 18 years? Wow, that was weird to say out loud… Our friendship is an adult!
JB: So both of you are originally from South and Central Florida, but now you’re in Richmond, Virginia. What brought you to Richmond?
Brian: I moved here after college for a job at Capital One. The job was totally fine, but I really love Richmond, so while we’re still here 11 years later, I left that job 7 years ago.
Erin: I moved to Richmond from the DC area in 2011, essentially to be with Brian. I never thought I’d be the kind of person to up and move somewhere for a romantic partner, but it worked out for us!
JB: It’s true that if Cynthia and I had to move to another city in the US, it would totally be Richmond. But for people who aren’t familiar with it, can you tell us what makes Richmond so great?
Erin: Yes, please move here! Why do you think we’ve been wooing you with all of the amazing things Richmond has to offer when you visit?
Richmond is the perfect size. It’s big enough that there’s always something going on but small enough that it doesn’t feel overwhelming. There are festivals basically every weekend starting in March and going through November(ish). The food scene is bonkers here. It’s often recognized at a national level, and we have been named an “up and coming food town” every year for at least the last five years - I’d say we’re there, people!
Richmond has the perfect combination of city and nature. We’ve got the James River in all of its glory flowing through downtown, with lots of picturesque pedestrian bridges and places to enjoy the waterfront. But we’ve also got a bustling downtown full of skyscrapers (well, “skyscrapers”) and big business! The people here are so nice, too. Growing up in Miami and then living in DC for a bunch of years made me think that saying hi to folks on the street was a bad idea. But Richmond has changed that for me. People say hi back! And mean it! One of my favorite parts about Richmond, though, is the walkability. We live in the Museum District and live mere blocks from grocery stores, some of our favorite restaurants, local shops, etc. We really love it here.
“Richmond is the perfect size. It’s big enough that there’s always something going on but small enough that it doesn’t feel overwhelming.”
JB: That’s saying a lot considering you two have traveled quite a bit together. Can you name some of the places you’ve been, and which have been your favorites?
Brian: So many favorites! Iceland and New Zealand are two of my favorites because they felt really adventurous, and it was mostly about being outdoors (for us - we’re not that adventurous). And then on the other end of the spectrum, I really love visiting mainland Europe for the culture.
Erin: Oh man, it’s honestly hard to pick a favorite, but I have to agree with Brian that New Zealand and Iceland are up there. I also love everything about Europe - one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited is Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. Every time we turned a corner, you’d find another 34 waterfalls cascading down the side of a Swiss Alp. It was honestly stupid - how could something so stunning actually exist in nature? Anyway, I’ve also been lucky enough to get to visit several Central and South American countries with my family on our annual family trips - Guatemala, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Belize are some of the ones I’ve loved. One of my goals in life is to visit more countries than years old I am, and I’m doing well so far: I’m at 34 countries, and 33 years of life. I guess I’d better start planning something for next year!
JB: I hear you about Switzerland, that the Lauterbrunnen area is awe-inspiring, as is the Zermatt area. It’s hard to nail down one favorite place. Still, despite how beautiful Iceland, Switzerland, and Austria were, for some reason, Ireland calls to our hearts.
JB: You also lived in Germany for about a year, right? What was that like?
Brian: It was an amazing experience. In the moment, it was a great way to push outside our comfort zone by living in another country and trying to navigate that while learning the language and culture. But the long-term impact for us has been that it got us out of our everyday routine and made us realize we can make our lives whatever we want, and that has stuck with us ever since.
“...it was a great way to push outside our comfort zone by living in another country and trying to navigate that while learning the language and culture.”
JB: Why did you leave Europe?!
Brian: I often wonder about that myself…
Erin: Haha. We left mostly because one year was how long we told ourselves we’d be overseas! Our visas expired, and we missed our family and friends. We miss living there every day!
JB: So you guys came back to Richmond, is that when River City Food Tours began?
Brian: Pretty much.
JB: What’s the origin story?
Brian: I started River City Food Tours in late 2014 and hosted the first tour in January 2015. It was actually one of a few different projects I started around then, and it quickly became the most fun, which is why I think it stuck. Back then, it was just me leading tours on Saturdays, and as things grew, I just sort of made it up as I went. Now we’ve got 9 total tour guides, six different tour offerings, and we run up to a dozen tours each week. It’s pretty funny to think back to how River City Food Tours looked in 2015.
JB: You’ve developed quite a following over the years and are now the #1 rated Food Tour in the city, congratulations! What do you think has been the key to your success? Aside from Brian having a stellar red beard.
Brian: Thanks! And I didn’t know the power of the red beard at first, that was a lucky accident. Besides that, I credit most of our success to effort. We’ve worked really hard at this. And our key competencies as a business is being fun to be around and being good communicators. Those two traits can go a long way.
Erin: I also attribute our success to the amazing Richmond food scene, which I realize goes without saying, but I wanted to double down on it. Without these stellar restauranteurs and their creativity, River City Food Tours doesn’t exist!
“I also attribute our success to the amazing Richmond food scene...”
JB: What are some challenges you had to face, and how did you overcome them?
Brian: I could write a book on all the challenges. But the biggest thing about starting your own business is that there is no manager to tell you what to do, no executives who have the answers, and the responsibility. It’s just you, trying to figure it out, and that can be scary.
JB: That’s true, as a fellow self-employed person, there’s no one there to look over your shoulder. Other IT people have tried to give me advice, but I tend to be a little suspicious, perhaps overly so, of advice from others in the same space.
JB: If there’s something you’d like to tell potential tour-goers, what would it be?
Brian: Come hungry and be ready to have fun!
Erin: And don’t make dinner reservations for later. We promise you won’t need them.
JB: This whole pandemic has things in a stand-still, but are there any plans for the future once things get back to “normal”?
Brian: We have some ideas. River City Food Tours may look a lot different by the end of 2020.
Erin: We’re also excited about the launch of our newest neighborhood. Our first-ever Scott’s Addition Food Tour was supposed to be in early April, but the world had other plans. So we’re pumped about getting that off the ground. The demand for that neighborhood has been mind-blowing!
JB: The Richmond food scene changes fairly rapidly. It seems every time I visit there’s new stuff that’s popped up, and others that have closed down. But if you had one meal left in Richmond, where would you go?
Brian: That is a truly impossible question to answer! You’re not the first to try asking, but I still won’t pick just one favorite in Richmond.
Erin: Okay, fine, I’ll pick one, but just because it seems like a cop-out not to! I’d head over to Bacchus on Main (which has been around for years!) and just pig out - I’d grab any one of their seafood dishes, the Wild Mushroom and Ricotta Pasta, and a side of sauteed broccolini. They made a Salmon and Saffron Cauliflower dish once a million years ago that I still dream about. We’ll add that to our ever-growing list of restaurants to bring you to the next time you’re in town.
JB: Yes! And next time, we’ll have baby Luna with us.
JB: Any future travel plans? Anything epic like that New Zealand trip?
Erin: Four weeks in New Zealand is honestly my gold standard for traveling now. I’m so spoiled. But unfortunately, we don’t have any travel plans in the works at the moment. We did spend almost two weeks in Barcelona this past February, and it was a ton of fun! We got back in the nick of time, too, considering what’s happening in the world at the moment.
Brian: Barcelona was a really great trip. It was the longest we’ve stayed in once destination for quite some time, and I’d like to travel like that more often. So, no concrete plans at the moment, but our next trip may be another extended stay in once place.
JB: Brian, you’re a pretty avid photographer, what kind of loadout are you working with?
Brian: Whew, I have too much gear. Depending on what I’m looking to do, I work with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 with some really nice lenses. I like the mirrorless format a lot, and was my introduction to SLR-type cameras. I mostly shoot with a fast prime lens on that one. If I want to go smaller, my iPhone with Moment lenses attached does a great job. And I also occasionally use a DJI Mavic Air drone. I’m not as good with it, but it’s a lot of fun!
JB: It’s funny that you mention Moment Lenses. I think you’re the one that introduced me to them. I now use their iPhone case full-time and use their Wide-Angle, Telephoto, and Anamorphic lenses.
JB: Lastly, can you finally admit that the University of Miami is better than the University of Florida?
Brian: Yikes, if the interview had started with this question, it would have been over quickly.
Erin: Yeah, I love you both dearly, but we’re just going to have to agree to disagree forever. Go Gators!
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It’s fun to interview friends, but honestly, Erin & Brian’s experience is an interesting one. They created a business from the ground up that highlights their city’s gregarious nature, food scene, and history. Also, their life experiences while traveling and living abroad are a testament to expanding one’s horizons and the importance of stepping out of our comfort zone.
Thanks to Erin & Brian for taking the time to sit with me and answer my questions! Check out River City Food Tours and see what you can expect once the pandemic is over, also you can learn more about Richmond as well.
