Cape May Food Tours come in two flavors. One you might call traditional, with a nod to the Victorian. The other you might call New Wave. Whichever you choose, the lovely seaside town at Jersey’s southern tip will fully reward your stroll.
Cape May Food Tours were created by Mary Ockrymiek, a former elementary school teacher, in 2012. She and her guides lead groups of up to 11 guests on three-hour strolls (“at a feel-good pace,” she promises) with stops to sample food and view Cape May’s beautifully preserved Victorian architecture.
Each tour covers about one and a half miles and makes six stops at restaurants and various kinds of eateries. The samples add up to a more-than-satisfying lunch.
“I usually tell people not to make dinner reservations before 6:30,” Ockrymiek says.
There are actually two different tours, so pick the flavor you like best.
Historic Downtown Tour:
This one covers the heart of Victorian Cape May, with stops on the popular pedestrian mall.
“It’s a one-of-a-kind experience, because we have the second largest collection of Victorian structures in the nation,” says Ockrymiek, putting the number at 600. “For many people, the food is just a plus. It’s a fun way to learn about the architectural styles. Other people come for the food, and the architecture, history and stories are the plus. Some come just because they want a fun afternoon.”
Stops may include:
- The Mad Batter The granddaddy of the Cape May restaurant scene located in the historic Carroll Villa Hotel.
- Freda’s Cafe A charming corner cafe boasting creative cuisine in an intimate atmosphere.
- Fins Bar and Grille Energy Infused Hot Spot
- Cape May Peanut Butter Company All things peanut butter. Organic, freshly ground on location.
- Aleathea’s Located in the Historic Inn of Cape May, Aleathea’s boasts beautiful view of the ocean and American Contemporary cuisine.
- Fudge Kitchen Award winning confections
- Gecko’s West Perry Cafe Garden Fresh Southwestern
- Cape May Gourmet Specialty Foods and Kitchen
- Cape May Olive Oil Company Innovative gourmet oils and balsamics, spices, and salts from all over the world.
- La Doña Authentic Oaxacan cuisine. Al fresco dining.
The West Cape May Tour:
This one focuses on the hip, artisanal food scene that has sprung up in West Cape May, just west of of the pedestrian mall. Guests might sample handmade empanadas, macrobiotic dishes and local honeys and cheeses.
Either way, “We just want folks to come away with a new appreciation and perspective on Cape May,” Ockrymiek says.
Cape May Honey Farm Lemonade
Stops may include:
- Good Earth Organic Eatery Macrobiotic leader with superior offerings
- Empanada Mama’s Cozy cantina serving health-minded southwestern cuisine
- Cape May Honey Farm Raw, local, wildflower honey and organic apiary products
- Seaside Cheese Company Artisanal Cheeses, gourmet treats, Bellview Wines
- Gecko’s West Perry Cafe Garden fresh ingredients in a natural setting
- The Red Store ( off-site) James Beard Foundation Semifinalist Chef/Owner
- Westside Market Iconic Landmark of West Cape May. Superior meats.
She herself first visited this historic city by the sea as a teenager, when she was growing up in Maplewood. She immediately fell in love with Cape May’s Victorian charm. Ockrymiek and her husband, a physician, live in Cherry Hill. They have maintained a summer home in Cape May for nearly 20 years and have come to know its charming landmarks and history well.
Ockrymiek got the idea for the tour when she learned of a similar one while visiting one of her three daughters at college in Athens, Georgia.
She immediately declared, “I’m going to do this in Cape May.”
She was already taking her visiting friends to see the sights and eat the local specialties, “so it just flowed,” she says.
Ockrymiek attended a seminar in Chicago on how to run a food-tour company. Afterwards, she interviewed Cape May chefs, set up tastings to satisfy a variety of palates, researched town history, including past and recent celebrity sightings, and wrote entertaining and informative scripts.
Tickets ($69.50) can be purchased online at capemayfoodtours.com or at 609-527-3131. Private tours are available for groups of 10 or more. Any dietary restrictions should be provided 24 hours in advance.
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