Press
BY CLYDE HUGHES | AC JosepH Media
MOUNT HOLLY — Audrey Wiggins believes in the power of networking and coming together, whether it is over a meal or within the synergy of an organization.
As the president of the National Association of Women Business Owners South Jersey Chapter (NAWBO SJ), Wiggins said she has found a true connection with female business owners from around the region — including their hopes, dreams, struggles, and successes.
As a business owner of On the Town Food Tours, Wiggins, a native of North Jersey, has learned what makes this end of the state special for so many and the importance of sharing it with others, one meal and special occasion at a time.
It was 2005 when Wiggins discovered her future occupation while working in South Jersey.
“In my last corporate job, I was introduced to walking food tours,” Wiggins said. “I saw how much fun everyone had trying new foods. I thought that starting my own food tour business would be an enjoyable thing to do on the side and for retirement. While most walking food tours are held in large cities, I wanted to do something here in South Jersey because the tours would benefit small businesses in the region.”
Wiggins said she started her walking food tours in 2014 while working full-time in corporate America. “By 2019, I was working full-time on my food tour business, but the COVID-19 pandemic struck the following year, essentially closing restaurants to customers and groups.
“In 2021, the tours started again but only for small private groups,” Wiggins said. “Now, here we are in 2024. I really want to help people discover the diversity of food and not settle on a dish because they are familiar with it.
“Walking food tours in towns like Collingswood, Haddonfield, Bordentown, Mount Holly, Burlington City, Hammonton, Medford and the Ducktown district of Atlantic City can all give you a different taste of South Jersey.”
Wiggins said, as a single-member small business owner, it made sense for her to join NAWBO.
NAWBO SJ was granted local chapter status in 2003 and provides education, support and mentoring along with networking opportunities for women business owners and their associates throughout the region.
The chapter covers Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Salem counties and parts of Mercer County.
“I needed to talk with other women business owners and be part of a tribe,” Wiggins said. “I wanted to speak with other business owners going through the same challenges I was experiencing.”
Wiggins said she was impressed with how accommodating everyone was at her first networking event and felt that she made the right decision by joining.
“It was at a NAWBO event where business owners in attendance were very friendly and accessible. They wanted to know how they could help me.”
“I joined the NAWBO SJ marketing committee because marketing is my background. Joining a committee is a great way to get to know the other women business owners better. My role in marketing was to help promote NAWBO in the Southern New Jersey region.
Wiggins said she served as a committee member for a few years before joining the executive board of NAWBO SJ. She served as marketing chair and president-elect before taking over the reins as president this year. She is the second African American woman to serve as president of the organization.
If anyone would ask her about joining NAWBO, Wiggins said she would pitch the networking and relationship building.
“As an organization, we support members and provide mentorship, and business resources with the help of our corporate partners. I would say, join NAWBO if you want to be part of a community that could help your business grow,” she said.
NAWBO has for years been a way for Wiggins and other women business owners to introduce themselves to the community.
For more information about On the Town Food Tours, click here. For details on the NAWBO, click here.
On The Town Food Tours just made The 9 Best Sightseeing Tours in NJ! Thank you, Best Things New Jersey!!
Access the article with this link here
08.15.2022
Are you ready to mix things up? Audrey Wiggins, the owner of On the Town Food Tours, and Robin Winzinger, owner of the Robin’s Nest Mount Holly, talk about food, flavors, and being diverse in business. Get ready to learn how to stay creative and change with the times in the food industry.
Here is the direct link https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-c4j3r-129c290
Here is the embed code for my site as well
New Jersey Food Tour Trail has an article in the 2021 Spring addition of Edible Jersey Magazine. The trail is a collaboration of seven food tour companies from Northern to Southern New Jersey. The tour companies that make up the trail are Beyond the Plate Food Tours, Cape May Food Tours, Have You Met Newark, On the Town Food Tours, Savor and Stroll Culinary Tours, Sister Cities Food and Shop Tours, and Taste of Asbury Food Tours.
“Whether it’s a brunch-time stroll through Cape May‘s seafood specialists and authentic international eateries or a movable feast of Somerville’s international cuisine, New Jersey food lovers and visitors can experience it all through the New Jersey Food Tour Trail, a collaboration of food tours that operate in various regions throughout the state.”
“When the effects of the coronavirus pandemic hit the hospitality industry in 2020, it not only closed restaurant dining rooms but put a stop to New Jersey’s food tours. But with restaurants up and running again, food tours are starting up, too. These tours invite food lovers to explore a town by enjoying its restaurants’ signature dishes and learning about local history.”
“There is a lot more to New Jersey’s food scene than just Taylor Ham and pizza, and seven women – each running her own food tour – realized that they’d spread the word more effectively if they banded together.
Pre-pandemic, the women occasionally discussed tour strategies, viewing one another as allies and mentors, rather than competitors. Then, when the pandemic hit and their tours were suspended, the ladies formed the New Jersey Food Tour Trail.”
Category – Best Food Sampling, On The Town Food Tours
Don’t know where to start checking out SJ’s food scene? Tour guides take you through tastings at some of the neighborhood’s best locally-owned restaurants so you can find your next go-to spot.
By Kristen Coppock Staff writer Burlington County Times
Local walking tours are highlighting downtown cuisine in Bordentown City and Mount Holly.
On The Town Food Tours recently debuted in Burlington and Camden counties, offering opportunities to socialize and sample on select Saturdays and Sundays. Running about three hours and led by an industry professional, the tours stop at a minimum of five restaurants and dessert spots in each location.
In Bordentown City, Toscano Ristorante & Steakhouse, The Vault, Under the Moon Café, Blue Moon Olive Oil & Vinegars, and Smylie’s Ice Cream Shop II are featured. Served with a side of the city’s historical sites, foods on the tour may include Spanish meats and cheeses, Italian tapas, Napoletana pizza, and an olive oil tasting.
Mount Holly’s itinerary includes Robin’s Nest Restaurant, Mug Shot Diner, Ott’s Downtown Pub & Grill, Ray’s Deli & Café, Vincent’s Homemade Ice Cream; Red, White & Brew; and Valenzano Wine Outlet at Gallery 72 Fine Art Photography. Specialty grilled cheese sandwiches, homemade soups, omelets, and pancakes are some of the menu items on the tour. Other walking tours are available in Collingswood and Haddonfield. Ticket prices are up to $55 per person and vary by location.
By Kristen Coppock Staff writer Burlington County Times
Walk through many downtown business districts and you’re sure to notice a cornucopia of cafes and restaurants.
Take a stroll with On the Town Food Tours, and you’ll sample dishes from many of those establishments. And the food is accompanied by a side of local history.
Operated by Audrey Wiggins, a marketing professional, the tours are designed to show people what local small businesses and their communities have to offer. Held on weekend afternoons, the three-hour tours highlight Bordentown City and Mount Holly, as well as Collingswood and Haddonfield.
Wiggins leads diners through the downtown areas, while a historian points out places of interest.
In Mount Holly, a one-room school house and the country’s oldest firehouse are visible from High Street. And some stops are housed in landmark buildings, such as the Red White & Brew liquor store, located in a former fire station. Colonial-era Quaker buildings also are featured on both Burlington County tours, among other historical points.
The culinary experience served on each of the tours also is unique to each town.
The Vault is known for its wood-fired Napoletana-style pizza, as well as its freshly made dough and mozzarella cheese. Belardo serves tourgoers his most popular pizza, Margherita, and one of his most unique, Fig Jam. The latter pizza features imported fig jam, prosciutto di Parma, fresh homemade mozzarella cheese; imported calciocavallo, fontina, and gorgonzola cheeses; basil, olive oil and a drizzle of honey.
Two additional pizzas are typically served to tour groups, providing each diner with multiple options.
“Everyone gets a couple of slices,” said Belardo.
Gian Belardo, owner of The Vault restaurant in Bordentown City, said while many customers are reluctant to try new things, often sticking with familiar dishes, the tours allow diners to sample some unique dishes that they might not otherwise order from the menu, possibly introducing them to new favorites.
In Mount Holly, the tour begins on Washington Street at Ott’s Downtown Pub & Grill with a flatbread pizza before moving on to Ray’s Deli & Café, where specialty grilled cheese sandwiches and pancakes stuffed with apples and cinnamon are served.
“The food culture here (in Mount Holly) tends to be very American,” said Wiggins. “We’re at each place for about 20 minutes.”
Next up is Robin’s Nest Restaurant on Washington Street, which features a trio of signature soups. During the summer months, the trio includes two hot soups and one cold soup. On a recent afternoon, Chilled Blueberry was on the menu, alongside Filet Mignon and Potato; and French Onion soup, which the staff said is always part of the tour.
Wiggins said she enjoys the rotating selection.
“I had a (cold) strawberry soup with whipped cream on top. It was sweet and savory,” she said.
Moving up High Street, the Mount Holly tour continues with beverage tastings at Red, White and Brew, which serves old-fashioned mead, and the Valenzano Wine Outlet inside the dual Gallery 72 Fine Art Photography and Abstract Expressions Contemporary Art Gallery.
After tasting wine, Wiggins said, diners are encouraged to walk around the gallery to view works on display.
The Mount Holly tour also stops at the Mug Shot Diner and Vincent’s Homemade Ice Cream, where diners can choose a scoop of their flavor choice.
Meanwhile, the Bordentown City tour stops at six locations in the downtown business district, including The Vault. Other participating establishments are Toscano Ristorante, Under the Moon Café, Blue Moon Olive Oil & Vinegars, The Cake Box by Neeima and Smylie’s Icre Cream Shop II.
Wiggins said guests on the Bordentown City tour can expect to sample Italian tapas and street food, Spanish meats and cheeses; and an international selection of olives oils and vinegars. And there’s homemade cupcakes and artisan ice cream for dessert.
On all tours, Wiggins said, “we can accommodate people who have (food) allergies.”
Restaurant owners are hoping the tours motivate diners to become repeat customers. In addition to food, Belardo said a memorable atmosphere can also draw people back in. The Vault’s décor, for example, pays homage to the space’s past as a bank by incorporating elements of its history, such as the walk-in vault that’s been left in place to serve as a focal point.
Upcoming tours in Bordentown City will run Saturday and Aug. 29. In Mount Holly, a tour is scheduled for Aug. 22. A complete schedule can be found on the Food Tours w5yhebsite at www.onthetownfoodtours.com
Tickets can be purchased online. The cost is $55 for the Bordentown City, Mount Holly and Haddonfield tours, which all run three hours. The two-hour Collingswood tour is $38.
Kristen Coppock: 609-871-8073; email: kcoppock@calkins.com; Twitter @kcoppockbct
Under the Lifestyle Category, Best Tour
With tours in Haddonfield, Mount Holly, Collingswood, Hammonton, and more, these three-hour excursions are much more than a trek through the neighborhood. Not only will you sample delicious bites-and-beverages across town, you’ll also learn about the latest food trends and be treated to live demonstrations.
Article by Cyd Katz, New Jersey Isn’t Boring
The New Jersey Food Tour Trail is a collaboration of food tours that operate in various regions throughout the state. The joining of tours was developed for tourists to create their own trail in an effort to “eat their way” throughout New Jersey. The New Jersey Food Tour Trail hopes tourists, even in their own backyards, get the chance to learn and explore all pockets of the state, while also taking a bite, or two, out of everything delicious there is to offer.
Tours that are involved are Beyond the Plate Food Tours, Cape May Food Tours, Have You Met Newark, On the Town Food Tours, Savor and Stroll Culinary Tours, Sister Cities Food and Shop Tours, and Taste of Asbury Food Tours.
