TREAT YOURSELF TO A DELICIOUS SOUTHERN CHRISTMAS IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Carolina FoodPros™ “Dresses Up” its Infamous Culinary Tours for the Holidays

CHARLESTON, S.C.
August 15, 2005

Give yourself a Southern Christmas treat and indulge in the many distinctive flavors that have graced the holiday tables of generations of South Carolinians on Carolina FoodPros’ Holiday Culinary Tours of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Celebrate “Christmas in Charleston” with your guide, Amanda Dew Manning, a 10th generation South Carolinian and local food expert, who takes visitors of on a holiday journey and helps to recreate unique holiday atmosphere of times past. Visitors go behind the scenes to be introduced to local foods and Southern holiday traditions. Sampling the Lowcountry’s holiday treats is highly encouraged and there is also time to shop for specialty items to bring home.

The tours travel through Charleston's oldest, most beautifully restored and decorated neighborhoods en route to tasting stops carefully selected from the Holiday Farmer’s Market, specialty shops, artisan bakeries and chocolatiers.
Learn about traditional South Carolina pit-cooked barbeque, turkey with cornbread dressing, sweet potato and pecan pies, and, for New Year’s Day, Hoppin John, a traditional dish of black-eyed peas and rice.

Holiday culinary tours run from November 26 –December 24, 2005. Tours begin in front of the Charleston Museum, on the corner of Meeting and John Streets in downtown Charleston, every Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., and run until noon.

The walking tours travel approximately two miles, and accommodate up to 20 people. Advance ticket sales are required. The cost is $35.00 per person and discounts are available if purchased at the Charleston Visitor & Reception Center, located at 375 Meeting Street in downtown Charleston -- doors open at 9 a.m. Tickets are also available through Carolina FoodProsTM. Group tours by special arrangement are also available. Please visit www.carolinafoodpros.com or call 843-723-3366.

Another irresistible, holiday treat comes in a sweet form and is exclusively designed for chocolate lovers. A new walking culinary tour, Chocolate Seductions, sponsored by Carolina FoodPros™, will tempt visitors to taste Charleston’s sweeter side. The tours begin December 2, 2005, and will run every Friday through December.

Led by culinary expert, Amanda Dew Manning, aficionados will go behind the scenes to learn everything about chocolate from the experts— pastry chefs, bakers and chocolatiers, such as Vincenz Aschbacher of the award-winning Charleston Grill and Ryan Herrmann of Fish Restaurant. And, of course, delight their palates with decadent chocolate desserts at some of Charleston’s finest restaurants, bakeries and specialty shops.

Chocolate Seductions run from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Tours begin at the Charleston Museum, located at the corner of Meeting and John Streets in downtown Charleston, travel approximately two miles, and accommodate up to 20 people. Tickets are $60 per person and are available through Carolina FoodProsTM online at www.carolinafoodpros.com or by calling 843-723-3366. Reservations required.

Located in historic downtown Charleston, Carolina FoodProsTM was founded in 2001 by 10th generation South Carolinian Amanda Dew Manning and Robert Manning as a division of the highly successful nutrition and food consulting business Amanda Dew Manning & Associates, Inc. A nationally known nutritionist and speaker, Amanda Dew Manning, M.S., M.P.A., has served two terms on the National Board of Directors of the American Institute of Wine and Food and is a member of the prestigious Les Dames d’Escoffier. She is active in the Southern Foodways Alliance, and is president of the SC Specialty Food Association. Robert Manning, M.B.A., business administrator and marketing specialist, works to ensure that Carolina FoodPros™ utilizes best business practices and provides outstanding customer service. For more information on Carolina FoodPros, please visit www.carolinafoodpros.com or call 843-723-3366.

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Media Contact:
Sherrie Bakshi/Vladia Jurcova
STYLEE Public Relations
sherriebakshi@comcast.net/vladiajurcova@comcast.net
843-906-2579/843-345-3275