When you travel to a new city, knowing a local is always a great way to see the place for what it is. They know the sites to see and stories that accompany them, they know the surrounding areas stretching beyond the city limits, and they sure know where to eat. The best restaurants, the most authentic food for the best prices, and they know the overpriced tourist traps to avoid. If you head to Vancouver, Melody Fury, of GourmetFury.com and VancouverFoodTour.com, can be that local who helps to define your experience.

Melody is often referred to as ‘Fury’ by the media. She’s furious about food and furious about Vancouver; she’s a furious Ambassador for this coastal, Canadian city. In early 2010, Melody launched VancouverFoodTour.com. Specialized tours that explore the local food, drink and culinary culture in Vancouver. Furthermore, tours can be customized to suit budgets, taste buds and timelines. Then in early 2011, not even a year after the launch, The Westender’s ‘Best of the City’ edition awarded Melody the Local Entrepreneur of the Year.

So where did Vancouver Food Tour stem from? It all started online, when Melody built a database of the restaurants she frequented and the recipes she cooked. She then started to cook her way through ‘Bouchon’, a cookbook by the highly acclaimed Thomas Keller, and this was chronicled at bouchonfor2.com. As this came to a close and with regard to her readers response, GourmetFury.com was launched. GourmetFury.com is now Melody’s platform for her unique and original recipes, engaging competitions and giveaways, stories of travel and of course, local events. The increased following, her willingness to help, plus the influx of visitors to Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics, ignited Gourmet Fury to launch VancouverFoodTour.com. It’s an invitation to come join her on a tasty journey through Vancouver’s vibrant food scene.

‘Vibrant’, is the one word that Melody would use to describe Vancouver’s food culture. It’s a city with a wide cross section of food, it has many multicultural offerings, and the locals have developed a broad palate to accommodate it. While immigration has definitely reshaped Vancouver’s food culture, so has the environment. It’s not just about the food, it’s about how it’s grown, where it’s sourced from, and how sustainable it is.

Being a city surrounded by water and subsequently aquaculture, Vancouver has become very focused on sustainable seafood. This is evident by the Ocean Wise standards and logo, that are grounds for many local restaurants and suppliers. There’s also the local and organic movement, with food retailers and their customers looking for locally grown or organic produce, over the conventional goods shipped from far away. This movement has developed a strong local community, with many preferring the smaller, independent food retailers and restaurants, over the larger chain places that may not have adopted this social practice. In fact, this is one aspect that Melody looks for in a good restaurant or place to eat. She likes to know the face behind the operation and looks for local and sustainable, food and beverage. She quotes that ‘you’ll never catch me in a chain’. She likes authentic food done right, but also appreciates creativity and innovation in the kitchen. These tastes and values reflect what Vancouver Food Tour, has to offer.

Melody’s energetic personality, combined with her passion for food and the city of Vancouver, plus a depth of knowledge to accompany it, is a recipe that will satisfy on many levels. She’s a proud and trusted, local voice; Gourmet Fury is her platform and Vancouver Food Tour, is her way of sharing it.