Delicious Destinations: Food Tours and Edible Adventures for Families

Bring the kids to see how chocolate, cheese, candy and other treats are made

By Naomi Tomky

Everybody eats, but rarely do we get to know how our food is made. At local food producers around the Seattle area — chocolate factories, creameries and roasteries, to name a few — various ingredients get melted, ground, mixed or mashed into some of our favorite foods. Watching the process is mesmerizing for children and adults alike, and the end product always tastes even better when you’ve seen what goes into creating it.

Whether you’re looking to kill a few minutes watching dumplings get folded before lunch or you’re planning a day trip to a candy factory, we’ve got a few suggestions of places you can go for an edible adventure and all the fun of Willy Wonka’s factory without any of the Oompa Loompas whisking you away. Some of these stops offer formal tours, while others give you the chance to press your face against the glass and inspect the machinery. And did we mention the free samples?

Theo Chocolate, Seattle ● theochocolate.com exploring the same idea through a picture book. And (thankfully) there’s still chocolate to taste.

Find it: Theo Chocolate, 3400 Phinney Ave. N., Seattle Cost: $14/person for factory tours; $12 for story time (one child with one accompanying adult) Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, Seattle ● beechershandmadecheese.com feel, but the tour is a serious learning experience. From an elevated walkway, visitors learn the history of the company and are given a start-tofinish bird’s-eye view of the creation of the factory’s Pacific Northwest–inspired truffles and bars. As always, there are tasting samples involved. Note: Kids younger than 6 are not allowed on the tour. Tip: Check the calendar for seasonal special events.

Find mac and cheese with a side of fascinating freshness at Beecher’s Pike Place Market cheese shop and café. Since 2003, Beecher’s has produced its award-winning cheeses in a glass-walled facility, letting passersby and customers of the shop look in and see the milk become curds and the curds become cheddar. Get your free samples inside at the back of the shop. Then get in line to order your cup of mac and cheese for lunch.

Find it: Seattle Chocolate, 1180 Andover Park W., Tukwila

Cost: Children ages 6 and older, $10; adults, $12; book online

Boehm’s Candies & Chocolates, Issaquah ● boehmscandies.com

At Boehm’s Candies & Chocolates’ Swiss-style chalet in the suburbs, the company offers free self-guided window tours to view its chocolates being made. And, of course, you get a sample. Outside of the summer season, guided private tours for groups of 15 or more (by reservation)

Within this big brick building in Fremont, the Theo Chocolate tour reveals the entire bean-to-bar process, from who picks the cacao and how cocoa farmers interact with the environment straight through to the factory floor, where the beans become the chocolate we all love. Of course, there’s a selection of samples to taste. For younger kids, Theo’s chocolate story time is a great alternative,

Find it: Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, 1600 Pike Place, Seattle Cost: Free to watch through the windows

Seattle Chocolate, Tukwila ● seattlechocolate.com

The bright colors and big machines at Seattle Chocolate’s Tukwila factory give it an especially Wonka-esque

Continued from page 9 deliver a more in-depth look, providing explanations and entrance to the factory, where visitors can get up close to the chocolates as they roll down the conveyor belt. Guided tours also include a visit to the High Alpine Chapel and a chance to hear its 1-ton bell ring.

Find it: Boehm’s Candies & Chocolate, 255 N.E. Gilman Blvd., Issaquah

Cost: Free for self-guided window tour; guided tours for groups of up to 15, $120

Liberty Orchards, Cashmere ● libertyorchards.com

If you’re heading a little farther afield, Liberty Orchards in Cashmere (just east of Leavenworth) makes Aplets & Cotlets, a longstanding Northwest tradition. The fruit-and-nut candy was created by two Armenian immigrants in the style of Turkish delight. The candy company is now in its third generation of family ownership. Stop in to see the candy kitchen in full action — and snag a few free samples while you’re there.

Find it: Liberty Orchards, 117 Mission Ave., Cashmere

Cost: Free; check tour hours online

Liberty

Taiwan-based dumpling chain Din Tai Fung is best known for two things: its famous signature soup dumplings — and the long lines to get them. To ease the wait, each restaurant offers a viewing area where customers can watch the legendary dumplings being made. Din Tai Fung employees are carefully trained (training takes about two years) so that each dumpling receives exactly 18 pleats, ensuring consistency — and making for a mesmerizing process to watch.

Find it: Local Din Tai Fung locations: University Village (2621 N.E. 46th St., Seattle), Pacific Place (600 Pine St., Seattle), Bellevue (700 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue), and Westfield Southcenter (181 Southcenter Mall, Tukwila).

Cost: Free to view; dumplings and other dishes for purchase

Starbucks Reserve Seattle Roastery ● starbucksreserve.com

The Starbucks Reserve Seattle Roastery on Capitol Hill is a sprawling architectural ode to the bean. Even for those too young to actually drink coffee, it provides endless entertainment. Starbucks does not offer official tours, but staff at each area of this store will chat about where

Many local towns and cities have terrific restaurants and passionate producers. Consider a guided or self-guided food tour at one of these fab foodie destinations.

● Savor Seattle Food Tours (savorseattletours.com) promises — and delivers — “More yum. More fun” on its popular Pike Place Market (pikeplacemarket.org) walking food tours, which include nibbles and sips at a dozen locations ($55–$65/person for a two-hour experience).

● The city of Kent (visitkent.com) offers a variety of self-guided food trails leading diners to downtown restaurants, international eateries and kid-friendly spots. Highlights include decadent sweet treats from ZZ Dessert (zzdessert.com), farm-fresh produce from Carpinito Brothers (carpinito.com), a family-owned Sinaloan steakhouse (asaderoprime.com) and more.

● The town of Edison in Skagit Valley is a well-known destination for foodies. Drop into Samish Bay (samishbay.com) to sample delicious cheese and view the cows; feast on freshly made bread and pastries from Breadfarm (breadfarm.com); and enjoy delicious tacos at Mariposa Taqueria (facebook.com/mariposataqueria).

● Seattle’s Chinatown–International District (seattlechinatownid.com) has dozens of delicious restaurants and delis. Find out where to eat by consulting our guide written by a Chinese mom (parentmap.com/ CID-insider), or plan to partake in the CID Food Walk series (@iHeartID), taking place on July 15 and Aug. 19 in 2023.

● Go on a delicious family adventure with the Underground Donut Tour (undergrounddonuttour.com), starting in Belltown and heading to Pike Place Market. Along the route, you’ll check out some of Seattle’s best doughnut shops, learning about each shop’s history and other doughnut-related trivia along the way. But most importantly, you’ll sample all of the fried sugary goodies you can handle!