Eat Rio: the beginning
Hello! My name is Tom Le Mesurier. I came to Rio de Janeiro in 2010 thinking I might stay for a week or two. Fifteen years later I’m still here, now with Brazilian citizenship, two young Brazilian sons, and a small business called Eat Rio Food Tours.
Soon after my arrival I found myself immersed in, and utterly enchanted by, the rich and diverse culture of my adopted city. It didn’t take long before I decided to stay.
As the weeks turned into months, I was constantly surprised by new discoveries and experiences, and I realised that most visitors barely scratched the surface beyond the obvious tourist attractions. And while the mountains and beaches are undoubtedly beautiful, I felt that people were missing out on the real magic. A year after my arrival, a blog called Eat Rio was born.
A blog becomes a food tour
I know blogs are rather passé nowadays, but if you ever want to find out more about a place, I heartily recommend writing about it 3-5 times per week. The constant search for content really pushes you to go deeper, seeking out more information, diving deeper into the history, customs, language, cuisine, music and any other subject that might be interesting.
Over the following years I learned to identify every fruit and vegetable in the street markets, and to cook the most important Brazilian dishes from scratch. I explored more and more neighbourhoods, finding centuries old restaurants and bars, incredible street art, parks and squares, hikes and viewpoints, the list goes on.
Then, in 2013, I was introduced to the concept of a food tour. I’d never been on one myself, but I loved the idea, and set about creating the kind of experience that I would have loved to do in my first week in Rio. The name of my blog already worked perfectly – Eat Rio Food Tours was born.
Brilliant guides and non-touristy tours
Over the years, as demand grew, a succession of amazing guides joined me on my mission to help visitors connect with authentic carioca culture. Everyone on the team brings their own unique skills and experience to the job, but we all share a passion for Rio and a love to eating, drinking and enjoying the city’s cultural delights.
Today we run a range of food tour experiences, and although each focuses on a different aspect of Brazilian cuisine they are all underpinned by the same approach. Whether you’re drinking Brazilian wine on the beach, eating exotic fruits in a bustling street market, or sipping aged cachaça in a boteco in Santa Teresa, we want the experience to feel authentic and organic. The tour, the conversations and the itinerary will be driven by your curiosity and our enthusiasm.
Lonely Planet, National Geographic and Somebody Feed Phil
As the food tours took off, so did my career as a food and travel writer. I found myself working as a consultant and writing articles for publications like Lonely Planet, National Geographic and Time Out, and even making some appearances on shows like Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil, and ITV’s This Morning. In each case, my mission was to highlight the joys of Rio beyond the obvious: a walk through a beautiful street market, the charms of an ancient boteco in the North Zone, or the fun to be had in an authentic live samba club.
Nowadays I spend less time writing and more time running/managing the food tours and looking after my twin boys. But I do still jot down a few thoughts on the Eat Rio Instagram page.