Why the Roots + Waves Tour Should Be on Every Food Lover’s Vancouver Island Itinerary
I’ve been to Tofino and Ucluelet a handful of times for weekend getaways and road trips, and have booked clients for local hotel stays on Vancouver Island. But this time was different. This time, I experienced it through a new lens as a curious guest on the Roots + Waves culinary tour. And honestly, it made me fall in love with the region all over again.
If you’re a foodie, a nature lover, or craving meaningful travel experiences, this tour is everything. This was not your typical tasting tour, from behind-the-scenes access with local chefs to foraged cocktails and oceanfront walks. It was a journey.
Here’s what it was like — and why you should add this to your travel wish list. If you’d prefer a more detailed and visual view of my experience, please watch my video on YouTube!
A Warm Welcome in Ucluelet
Our Roots + Waves tour began in Ucluelet at a cozy wood-fired pizzeria called Abbondanza, tucked into a quiet corner of town. It’s one of those places that smells like home the moment you step inside, with warm dough, crackling fire, and a little oregano in the air. That’s where we met our guide and host, the legendary Chef Lisa Ahier.
If you’re familiar with Tofino’s food scene, you may know Lisa from her wildly popular (and now closed) SoBo food truck turned restaurant. While the restaurant itself has closed, her legacy lives on in cookbooks, on grocery store shelves where her famous wild smoked salmon chowder is sold, and now in culinary experiences like this.
Lisa greeted us like old friends with a big smile and stories ready to be told. As we rolled out dough with Abbondanza’s owner, Chef Cory Crabbe, and topped our pizzas with local ingredients, she shared how she moved to Canada from the USA, chased a culinary dream in New York, and started SoBo in a little purple food truck. Her stories are full of grit, humour, and heart, much like her food.
Garden Cocktails and Wild Ingredients
From there, we took a short walk to Heartwood Kitchen, where the talented Tarah Buchanan, a trained mixologist and forager, greeted us in the heritage garden. This wasn’t your average cocktail tasting. Instead of traditional spirits, Tarah crafts flights using ingredients foraged right from the land: pine needles, sea asparagus, and wild mint.
I tasted both alcoholic and non-alcoholic flights and was blown away by their complexity. Each drink came with a story of where the ingredients were found, how they’re traditionally used, and why they matter. One sip tasted like the forest after rain, and another, like the salty breeze you get walking the shoreline.
There’s something special about sipping cocktails in a sunlit garden while learning about the land beneath your feet.
Oysters, Ocean Views, and a Walk on the Beach
Next came oysters six ways and storytime with Chef Ian Riddick, with shucking. As we tasted, we learned about the region’s aquaculture and the variety of textures and salinity that define West Coast oysters.
Long Beach Lodge Resort
Next, we travelled toward Tofino. We met Chef Shaun Snelling for a cozy two-course tasting in The Great Room at Long Beach Lodge. As waves rolled in behind us on Cox Bay, he spoke about sourcing ingredients locally, respecting the seasons, and letting the West Coast shape his cooking.
By this point, the theme of the tour was clear — connection. To land. To people. To story. Every dish came with context, and every host with history. Every stop added another layer.
New Restaurants & Experiences Coming
A number of businesses are interested in participating in the Roots + Waves experience, so I’m excited to see what’s next for this tour!
It was hard to leave Tofino, but a coffee and smoked salmon sandwich from The Beach Shack, and the fabulous Cox Bay view made it easier. 🙂
What Made Roots + Waves So Special
I’ve done food tours before. This wasn’t that. Roots + Waves isn’t about hopping from place to place for bites and photos. It’s about slow travel, storytelling, and relationships. It’s about seeing how much care goes into a locally foraged cocktail or a wood-fired pizza made with heirloom tomatoes. It’s about meeting the people behind the plate — and realizing their passion is part of what makes this region so extraordinary.
You don’t just eat the food — you feel the story behind it. As someone who helps others plan trips for a living, this reminded me why I am a travel advisor!
Where to Stay
I stayed at Black Rock Oceanfront Resort in Ucluelet for the first night of the tour. The view from my suite was gorgeous, and of course, the food was amazing! In Tofino, I stayed at the Long Beach Lodge Resort on Cox Bay. It was the perfect beach to watch the surfers!
Ready to Experience It for Yourself?
If you’re planning a trip to Vancouver Island or are a local looking for a new experience, I can’t recommend the Roots + Waves tour enough. It’s perfect for food lovers, creatives, solo travellers, couples, or small groups looking for a deeper kind of getaway. In 2025, this tour is currently offered from May 6 to June 10, 2025, on Tuesdays only. I recommend booking now as it will fill up fast!
And if you’re not sure where to start, I’d love to help.
Ready to Book?
As a licensed travel advisor, I specialize in small ship and river cruises, guided tours, and experiences like this. I can help you book this tour, choose where to stay, and add those extra touches that make a trip unforgettable.
Roots + Waves is a culinary tour created by Lise Hines of Chew on This Tasty Tours. She offers a variety of other tours in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
Discloser: This is not a paid post. Views are my own. Most of my meals and accommodations were courtesy of Chew on This Tasty Tours.
