Tour de Taste
A Journey of Flavour Through Merrickville & Area
Co-Curated with Chef Cynthia Peters of Maison Maitland Cooking School & Villas
A privately hosted culinary day where every reservation, introduction and mile has already been considered, so you can simply enjoy being together.
Designed for travellers who enjoy discovering a place through its food, Tour de Taste is a privately hosted culinary journey through Merrickville and the surrounding countryside. Each stop reveals another layer of the region through the people who grow, craft and create, offering a deeper understanding of place through its flavours, stories and hospitality.
Together, these encounters create a journey that is as much about understanding a place as enjoying its flavours.
Coolers are provided to keep your edible treasures fresh because we know you’ll want to take a little piece of the journey home.
Best bases for this itinerary: Brockville, Maitland, Smiths Falls and area. We collect you at your door, then return you in time for dinner.
From May through October, Tour de Taste follows the region through its most abundant months.
Private Hosted Experience Pricing – 2026 Season
May ~ October
Up to 2 Guests: 695 CAD total
Additional Guests (maximum 4 more): 90 CAD each
Example Totals:
2 guests 695 CAD = 347 CAD per person
3 guests 785 CAD = 261.66 CAD per person
4 guests 875 CAD = 218.75 CAD per person
5 guests 965 CAD = 193 CAD per person
6 guests 1055 CAD = 175.83 CAD per person
Private experiences are quoted based on date, guest count, pickup location, and partner availability.
What’s Included:
- Coffee and a sampling of freshly baked goods
- Sample award-winning mustards
- A vibrant tapas lunch, shared Spanish style
- Tasting at an organic craft distillery
- Orchard to glass cider tastings
Duration: 6 hours
A day shaped, not simply scheduled.
Tour de Taste is more than a collection of exceptional places. It is a privately hosted day shaped around the rhythm of the region, where each stop builds naturally on the last and every introduction reveals more of its character.
Long before your arrival, the route has been carefully considered, reservations have been arranged and each visit has been timed to create a relaxed, unhurried experience. Rather than thinking about where to go next, you are free to enjoy the conversations, the flavours and the landscapes that connect one stop to another.
This is the difference between visiting a collection of places and experiencing a day designed to reveal them.
Why Guests Choose Tour de Taste
Some journeys are remembered for the places visited. Others are remembered for how they made you feel.
Tour de Taste has been thoughtfully designed for travellers who value meaningful encounters, unhurried discovery and the pleasure of experiencing a place through its food and the people behind it.
Private by Design
This is your day, shared only with the people you choose to travel with. Without the pace or structure of a group tour, there is time to linger over conversations, follow your curiosity and enjoy each stop as it unfolds naturally.
Food as a Window into Place
Every stop has been chosen not simply because the food is exceptional, but because it reveals something about the people, traditions and stories that shape this region. The flavours become a way of understanding the place itself.
A Place Waiting to Be Discovered
Many of our guests arrive without knowing Merrickville and leave wondering why they hadn’t discovered it sooner. Its independent food businesses, welcoming atmosphere and surrounding countryside create a destination that rewards curiosity rather than crowds.
Warm Introductions
The flavours are memorable, but what guests often remember most are the hospitality, generosity and warmth of the people behind them. Each stop offers the chance to connect with those who take genuine pleasure in sharing what they create.
Co-curated with Chef Cynthia Peters
Tour de Taste was developed in collaboration with Chef Cynthia Peters, founder of Maison Maitland and host of The French Country Kitchen. Her culinary experience and deep connection to local food helped shape a day that celebrates the region through its flavours, makers and stories.
Co-curated with Chef Cynthia Peters
Tour de Taste was developed in collaboration with Chef Cynthia Peters, founder of Maison Maitland and host of The French Country Kitchen. Her culinary experience and deep connection to local food helped shape a day that celebrates the region through its flavours, makers and stories.
How the Day Unfolds
Every stop has been chosen for more than what it serves. Through the people who grow, craft and create, each reveals another layer of the region. Together, these encounters become more than a memorable meal. They become a deeper way of understanding place.
How the Day Unfolds
Every stop has been chosen for more than what it serves. Through the people who grow, craft and create, each reveals another layer of the region. Together, these encounters become more than a memorable meal. They become a deeper way of understanding place.
Departure
Your day begins with a private pickup at your accommodation, where you’ll settle in before setting out to explore Merrickville and the surrounding villages, discovering the flavours, landscapes and people that shape this corner of Eastern Ontario.
Violets on Main
Begin the morning in one of Merrickville’s most welcoming cafés, where freshly brewed coffee and homemade baking offer a relaxed introduction to the day ahead.
Mrs. McGarrigle’s
Step inside one of Merrickville’s best-loved specialty food shops, where award-winning mustards are at the heart of the business and have helped it grow into a destination for food lovers from across the country.
Mrs. McGarrigle’s
Step inside one of Merrickville’s best-loved specialty food shops, where award-winning mustards are at the heart of the business and have helped it grow into a destination for food lovers from across the country.
Little Barcelona
As midday approaches, you slip into Little Barcelona, where the room hums softly and plates arrive meant for sharing, simple, generous, and best enjoyed without watching the clock.
Little Barcelona
As midday approaches, you slip into Little Barcelona, where the room hums softly and plates arrive meant for sharing, simple, generous, and best enjoyed without watching the clock.
King’s Lock Craft Distillery
The journey continues into the countryside, where you’ll meet the makers behind Canada’s first organic distillery, one of only a few of its kind, and discover the passion that goes into every bottle.
King’s Lock Craft Distillery
The journey continues into the countryside, where you’ll meet the makers behind Canada’s first organic distillery, one of only a few of its kind, and discover the passion that goes into every bottle.
Hall’s Apple Market
Before the journey turns homeward, linger at a family-run orchard where the rhythm of the seasons shapes every offering, and a final tasting brings the day to a quietly satisfying close.
Hall’s Aplle Market
Before the journey turns homeward, linger at a family-run orchard where the rhythm of the seasons shapes every offering, and a final tasting brings the day to a quietly satisfying close.
Return
As the journey comes to an end, you’ll return with more than memorable flavours. Along the way, you’ve met passionate makers, shared meaningful conversations and perhaps gathered a few favourite finds to enjoy at home. Most of all, you’ll leave with a deeper appreciation for a place revealed through its people.
Extend Your Culinary Getaway with an Exclusive Package
Make your Tour de Taste experience even more unforgettable with a luxury two-night stay at Maison Maitland Cooking School & Villas. This exclusive package includes:
- Two night stay in one of Maison Maitland’s luxe 2-bedroom Villas
- Bonjour Breakfast every morning
- One Chef Box for Two
- Private Tour de Taste with A 1000 Ways