Today we’d like to introduce you to Angee Johnson.
Hi Angee, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Taste of SLO started almost unintentionally, which feels very lucky when I look back on it.
In 2016, I read an ad looking for a guide for a food tour in Santa Barbara, and the idea completely intrigued me. I had never actually been on a food tour myself, but I looked up the company and its owner online, and I remember thinking, “I could do this in San Luis Obispo.”
I had moved to San Luis Obispo after spending 33 years in rural, central Minnesota, and I was absolutely enchanted by SLO. I fell in love with the charming downtown, the mom and pop businesses, the variety of restaurants and people, and the proximity to the beach. After growing up somewhere where I often had to drive two hours to Minneapolis for a wider variety of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment, SLO felt like I had walked into a fairy tale or, honestly, an all-inclusive resort. I thought the city was special, and I wanted to introduce other people to the parts of it that I loved.
I decided to figure out how to start a business. I had never owned a business before, so I bought a textbook on starting a small business and basically educated myself. I read about business plans, costs, hiring, and all the things I hadn’t previously thought about. Then came the terrifying part: actually walking into local businesses and asking them to participate. I was much shyer back then than I am now. My brother-in-law, Ricky, actually went with me to some of my first introductions because I was nervous about approaching people. He practically had to hold my hand while I walked into Old SLO BBQ and SLO Provisions. Thankfully, the business owners were receptive, and I slowly realized that this wasn’t nearly as scary as I’d imagined.
From the beginning, I wanted Taste of SLO to be different from simply giving tourists a list of the restaurants everyone already knows about. I wanted to introduce people to hidden gems, the places they might not discover unless they had a local showing them around. I also wanted the food and drinks to be varied and interesting, and I wanted the experience to tell people something about SLO beyond what was on their plate.
I built a website, got onto TripAdvisor/Viator, and eventually Airbnb, and the business grew largely through word of mouth and the reputation I built over time. As I’m approaching my ten year anniversary, I have worked with more than 50 restaurants and businesses along the way.
When I started, I had lofty dreams of Taste of SLO becoming my full-time career. What I’ve learned instead is that I, Angela, am not particularly scalable. I can’t manufacture more of me! I’ve had wonderful guides over the years, but they have lives and careers of their own, and I’ve continued to have other hospitality jobs as well.
For a while, I thought that meant I hadn’t achieved what I originally set out to do. Now I look at it differently. Taste of SLO has become a very respectable side business that I genuinely love, and I’m actually grateful it didn’t become an all-consuming machine. I’ve watched people turn something they were passionate about into a full-time business, only to work so relentlessly at it that they eventually stopped enjoying the thing they loved in the first place.
I’ve learned to let Taste of SLO have seasons. Sometimes it’s incredibly busy, sometimes it’s crickets. Sometimes I’m traveling and I’m not available for tours. I take it as it comes, and I’m grateful for every person who chooses to spend a few hours with me. Ten years later, I’m still genuinely flattered that someone is willing to give me money to hang out with them and eat delicious food for a few hours. That’s a pretty damn good job.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has it been a smooth road? Honestly, in a lot of ways, yes. I’ve been very fortunate. Taste of SLO hasn’t been some dramatic entrepreneurial survival story, although there have definitely been challenges.
COVID is probably the strangest example. When the lockdowns first happened, obviously there were no tours. But once people started wanting to get out and do things again, Taste of SLO was almost perfectly positioned for the moment. San Luis Obispo has beautiful weather, lots of outdoor dining, and a walkable downtown, so our tours allowed people to socialize while still being outside. It ended up being one of our busiest periods ever. It’s pretty funny that what was one of the most socially isolated periods in our history was actually one of the most socially active times for Taste of SLO.
One of my ongoing challenges has been finding the right guides. I’m not particularly scalable, as I’ve already established, and Taste of SLO isn’t a traditional job where someone can count on a regular schedule. The tours are sporadic, and I need people who are comfortable working independently and who can really connect with guests.
I’ve been incredibly lucky to have some wonderful guides over the years. Victoria, in particular, has been an absolute MVP. She’s technically still a guide, although she’s mostly retired now and helps me here and there. She’s been with me for roughly seven of my ten years in business. Victoria and I are very different guides, but we both bring something special to the experience. I’m more of a storyteller, I like to make people laugh and entertain them. Victoria is incredibly warm and nurturing, and she has this ability to make an immediate, genuine connection with people. She loves people, and people feel that. She’s also always treated Taste of SLO like it was her own business. That kind of ownership and work ethic is incredibly valuable, and honestly, she’s been very hard to replace.
The other constant challenge is that the restaurant scene never sits still. Restaurants open, restaurants close, menus change, chefs change, and sometimes a restaurant will literally shut down on the day we’re supposed to visit. I’ve had to learn to be extremely flexible and always have a backup plan. The funny thing about being a tour guide is that the guests don’t know what was *supposed* to happen. If something goes wrong, I’m the only one who knows that something went wrong. My job is to stay calm, pivot, and make it feel intentional.
And then there’s the ongoing challenge of keeping up with the food scene itself. I try to eat at as many restaurants as I can because people expect me to have an opinion when they ask, “Where should we eat?” So I suppose one of the hardest parts of running a food tour business is…having to eat all the food. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Taste of SLO Food & Wine Tours?
Taste of SLO is a food and wine tour company, but at its heart, I don’t think we’re really selling food tours. We’re creating experiences and memories.
From the beginning, I’ve wanted Taste of SLO to feel like a perfectly curated day where you can sit back, relax, and let someone else do the work. After, of course, you navigate the ridiculous parking situation in downtown SLO. Once you’re with us, you don’t have to worry about where you’re going, what you’re eating, or whether you’re missing something good. You just get to hang out, eat, drink, learn, laugh, and enjoy yourself. It’s a little bit of white glove service in a very relaxed setting.
I’m particularly proud that we’ve always focused on discovery. I don’t want to take people to the three restaurants that everyone already knows about. I want to introduce them to the hidden gems, the places they might walk right past if they didn’t have someone local showing them around.
Variety is also really important to me. I want every stop to feel different, and I want the food and drinks to tell a story about San Luis Obispo. Even something as simple as a house-made strawberry lemonade can become an opportunity to talk about our local agriculture and the fact that strawberries are grown here year-round.
Ultimately, what sets Taste of SLO apart is the combination of discovery, great food, storytelling, and hospitality. I try very hard to create an environment that is welcoming to everybody. I want people to feel comfortable, taken care of, and free to just enjoy themselves. I jokingly describe my approach to hospitality as being “recklessly kind,” but that’s genuinely how I try to operate.
And then there’s the part I’m still getting used to admitting: apparently, **I’m part of the product, too.** 😂 I didn’t start Taste of SLO thinking people would come specifically to hang out with me. I thought I was simply the person delivering the experience. But after ten years and hundreds of wonderful reviews, I’ve realized that the human connection is a big part of why people remember the experience.
I’m proud that Taste of SLO has never felt overly corporate or transactional. It’s personal, it’s local, it’s a little bit goofy, and hopefully, when people leave, they don’t just remember what they ate, they remember **how they felt while they were here.**
How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happiest is having the freedom to follow my heart and do what I want with my time. Sometimes that means something as simple as reading a book, cooking, going for a walk, watching TV, or watering my plants. I genuinely enjoy the little mundane things of everyday life.
I adore my people. I have a Shih Tzu named Daisy, and we spend a lot of time cuddling and giving each other affirmations. I love my beau, Marcus, who is a perfect specimen that I appreciate tremendously, and one of my favorite things about our relationship is that we love to travel together. We have a robust travel schedule, and I love exploring the world with him, experiencing different cultures, eating new foods, learning things, and gaining perspective. Travel reminds me how big the world is and how many different ways there are to live a good life.
My friends and family make me happy, too, especially my niece and nephews. There’s something really refreshing about being around young people who are honest, funny, curious, and completely themselves. They’re just a good time.
I think the common thread is really connection and curiosity. I like experiencing things, whether that’s discovering a new place in the world, trying a new food, having a great conversation, or simply sitting on the couch with Daisy. I don’t think happiness has to be particularly grand. A life filled with a lot of small things that make you feel grateful is a pretty damn good life.
Pricing:
- Downtown Brunch Tour with Drinks $169
- Downtown Brunch Tour Non Alcoholic $149
- Paso Robles Food & Wine Tour $189
- Paso Robles Food & NA Tour $169
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tasteofslowalkingfoodtour.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tasteofslo/
