Want to experience local food culture and visit historic markets, shops and eating spots with an expert guide when you visit Rome, Florence, Lisbon, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague and other European cities? Kenneth Dunn, founder of Eating Europe, has you covered.
What started as a single experience in Rome quickly expanded to Florence and beyond, offering premium food tours in twenty cities. An international marketing entrepreneur Dunn worked at the United Nations in Rome on food insecurity issues before hatching his plan to create Eating Europe. A chance experience on a Greenwich Village pizza tour sparked the idea, leading him back to Rome to develop a tour rooted in deep local knowledge and research.
Eating Europe Pizza Tour in Rome
Since its inception, the company has welcomed over 450,000 guests and earned more than 10,000 five-star reviews. Dunn, who lives in Rome, is a recognized expert in culinary tourism and speaks on the topic at travel summits around the world. He remains deeply involved in crafting every experience the company offers, from food tours to truffle hunts. www.eatingeurope.com
We took Eating Europe’s Trastevere Twilight when we were in Roma in June 2025. We were greeted by our guide, Davide, who was wearing Eating Europe’s signature purple apron. The walking tour was well-organized and informative. We probably would have never located some of the spots we visited if we had tried to organize the tour on our own which is why we recommend Eating Europe to ease the way. (More on our tour in “Tasting Trastevere with Eating Europe)
The experience inspired us to sit down with Eating Europe Founder Ken Dunn for an interview. Here is an excerpt. You can listen or watch the entire conversation on The Connected Table Live at the link provided at the end of this article.
Tasting Suppli- Trastavere Twilight Tour (Photo: Eating Europe)
TCT: What are some of your food memories growing up in Ambler, which is just outside Pennsylvania?
KD: Local pizzerias were an integral part of the community. We had like 4 pizzerias within 5 miles, and it was a common argument: what was your favorite? Nick’s Pizza is where we went after baseball games for birthday parties. Amazingly, as much as the area has changed and businesses have come and gone, all the local pizzerias are still there and thriving.
TCT: What inspired your passion for travel? And what was your first big trip?
KD: My first big trip was to Israel when I was 12. I remember the hot pita, trying hummus for the first time, and shawarma. They were all new flavors, but more than the taste was the places, the faces, the smells, the whole sensory experience. It was such a foreign world, and the food was the part that was most accessible and caught my attention the most. My cousins, who had been all over Asia and South America, inspired my passion for travel so when I was 28, I decided to set out on my own in an around-the-world trip.
Kennith Dunn, Founder Eating Europe- Love brought him to Rome. A love of the city and its food culture inspired him to create Eating Europe, offering food tours in 20 cities (2025).
TCT: What brought you to Roma?
KD: Initially, it was for love. I was following my now ex-wife, who got a job at the UN in Rome.
TCT: What inspired you to create Eating Europe in 2011 and how did you begin?
KD: After a year working at the UN, I was at a crossroads. The UN was just not a great fit for me, and I didn’t particularly want to go back to that work. However, my wife was thriving, so I needed to figure out what to do with my life. I got back in touch with my inner entrepreneur, and began to think about what I love most about being in Rome, which was the food, but not just the cuisine, but rather the food culture. The idea of going to the local food market, having my same cappuccino served to me by Armando every day, having my local fish monger and butcher that knew me and my family. This was what I loved showing off to my friends and family that came to visit, and they loved my mini neighborhood tours and it was their feedback that gave me the idea and the confidence that this could be something,
TCT: We know many people who work in food who are offering food tours in Italy. How do you differentiate and define what Eating Europe does?
KD: I don’t think anyone puts more care and thought into constructing and curating each food tour so that is one big difference. The other is we want our guests to feel like family at all the places where we go and that takes work investing in the relationships with our food and beverage partners. Most companies I know do not take that same approach.
TCT: What was your Big Break when you know the company was going to be a success?
KD: Appearing in the top 20 for things to do in Rome on Tripadvisor which took about 11 months was a game changer.
TCT: Eating Europe operates in 18 and soon 20 cities with the addition of Sevilla and San Sebastion in 2025. What is the process for selecting a city for a tour?
KD: The cities we research go through a more traditional market analysis looking at travel patterns, market saturation, source markets, average length of stay. Our locations are based on the quality of the food, the uniqueness of the location, the business’ story and history, the location, and of course the willingness to partner with us.
TCT: Tell us about a city whose food culture really surprised you.
KD: For sure, Prague, I knew very little about their food. Then I went and began working with Jan, our City Manager back in the day. He opened my eyes to Nase Maso, a gourmet butcher shop that is both beautiful and vibrant, as people line up to buy their fresh meat but also to enjoy lunch – sausage, ham, and meatloaf to die for. Across the street in what is known as the gourmet passage is a little shop that sells open-faced sandwiches, which are a local staple. Theirs are gorgeous and colorful, and my favorite is the beet root and goat cheese.
Beer is a big thing there, as it is consumed more than water! They have so many unique breweries and even a brewery boat! They have like 15 ways to pour a draft beer, each subtly different yet notable in how it changes the beer’s taste. The old world cafes like Cafe Louve make you feel like you’re walking into another era with their opulent decor, high ceilings, and the decadent pies and desserts. It’s such a fascinating place, and the fact that so few people know about the cuisine makes it so much more interesting.
TCT: Why did you select purple for Eating Europe’s branding
KD: Purple was one of our brand’s accent colors for years. In 2022 coming out of Covid we wanted to do a makeover. We looked at our existing color palate and all said “Let’s embrace purple!” It felt bold and exciting and memorable. And now internally we refer to our team as purple passion and have really embraced the color as the symbol for our spirit.
Follow Eating Europe on Social: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Check out tours and make reservations at www.eatingeurope.com
Watch This episode of The Connected Table Live on The Connected Table TV on YouTube
Listen to our conversation with Ken Dunn on The Connected Table Live podcast