Mary co-founded Carpe DC Food Tours in 2014. Carpe DC Food Tours was rebranded and reborn into Blue Fern Travel in 2020. After traveling all over the world, she realized the beauty of connecting to the local community and the importance of giving back. She has a passion for making the world a smaller place by connecting people to community through stories, culture and of course, food!
Prior to Blue Fern, Mary earned her M.P.A. in nonprofit and international management, worked with a Ugandan-based NGO named Paper to Pearls, children’s shelter For Children’s Sake, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mary is also a ballerina turned yogi who loves to squeeze in a down dog every chance she gets. Mary and Stefan have a daughter and and a son who are already adventurous culinary explorers!
Stefan co-founded Blue Fern Travel (Formerly Carpe DC Food Tours) while getting his phD in Archaeology from the University of Maryland. He has a passion for the intersection of food, history and culture and loves to share his knowledge with others.
He’s an avid, master home chef. Starting at a very young age, he would stand on a chair in the kitchen to help his mom stir. Now he’s excited to share that love of food with his and Mary’s daughter, whose first “real” food was Japanese ramen in Okinawa, Japan and their son, who loves Ethiopian food.
As an archaeologist, he’s worked with countless communities and students on projects, and loves to share untold stories discovered through artifacts and research with the community they are found in.
Rasheed is your “Locals favorite Local”. His family immigrated to NW DC in the 1960s and he grew up in Silver Spring. After living in Baltimore for 10 years, he decided to come back home and now resides in NE DC. Rasheed loves riding his bike around the city taking in the sites. He is also a fan of the local art and music scene and loves the history and culture of DC. He enjoys local dive bars and cocktail bar scenes that DC has built over the last few years. He is excited to share his knowledge and overall enthusiasm for DC.
Cat joined the Blue Fern Travel team in 2015 as a marketing consultant, with over 10 years of experience in tourism and travel. In her consulting business, Cat is proud to be able to say that she only works with partners who she loves and believes in and Blue Fern Travel is no exception! Cat loves to cook – especially enjoys making spicy vegetarian dishes – and loves to travel – her favorite trip to date is driving around Iceland. While Cat spent 16 years in Washington, DC, she now lives north of Boston, near the beach, with her Blue Staffy, Essie.
Soneka hails from the Detroit area but has called DC home for over a decade. With a background in theatre, she is ecstatic to be able to use her talents to help educate people about the city she now knows and loves as her own.
Jenn traveled to DC from Corpus Christi, Texas in 2014 for a temporary school internship, but ended up falling in love with the area and made the move permanent. Her background in history and anthropology, along with her experience working in some local historic destinations and attractions, will enable her to provide enriching context and entertaining tidbits throughout every tour. Jenn enjoys cooking and preparing creative dishes, especially when fun equipment and gadgets are involved. In her free time, she loves to read, write stories, visit local museums, and binge watch documentaries. Jenn also has an incurable obsession for podcasts, but she has no regrets.
Wesley is originally from Alabama where he got a degree in International Relations and Spanish before moving to DC in 2012. Since then he has been guiding groups of students and adults all over the US, Canada, Spain, and Portugal. Now he is hoping to spend more time in the city that he loves and looks forward to sharing DC’s unique culinary and cultural history with you.
Jim has an unusual background as a former college debate coach turned world traveler and stay-at-home dad. Less unusual is his love of food, cooking, and talking to people about any and all of those things. Adventures with his family living in various places all over Africa, the Middle East and Europe have created a real passion for different cultures, and what better way to experience that than through food?
Anthony is a Nevada native but has called DC home for nearly ten years. Passionate about food, he spends a lot of time exploring the DC restaurant scene and always has the perfect dining recommendation. Equally passionate about travel (36 countries, and counting!), Anthony’s favorite way to get to know a new city is through food and he is excited to help visitors to DC do the same.
Are you into food, history, and love DC? Want to share your passion with others? Blue Fern Travel is looking for outgoing, dynamic, friendly people who want to show off Washington, DC’s food culture to locals and tourists alike! Great guides are fun, friendly, and love leading a crowd. We’ll provide the script–you provide the character! Prior tour experience is not required. However, knowledge of food, Washington, DC history, and local knowledge is preferred. Guides are paid hourly, plus tips. Guides must be able to commit at least two tours a week.
Step away from the monuments & memorials into the real DC. Explore the stories of U Street though the street art, architecture and food! Enjoy some of DC’s most iconic flavors on this fascinating historic journey through U Street, from Civil Rights to the Jazz era to today.
You can taste the diversity in DC’s oldest neighborhood on this Georgetown food tour. From James Beard Nominee tarts and award winning VPN style pizza that attracts famous guests from near and far, you’ll connect to the history, people and stories behind DC’s most well known neighborhood.
Situated just across the river from DC, Old Town Alexandria is easy to access by car, metro, or water taxi. This charming little city has a fascinating history from the Civil War to Civil Rights. Come taste the flavors that set the backdrop to Alexandria’s evolution.