Meet Mohammad Ali of Spice of Life Tours

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mohammad Ali.

Mohammad, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a public school teacher and the founder of Spice of Life Tours. I teach history full-time at a suburban high school and have been teaching for more than a decade. I am originally from Pakistan and came to U.S. at an early age and grew up on Devon Ave (Little India).

Devon Ave is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Chicago. There are over 40 languages spoken on Devon Ave and people from several nations (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Eastern European and African nations such as Nigeria, and Somalia) call this ethnic neighborhood home.

As I was growing up on Devon Ave I realized this is a very unique place. The neighborhood has so much to offer; however, it lacked the type of attention it deserved.

Many people from outside of the neighborhood hardly visited the area due to its distance from Chicago’s main tourist attraction and for various other reasons such as lack of knowledge of Indian (South Asian) culture and it cuisine. I became a teacher a moved away but Devon Ave always reminded me of home. I would return to Devon and see my friends and eat at the restaurants on regular basis. I started to notice that even after some exposure in the local media and some frequent visitors to Devon Ave, it still lacked the proper system for people to take a chance and explore this wonderful neighborhood. So in 2013 I decided to do my civic duty to set up a food tours for the neighborhood to invite the “mainstream” people of the City and beyond to explore this area with me. I was afraid that due to its location and other cultural barriers, the community was self-segregating and the residents of the community has created this enclave which was not being explored by others.

Spice of Life Tours was created to find the ultimate cultural and food experiences in Chicago. We immerse our clients in diverse cultural experiences and offer delicious ethnic foods. Each tour consists of several venues within Chicago neighborhoods.

Spice of Life Tours offers an exciting food tasting and discovery tour to anyone searching for exotic experiences. We focus on genuine food establishments that locals frequent while incorporating unique and succulent food tastings. All attendees are exposed to the history, culture, and architecture of Chicago’s neighborhoods.

After “Little India” food tour I decided to add “Little Arabia” which is in Albany park to do the same thing for our Middle Eastern community in Chicago land area. Our main goal is to introduce the ethnic communities to everyone and hopefully once they get to explore the area(s) with me, they can return on their own and bring others to the neighborhoods. I am playing a role of a liaison between the guests and the community to bridge the cultural gap and bring people together while keep the ethnic flavor of the neighborhood intact.

Has it been a smooth road?
Thus far, the response has been enormous. I usually receive several hundred guests signing up for the Little India Tour (April to November) season. The biggest challenge is spreading the word among others. It is still a very small (one man) operation. Another challenge is bringing people to the site mainly due to lack of good public transportation options that are quick and swift especially for out of state visitors. Language barrier for the community members has often posed a challenge as well due to communication gap. However, thus far, the biggest challenge is the type of exposure that the tour needs in local media print or otherwise has been the issue. Since I had to previous training in running the business, marketing and other necessary tools a business needs were also a challenge mainly due to lack of resources my business has such as proper funding and marketing techniques know-how.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
The business is a cultural exploration (extravaganza) and the food is the cherry on top. We offer a variety of epicurean delights such as foods from several regions on South Asian — North, South, West, and Eastern India but also includes foods from Pakistan and middle -eastern fusion foods. We also introduce guests to Indian religious and cultural traditions from culinary traditions to every day etiquette. Guests are introduced to Indian and Pakistan fashion traditions, Henna tattoos, visits to Hindu and Sikh Temple, information focusing (discussion) on East v. West themes, local neighborhood history, spices and culinary (cooking) traditions, among others.

It is a very unique experience unlike any other food tour. We can customize the tour for individual needs, and utmost attention to guest experience and provide the best customer service and the experience one can have in this industry. We also pride ourselves in providing full servings for all the “tasting” experiences thus not just a tasting but a total food and cultural experience.

Our biggest pride is in guests (customers) happiness. Our goal is for people to return to the neighborhood and providing the experience for them to do this on their own when they return.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago is a great place to do business. Chicago has so much to offer unlike any other city. Chicago is one the most diverse metropolitan cities in North America. I would recommend any start up business or any business to give Chicago a chance because they won’t be disappointed. Having said that, City government should do more to promote small businesses such as Spice of Life Tours and develop opportunities for small businesses in tourism area to showcase their services.

Pricing:

• Tour cost ranges: $ 75 – $ 95 Per Person and all activities, food, drinks are included in the pricing.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2541 W. Devon Ave
  Chicago, IL 60659
• Website: www.spiceoflifetours.com
• Phone: 773-644-1202
• Email: spiceoflifetours@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spiceoflifetours
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/spiceoflifetour
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/spice-of-life-tours-chicago
• Other: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g35805-d4091120-Reviews-Spice_of_Life_Tours-Chicago_Illinois.html

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