Lisa Brown and Cristina McCarter have given the phrase “Walking in Memphis” a brand-new meaning. As the co-creators of City Tasting Box, they’ve made it possible for anyone to take a walk through the streets of Memphis and experience the beauty of its cuisine. City Tasting Box is a curated collection of food and related items packaged and sourced in Memphis.
City Tasting Box formed during a phone call between the two owners. McCarter was running a successful culinary tour company, which was indefinitely halted by the economic downturn during the pandemic. Needing to pivot from the food tourism industry, McCarter told Brown about the idea for the box, and the rest is history. “It started out as, like, a bag, and then we moved it to this cool mailer box,” says McCarter.
Evolving into the box was not a happenstance. McCarter and Brown attribute parts of their success to strategic partnerships. “Epicenter has been pivotal in helping us really get set up and really mobilize,” says Brown. The women also partnered with Memphis Tourism and We Are Memphis to bring awareness to their business.
Collaboration makes it possible for businesses like City Tasting Box to thrive. There’s an array of resources for entrepreneurs — like the ones offered through Epicenter — that fuel creativity and foster growth and development. “We got a lot of slogans and sayings here. The whole ‘Grit & Grind’ and ‘We Don’t Bluff’… That’s really the spirit of our city,” says Brown.
Memphis cuisine is more than just BBQ. It’s an ecosystem filled with movers, shakers and diverse artisans making a name for themselves and the city. City Tasting Box is making sure that anyone, anywhere, can experience that vibe and find out about the diverse offerings beyond its traditional eats.
Learn more about Lisa Brown, Cristina McCarter and City Tasting Box below.
This editorial is brought to you in partnership with Epicenter and We Are Memphis.
