Michelle Lemay has eaten horse sashimi in Japan, crickets in Laos, crocodile and kangaroo in Australia and "de cabeza" (beef brains) in Mexico.

"I’ve always thought one of the best ways to learn about different cultures and lifestyles is through food," she said. "Wherever I travel, I try what’s different and fresh there and eat where the locals go. I’ve always loved learning through my belly."

Lemay’s background as a foodie has been shaped by her global adventures. Her memories of a home-cooked meal in northern India two years ago still bring a smile to her face.

"My tour group was staying in Jaipur, where our guide, Anu, had grown up," she said. "Since our group was small, he invited us to dinner at his parents’ home. We had ‘chapati’ (unleavened bread), rice pudding and assorted curries; everything was delicious! What I loved most about the experience was knowing the meal had been prepared with love and care by Anu’s mom."

Since October, Lemay has been the "culinary guide" for three of the four tours offered by Tasting Kauai, a company launched in 2012 by food writer and certified personal chef Marta Lane. Lane also has fond food memories, many of them dating back to summers she spent as a child in Barcelona, Spain, her mother’s homeland.

"My aunt shopped at the outdoor market every day for ingredients, and she would buy only what she needed for that day’s meals," Lane recalled. "Dinners at her house lasted at least three hours, with everyone eating, talking, laughing and thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. I learned where the best cherries are grown; how Champagne, or ‘cava,’ is made; and what pigs eat that makes exceptional ‘jamon serrano’ (Spanish ham). I really got to know Spain through its food."

Similarly, during Tasting Kauai’s four weekly tours, Lane aims to show visitors how food defines Kauai’s sense of place. Through her work as a food writer, she has been to more than 90 farms, 12 farmers markets and dozens of restaurants on the island. The tours she designed feature 19 of her favorite spots, including small, little-known but nonetheless noteworthy businesses.

Lemay guides tours in the northern, eastern and southern regions of Kauai. Lane leads a trip to Kauai’s biggest farmers market, where about 100 vendors sell everything from mead to mushrooms to gourmet sea salts. All tours are limited to 10 people, so there is time for leisurely interaction between the guide, guests and the participating farmers, artisans and restaurant owners, managers and chefs.

Tour-goers follow the guide in their own cars, caravan style, and enjoy a generously portioned sample at each stop. The samples change, depending on what’s in season and what the chef or vendor wants to share that day.

The South Shore Tour spotlights seven places in Poipu and Koloa. When patrons dine at a restaurant, they usually don’t see the staff that prepares their meal, let alone meet them, but on this tour, executive chef Mark Arriola hosts a private tasting at Merriman’s Fish House.

Other highlights include a gelato-making demonstration and a peek at the back-of-the-house operations of a popular cafe whose specialties include lamb sausage pizzas, gluten-free crepes and more than a dozen house-made sauces (banana ketchup, anyone?).

The tour concludes at the Kauai Culinary Market, where participants shop for fresh produce, watch a cooking demonstration and sip a beer while listening to live Hawaiian music. There, Lemay also introduces them to a professional beekeeper and a woman who grows white sugarloaf pineapple, which is sweeter and less fibrous than the ubiquitous golden variety.

"I like the diversity of establishments that we visit on the South Shore Tour, which ranges from T-shirt-and-rubber-slippers casual to high-end," Lemay said. "A few of those gems are tucked away and don’t advertise. People find out about them by word of mouth, so our guests acknowledge they probably wouldn’t have found them on their own. Although some of them visit Kauai often, they say our tour is their first exposure to places they have driven by dozens of times."

Lemay peppers her narrative with interesting anecdotes. She said her guests are thrilled to make new discoveries and try locally sourced food made from scratch with a lot of aloha.

"They love ‘talking story’ with the hardworking people who are growing food and transforming it into amazing dishes and products," Lemay said. "They appreciate learning about the challenges farmers face and gaining a better understanding of why they’re passionate about what they do."

For Lane, Tasting Kauai is all about helping people connect with a vital, vibrant industry. "It’s my job to find sources of delicious, nutritious food on Kauai and to share that information," she said. "Food tours aren’t for people who eat to live. But if you live to eat, they’re a fantastic way to get to know the culture, history and community of a place."

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Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.