The owner of a culinary tour company has been diagnosed with leukemia. Kristi Martin, the owner and founder of FEAST Food Tours, will be taking some time away from her business to focus on treatment and fighting the disease.

Not long after her diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a GoFundMe page began circulating on social media to help cover medical expenses. The NoDa Company Store held a fundraiser, too, and the Piedmont Culinary Guild is organizing a meal train for Kristi and her husband, Shane. Even Black Wednesday, a social marketing company, has offered their services free of charge during treatment. The response shows just how beloved Martin is among her colleagues.

“Our core mission is connecting Charlotte’s culinary community, and I think Kristi really embodies that, even from before she started the company,” says Caroline Brown, experience specialist at FEAST and Martin’s only full-time employee. “A lot of her connections in Charlotte food community go back to when she was working at The Westin or at The Morehead Inn and Van Landingham estate. She worked with so many chefs and artisans and small business owners during that time — her relationships in Charlotte’s food community really span a decade sometimes. … It’s been really great to see how those connections, which we’ve made the mission for the company, have come through to support her and the company.”

Brown will be stepping up during Martin’s time out of the office, overseeing private tours and events as well as the day-to-day operations. FEAST tours guide diners through Uptown, NoDa, Plaza Midwood, Dilworth, or South End, introducing them to some of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods through a sampling of restaurants. The team of five tour guides may also be supplemented by others coming out of retirement as needed, Martin says. Business will continue as usual.

Martin is known in the culinary industry as kind, helpful, and positive. It’s no surprise to see the tremendous amount of support across the restaurant industry and beyond. She is well-liked and well-respected by the restaurants she’s worked with, and is proactive in helping promote Charlotte as a premiere culinary city. She is a former Piedmont Culinary Guild board member and active member, and the guild will be making sure she is well-fed as she regains her health.

“Kristi is more than a collaborator in the community, she is a friend,” PCG president Kris Reid says. “We are all pulling for her and want to do something to help her with a rapid return to health. A meal train is something we can do to help.”

We’re wishing the best for Kristi and her team. If you want to support Kristi, you can donate to her GoFundMe here, or schedule a food tour with some friends. —Kristen Wile

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