Diversity Across California's Tourism Businesses

The American Dream
The Choe family is living the American Dream, having created The Pines Resort at Bass Lake, the premiere destination in Madera County. Perseverance, passion, and hard work drove the family that emigrated from Korea in the 1970s. The story of their success and the resort was even the subject of the documentary “Against The Odds-CEO.”

Wine Not
Sonoma is known not only for the diversity of its wines, but the inclusiveness of its winemakers. Oenophiles will find BIPOC-owned wine tasting throughout the county including Fog Crest Vineyards, Lloyd Davis’ Corner 103, voted best tasting room by USA Today, and the new Bacchus Landing collective tasting center.

Viva La Cocina Mexicana
Good south of the border cuisine is a California favourite, especially in Del Norte County where the family-run Cristina’s Mexican Restaurant has delighted diners since the 1980s. The from scratch cooking is based on secret family recipes and the welcoming atmosphere makes everyone feel like they’re part of la familia.

Book Smart
The new A Seat at the Table Books in Elk Grove celebrates the town’s culture, diversity and tolerance through books, coffee and community. Everyone is welcome to cozy up with a book, chat with friends, and enjoy unique amenities like a quiet room for neurodiverse guests and nursing mothers, a camping-themed play area and a coworking space.

Hit the Taco Trail
For Mexican food lovers the Gilroy Taco Trail is a must eat. The city is home to over 25 Mexican eateries serving up the best tacos, tamales and enchiladas in the Bay Area. Get a copy of the Taco Trail map online and cook up your plan of attack.

Museum Time
When the African American Historical & Cultural Museum of the SJV opened in Fresno in the early 1990s it was the only nonprofit educational facility of its kind. The museum invites visitors to explore the history of local African Americans through hundreds of photographs, artifacts, and memorabilia that date back to the 1880s.

LGBTQI in SLO
Stroll down Monterey Street in San Luis Obispo and you can shop, sip and savour local products at three unique LGBTQI-owned retail outlets. At SLO Provisions enjoy a glass of wine, have dinner or create a picnic basket to enjoy in the nearby vineyards. Across the street Skipper’s Brew coffee shop serves up a variety of coffee drinks and vegan and meat Aussie pies. Just down the street find the perfect souvenir at Junk Girls, full of vintage and up-cycled treasures.

Award Winning Wine
A family-run winery and vineyard, Akash is located in the heart of Temecula wine country. The Patel family’s dream when they came to America was to own a vineyard, and in 2010 that dream came true when they purchased a 20-acre parcel of prime vineyard land. After 9 years of development, they opened Akash winery in 2019. The gorgeous tasting room is stocked with award-winning wines, and for the non-winelovers in your group, Akash now has a line of beers.

The Not so Mad Hatter
Growing up in a small North Carolina town where a true gentleman always wore a hat, black designer James Keith brought that tradition to Beverly Hills with the opening of Keith and James. Known for its fedora styles and vivid colors, the modern day mad hatter outfits many of the town’s A-listers.

Tour Time
Greater Palm Springs is known for its vibrant LGBTQ+ community and boasts several LGBTQ+ owned tour operators. The Palm Springs Mod Squad will bring the city’s mid-century modern architecture to life on their tour, while Sunny Cycle Palm Springs has a 14-seater custom made cycle to share the sunshine, music, and food the city is known for. To learn more about the city, rent a bike with BIKE Palm Springs, which partners with the Palm Springs Historical Society to offer tours.

Soul Searching
Look no further for the best soul food in southern California. Georgia’s Soul Food brings the soul of Southern cooking to SoCAL. Chef Gretchen Shoemaker learned to make the comfort cuisine from her grandma and has been wowing family, friends and now Anaheim and Long Beach diners with her homestyle cookin’.

Filipino Friends
Three Filipino chefs have befriended and supported each other to bring this distinct Asian cuisine to the forefront of the San Diego dining scene. San Diego has the second largest Filipino population in the country and its cuisine is well represented by award-winning Chef Phillip Esteben at Open Gym/White Rice, Michelin star chef Tara Monsod at Michelin-honored Animae and head baker Justin Gaspar at Hommage Bakehouse.


Hero image, credit James Tran 

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