Food finds win prizes for hunters

Albuquerque ‘scavengers’ will be snapping photos while exploring city

The recent Pokémon Go craze that had droves of phone-clutching players wandering in search of game characters inspired tour operator Nick Peña to come up with his own food-themed variation.

Peña started his Food Tour New Mexico company in 2011 and now has seven tours that blend local history with a sampling of local cuisine at restaurants in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

His latest event is a scavenger hunt for foodies. Instead of wild Pokémon, players will be competing to be the first to find all 50 items on the scavenger list and submit them before the deadline. Players can compete as individuals or teams to win a cash prize or gift certificate to a local restaurant.

“It seemed like a lot of fun and a great way to explore the city — and there’s the charitable aspect,” said Peña.

A portion of the proceeds goes to benefit the Roadrunner Food Bank.

Peña hinted that most of the items will be “food themed” — maybe a special margarita or a well-known chef. Players must snap a picture of themselves with the item and post it on Facebook. Each item is worth a certain number of points and the person or team with the highest score wins the grand prize of $500. The second prize is a $100 gift certificate to a local restaurant and third prize is a $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant.

Individuals and teams can register on the Food Tours website, food tour new mexico. com. Registration costs $30 for individuals, $50 for two-person teams, $80 for teams of four and $100 for teams of 10. If you want to have a team with more than 10 members, call 505-465-9474.

Peña held a Foodie Scavenger hunt in early September in Santa Fe.

The Albuquerque Foodie Scavenger Hunt will begin at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, when he sends the item list to those who have registered. Participants will have until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, to find the items, photograph them and submit the photos to info@ food tour new mexico.

The winner will be announced on Monday, Oct. 17, by 6 p.m.

COURTESY OF FOOD TOUR OF NEW MEXICO Kelly Koepke, left, and Nia Gillespie won the grand prize in the Santa Fe Foodie Scavenger Hunt held Sept. 1-11. This was a photo they submitted proving they completed one of the items on the scavenger list, to have a drink at The Draft Station near the Santa Fe Plaza.