SEQUIM — The Olympic Culinary Loop made the North Olympic Peninsula a statewide poster child for farm-to-table tourism, and the Sequim-Dungeness Valley is a major player in that game, said the Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau executive director.

“This is a hot spot in Clallam County,” Diane Schostak told more than 50 people attending Tuesday’s Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Schostak talked about the loop tour put together two years ago with the formation of the Olympic Peninsula Loop Culinary Tourism Association, which has representatives from Clallam, Jefferson, Mason and Grays Harbor counties.

Aim of association

The association aims to promote and educate visiting consumers about the region’s culinary experience, from organic homegrown fresh garden veggies to shellfish.

Schostak said culinary tourism has reached the tipping point as a tourism niche and industry.

“To enhance the culinary experience is the way to go,” said Schostak, a longtime regional tourism promoter who once served as Forks Chamber of Commerce director.

Some food lovers spend 50 percent of their travel dollars on the culinary experience, she said, adding that food and activities run hand in hand.

Three meals, three activities and sleep, Schostak said, explaining the cycle she and her tourism peers chant as their mantra as part of “Culinary Tourism 101.”

Every dollar spent locally is found to generate two to four times more income, Schostak said.

“Shopping local is more than a warm, fuzzy thing; it’s economic development,” she said.

Olympic Coast cuisine

To be a part of an Olympic Peninsula loop tour, restaurants must commit to producing Olympic Coast cuisine for their menu.

Such cuisine reflects the diverse microclimates of the region, its coastal proximity and the Native American heritage characteristic of the Peninsula.

Sustainable locally grown and foraged fruits, vegetables, herbs, berries, locally hunted game, local sea fare and handcrafted local wines make up the farm-to-table experience and enhance the Peninsula travel experience, Schostak said.

The culinary loop association has a new website at www.olympicculinaryloop.com, which includes a map of creameries, wineries, cideries, restaurants and stores selling locally grown foods and beverages.

Also explaining the “Share Your Washington” promotion, Schostak said tourism in general brings $116 million a year to Clallam and Jefferson counties and $14.2 billion statewide.

“Tourism allows our young people to be employed and learn,” she said, which is what “Share Your Washington” is all about.

The promotion, sponsored by Washington State Tourism, at www.experiencewa.com, encourages each state resident to invite a friend through the website.

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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.