Sometimes, the stars align just right and now is such an occasion for brothers Stu and Donald Card. The Cards took a big risk five years ago, leaving big jobs in big cities to start one food tour route in Savannah. Today, Savannah Taste Experience has grown into a bustling business, with two 5-star reviewed routes running seven days a week and up to eight tour times on weekend days. The icing on their anniversary cake was the release of their first book: Savannah Food: A Delicious History via Arcadia Publishing, the largest publisher of local history books and regional content guides in America.

Like their food tours, their book takes people on a journey through Savannah’s history through the lens of its culinary scene, highlighting the city’s love of seafood, bread, soul food, barbeque, and local honeys and produce. They end the book with the chapter, “In the Midst of a Food Renaissance” as a nod to the explosive growth of Savannah’s food scene since 2008. Back then, only two fine dining establishments existed and the international cuisine options were fairly limited—but as this book highlights, that’s no longer the case as Savannah continues to attract world-class chefs and restaurateurs.

“It’s still hard to believe that it’s been five years since we started our little company, and we couldn’t ask for a better gift than having our book release coincide with our five year anniversary,” Stu shares. Donald adds, “We want to thank all of our guests, tour guides, partners, Arcadia, our families, and the many, many others who have helped us reach this milestone. We feel so lucky that this is our job!”