Just as the sun was beginning to set over Sarasota ON A WARM EVENING IN MAY, a packed trolley traveled through downtown, shuttling no fewer than 30 gleeful passengers among restaurants in the city.  Hosted by the Sarasota-Manatee Originals, the Originals Culinary Tour is the perfect way to sample dishes and wines from some of the area’s best local restaurants. The group offers three different tours—one in Sarasota, one in Bradenton and the other in the Nokomis/Venice area. On each tour, guests can enjoy a five-course meal with wine pairings—each dish coming from a different restaurant on the tour.  “The main reason we do this is to get some people out to new restaurants,” said Director of Operations for the Sarasota-Manatee Originals, Marne Gaston. Gaston highlighted that summer is a particularly slow time for restaurants in the Sarasota area, making it especially important to bring in new customers. To do this, events manager Heather Charles explains that they try to make exploring the organization’s 75 independent restaurants more accessible. “It’s very lighthearted, but the food is elevated,” she says. “They learn from the chefs and they learn from the winemakers and wine distributors about the wines they’re drinking.” Gaston added, “They just get to relax—we drive them around, we handle the menu, we handle the wines and we handle gratuity. They have fun, eat great food and have fantastic wine.” On the Sarasota route, passengers hopped aboard the trolley for a progressive tasting experience with Michael’s On East, Mimi Brasserie and Speakeasy, Rose & Ivy, Brick’s Smoked Meats and Hanami Sushi & Cocktails. For these restaurants, the tour presents an opportunity to showcase what they have to offer. “It’s a great way to get exposure,” says Bethany Melendez, one of the owners of Mimi Brasserie and Speakeasy. “People that don’t really know about us get to come in and experience what we have to offer.”  Throughout the night, guests were served a wide range of dishes, from French-inspired sliders to smoked pulled pork to Hanami’s famous Dragon Ball, a refreshing appetizer consisting of Alaskan King crab, mango, masago and yuzu sauce wrapped in avocado.  All of this worked together to create an incredible evening for the trolley passengers. Hanami Sushi and Cocktails owner Jason Klamson even noted, “It’s always a great group of people—people are always smiling and laughing when they see you, even in 91-degree weather.” While the tour is a fun evening out for guests, it stays deeply connected to the Sarasota-Manatee Originals’ mission. “The money stays here, the staff is here,” Michael’s On East owner Michael Klauber says, “It’s about reminding people how important it is to support your local independent restaurants.”  SRQ