Meet Our Team

Mary co-founded Carpe DC Food Tours in 2014. Carpe DC Food Tours was rebranded and reborn into Blue Fern Travel in 2020. After traveling all over the world, she realized the beauty of connecting to the local community and the importance of giving back. She has a passion for making the world a smaller place by connecting people to community through stories, culture and of course, food!

Prior to Blue Fern, Mary earned her M.P.A. in nonprofit and international management, worked with a Ugandan-based NGO named Paper to Pearls, children’s shelter For Children’s Sake, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Mary is also a ballerina turned yogi who loves to squeeze in a down dog every chance she gets.  Mary and Stefan have two daughters and and a son who are already adventurous culinary explorers!

Stefan co-founded Blue Fern Travel (Formerly Carpe DC Food Tours) while getting his phD in Archaeology from the University of Maryland. He has a passion for the intersection of food, history and culture and loves to share his knowledge with others.

He’s an avid, master home chef. Starting at a very young age, he would stand on a chair in the kitchen to help his mom stir.  Now he’s excited to share that love of food with his and Mary’s daughter, whose first “real” food was Japanese ramen in Okinawa, Japan and their son, who loves Ethiopian food. Their youngest daughter is certain to join in the family tradition…once she starts easting solid foods.

As an archaeologist, he’s worked with countless communities and students on projects, and loves to share untold stories discovered through artifacts and research with the community they are found in.

Cat joined the Blue Fern Travel team in 2015 as a marketing consultant, with over 10 years of experience in tourism and travel. In her consulting business, Cat is proud to be able to say that she only works with partners who she loves and believes in and Blue Fern Travel is no exception! Cat loves to cook – especially enjoys making spicy vegetarian dishes – and loves to travel – her favorite trip to date is driving around Iceland. While Cat spent 16 years in Washington, DC, she now lives north of Boston, near the beach, with her Blue Staffy, Essie.

Soneka hails from the Detroit area but has called DC home for over a decade. With a background in theatre, she is ecstatic to be able to use her talents to help educate people about the city she now knows and loves as her own.

Jenn traveled to DC from Corpus Christi, Texas in 2014 for a temporary school internship, but ended up falling in love with the area and made the move permanent. Her background in history and anthropology, along with her experience working in some local historic destinations and attractions, will enable her to provide enriching context and entertaining tidbits throughout every tour. Jenn enjoys cooking and preparing creative dishes, especially when fun equipment and gadgets are involved. In her free time, she loves to read, write stories, visit local museums, and binge watch documentaries. Jenn also has an incurable obsession for podcasts, but she has no regrets.

David grew up in Venezuela and went to school at UCAB (Caracas) and then attended Missouri State University for graduate school. David enjoys reading and creating podcasts. He believes that being a tour guide is a great way to keep history alive and that DC allows for that preservation effort like no other area on the East Coast!

Jim has an unusual background as a former college debate coach turned world traveler and stay-at-home dad. Less unusual is his love of food, cooking, and talking to people about any and all of those things. Adventures with his family living in various places all over Africa, the Middle East and Europe have created a real passion for different cultures, and what better way to experience that than through food?

Joe was born and raised in downtown Boston and moved to DC in 2012 for his undergraduate degree at Georgetown. Joe loves being able to interact with new people – it’s the best way to learn! – which is why he loves leading tours and hosting events. One of the things that makes DC so wonderful is that so many people come to this city specifically because they want to self-improve, whether that’s by learning, by working vital public sector jobs, or to advocate for causes that matter to their community.

In his spare time, Joe is an avid board game player who obsesses over the finer points of coffee. He professionally hosts bar trivia events in the evenings and is a huge hockey and baseball fan. Feel free to ask him for photos of his cats, Chester and Ursula!

Mia holds a doctorate in organizational psychology and has worked extensively in the travel and hospitality industries. She has even taught at Georgetown University’s Masters of Global Hospitality Program for several years. Mia has always had a passion for Colonial American history and as a young girl, wanted to live somewhere full of history. She now lives in Old Town Alexandria and loves being part of this community.

Vanesa grew up in Maryland, only about 30 minutes from DC. She received her undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Salisbury University. Vanesa loves DC because of the diversity, history, culture and entertainment. She enjoys exploring everything DC offers and telling other people about this city!

Stephanie is originally from Huntsville, Alabama and comes to DC by way of New York City, Nashville, and Los Angeles. Her work as a performing arts professional runs the gamut from classical theatre to video games. She earned an MA in public history and collaborates with museums/historic sites on programming and education. She’s also waited tables or tended bars in every city she’s lived in and gets really excited about connecting the culinary arts of the past to our shared present. Passionate about the depth of history and vibrant diversity of DC, her goal is to create a tour experience that cultivates conversations at the intersection of storytelling, history, culture, and the arts.

Are you into food, history, and love DC? Want to share your passion with others? Blue Fern Travel is looking for outgoing, dynamic, friendly people who want to show off Washington, DC’s food culture to locals and tourists alike! Great guides are fun, friendly, and love leading a crowd. We’ll provide the script–you provide the character! Prior tour experience is not required. However, knowledge of food, Washington, DC history, and local knowledge is preferred. Guides are paid hourly, plus tips. Guides must be able to commit at least two tours a week.