Holiday Gift Suggestions

Yeah, we know, another holiday gift guide… but hey, maybe you’ll find an idea here that you haven’t seen before!

Food Gifts
Great for a hostess gift, or just for the person who never stops thinking about their next meal:

• A Taste of Olive offers wonderful oils and vinegars, plus other great little gourmet gift ideas.
• Sweet tooth? Laura’s Biscotti is a great local treat.
• Fresh, local cheese from Chester County farms.
• Gift Baskets from Talula’s Table (pictured)

Local Food Experiences
Instead of just handing over a gift, why not spend time with your favorite culinarian, enjoying food and drink? Consider these local purveyors of fine food experiences:

• The Wine School of Philadelphia – Enhance your love of wine, beer and/or cocktails with a fun, educational class. Gift certificates available.
• Cooking Schools – try Viking in Bryn Mawr, or Charlotte Ann Albertson, various locations.
• Philadelphia Urban Adventures – explore the Italian Market or sip local beers with “Philly on Tap.”

These are some of my favorite kitchen gadgets:

• I love to use my vertical (beer can) chicken roaster, and there are now many different varieties on the market. This one from Weber looks nice, or you might consider this little one as a stocking stuffer.
• This Cuisinart Spice & Nut Grinder is great for the chef who wants to take advantage of the fuller, richer flavor of whole spices in their food.
• Have hours of fun with The Smoking Gun!

Books
Always a safe bet!

If you’ve followed our local cookbooks feature, you already know we love Corked & Forked by Keith Wallace. The book has a lovely design and a Philly connection, so it’d make a great gift for the local food lover.

Other Cookbooks to consider:

• Gravy Wars – for the South Philly Italian (or the wannabe) in your life.
• Rustic Italian Food – Philly fave Mark Vetri’s new book!

Or, try these food-related memoirs:

• My Korean Deli – A writer tells the story of how his family purchased and ran a convenience store in Brooklyn. A fun read.
• Blood, Bones & Butter – Truthfully, this one was a bit over-hyped when it came out, but it still was an entertaining book.

Beer
People always bring a bottle of wine to a party – and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. But why not mix it up by bringing a big bottle of local beer instead? This will be especially thoughtful if you travel out of the area, yet bring a piece of your local culture. You can’t go wrong with any of these:

• Sly Fox Christmas Ale (Wegmans)
• Troegs Mad Elf (Wegmans)
• Iron Hill 15^th Anniversary Ale or Sasquatch  (Any Iron Hill location)
• Victory Dark Intrigue (Limited Availability – Try the Brewery)

Finally, for the food lover who has everything… how about this Sous Vide Oven?

Feel free to share other suggestions below…