We all gotta eat, so why not add a dash of style to your special someone’s meals this holiday season? The best food gifts in and out of the kitchen make cooking more colorful, eating more delicious, and entertaining more fun—all very good things in my opinion. From the broadly appealing (fancy ham, a literal tub of sea salt) to the very specific (cheese with groupies, an on-the-go oyster knife), our top picks for gifting this year aim to please any cast of characters. Whether they be new apartment dwellers, on-trend pals, hard-to-shop-for siblings, or amateur chefs, the best food gifts await them, below.
Best Food Gifts for People Who Love to Eat
If the person you’re looking to please is a serial snacker, gets down with Scandinavian delights, or is always on the hunt for the next cool tinned fish, this is the section for you.
Fishwife, better known for its tinned fish, just debuted limited-edition caviar in collaboration with family-owned California-based Tsar Nicoulai. We love that each order comes with a highly giftable box as well as a fish-engraved mother-of-pearl spoon. For the real cheeseheads in your life, send them a round of seasonal, cult-status Vacherin Mont d’Or and you’ll be in their good graces for ages. What about fancy smoked salmon or hand-carved jamón Ibérico, both in extremely chic packaging? A halva sampler is also an easy win, as well as a big box of candy from Swedish import BonBon. If you just need stocking stuffers, Scottish stalwart Tunnock’s milk chocolate caramel wafers come by the boatload on Amazon.
Hardy Quarter Smoked Salmon
Portugalia Marketplace
$50
Tunnock’s Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafers
Amazon
$17
Connoisseur Box – Swedish Classics
BonBon
$68
Hand-Carved, Acorn-Fed Ibérico Ham, 2 Pack
Siesta Co.
$55
Vacherin Mont d’Or, 12.35-Ounce Wheel
Murray’s Cheese
$49
California White Sturgeon Caviar and Mother-of-Pearl Spoon
Fishwife
$99
Seed + Mill Nostalgia Halva Trio (Cardamom, Pistachio & Dark Chocolate Toasted Coconut)
Amazon
$45
Best Food Gifts for People Who Love to Drink
Via Carota’s bottled cocktails were such a hit when they launched that the restaurant brought sparkling into the mix this year. If they can’t get enough spritzes, send them a variety pack that includes their favorite sip, plus white and classic Negroni sbagliatos, Palomas, and French 75s.
If you’re in need of an impressive bottle of red to gift, look no further than one from Emidio Pepe from Abruzzo, Italy. Or give the gift of a Yes Society membership, which features twice-annual shipments of highly rare and often exclusively offered wines. And I don’t know a natural-wine lover who wouldn’t welcome a subscription from Mysa; it comes in three, six, and 12-month options.
For the nondrinkers who love a good cocktail hour, put a bow on Lapo’s nonalcoholic Aperitivo, which drinks quite similarly to Campari (the cans are adorable, too). Or send them a two-pack of Ghia’s new sparkling beauty, Le Fizz; it has notes of strawberry, orange blossom, and black currant. It’s a party starter with none of the booze.
Sparkling Variety Pack
Via Carota Cocktails
$69
Lapo’s N/A Aperitivo
The Zero Proof
$32
Emidio Pepe, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Branella 2020
Parcelle Wine
$180
Natural Wine Club Gift, 3 Months
Mysa
$85
Ghia Nonalcoholic Le Fizz Sparkling Aperitif, 2-Pack
Amazon
$46
Best Cookbooks to Gift
Cookbooks and food books are the printed matter that make me happiest in the world, and this year’s arrivals are dazzling. With debuts from Kismet’s Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer (peep Kramer’s Los Angeles oasis), master sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier, Top Chef alum Nini Nguyen, the Four Horsemen team, and food writer Khushbu Shah, shelves are overflowing with talent and beautiful design. Peppered in are odes to Ligurian cuisine and the food of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur; a highly personal collection from Seattle’s prolific chef Renee Erickson; a celebration of Persian food; baking inspired by corner stores; and place-based cuisine across five Southern regions from Asheville, North Carolina–based Ashleigh Shanti. Plus, there’s a great new read for wine beginners from the cofounder of London’s Noble Rot.
“Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes” by Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson
Amazon
$35
$22
“Sunlight & Breadcrumbs: Making Food With Creativity & Curiosity” by Renee Erickson and Sara Dickerman
Amazon
$37
“Dac Biet: An Extra-Special Vietnamese Cookbook” by Nini Nguyen and Sarah Zorn
Amazon
$38
$24
“Liguria: Recipes & Wanderings Along the Italian Riviera”
Apartamento
$53
“One Thousand Vines: A New Way to Understand Wine” by Pascaline Lepeltier
Amazon
$55
“Our South: Black Food Through My Lens” by Ashleigh Shanti
Amazon
$40
“Le Sud: Recipes From Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur” by Rebekah Peppler
Amazon
$35
$24
“Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store” by Paola Velez
Bookshop
$35
“The Four Horsemen: Food and Wine for Good Times” by Nick Curtola, Gabe Ulla, and James Murphy
Amazon
$40
“Persian Feasts: Recipes & Stories From a Family Table” by Leila Heller, Lila Charif, Laya Khadjavi, and Bahar Tavakolian
Amazon
$50
“Who’s Afraid of Romanée-Conti? A Shortcut to Drinking Great Wines” by Dan Keeling
Bookshop
$45
“Amrikan: 125 Recipes From the Indian American Diaspora” by Khushbu Shah
Amazon
$35
$29
Best Food Gifts for Cooks
For those who are always in the kitchen, a unique ingredient is the way to their heart.
Noma Projects will be dropping its Holiday Six-Pack on November 1, which includes a pumpkin seed praline that I tasted in Copenhagen this summer; I dare you not to eat the whole jar with a spoon. If you want to make mapo tofu and its many Internet variations, excellent doubanjiang (or spicy bean paste) is key. This version, from Pixian, is hand-stirred for three years while aging; there’s nothing like it. For the baker, a few cartons of celebrated chef Dominique Ansel and Grands Moulins de Paris’ pastry flour should do the trick. Other sure bets: a trio of marmalades (with great branding) made in Ojai, California; a cacio e pepe bundle; and popcorn masala. Maybe spring for a bottle of EVOO adorned with dancing olives, or send a jug of Rosi’s Hot Oil to drizzle on every slice of pizza, takeout or homemade. When all else fails, quick-ship them a whole tub of Maldon sea salt.
Fine French Pastry Flour by Dominique Ansel & Grands Moulins de Paris
Amazon
$8
3-Year-Aged Doubanjiang
Fly by Jing
$28
Marmalade Grove Gift Box
Williams Sonoma
$50
Holiday Six-Pack
Noma Projects
$195
Essential Cacio e Pepe Bundle
Jacobsen Salt Co.
$30
Popcorn Masala
Diaspora Co.
$13
Everyday Cuvée Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Primis
$20
Best Cookware to Gift
When I got wind of a Smitten Kitchen collab with Staub, I was all in—the braiser comes in Staub’s chic matte black and goes smoothly from oven to table. A crowd-pleasing olive oil can from Good Design Award–winning brand Holcomb Studio has smart details like a hand-sharpened spout that curbs drips. Made In’s pie set comes with both a French porcelain pan and a sloped server perfectly shaped to get their slice out easier. A compact, collapsible cheese cave will keep their Brie climate controlled; the plexiglass door can be a little serving board, too. Or upgrade their roasting game with a luxe hand-forged copper gratin dish. Little treasures include a folding oyster knife, fresh pot holders from Dusen Dusen, and a fold-and-store waffle maker that’s perfect for small spaces.
Staub x Smitten Kitchen 11-inch Braiser With Lid
Zwilling
$300
Bella Fold & Store Waffle Maker
Walmart
$25
Opinel No. 09 Folding Oyster & Shellfish Knife
Amazon
$21
Pie Serving Set
Made In
$84
$79
Pocket Pot Holders, Set of 2
Dusen Dusen
$44
Collapsible Cheese Grotto
Food52
$89
Carbon Steel Oval Roaster
Smithey
$285
Best Food Gifts for Hosts
Many may consider people who entertain as a hard-to-please crowd. As a regular host, I can tell you: More taper candles never hurt and exquisite takes on oft-used items never disappoint. This includes candle wick snippers, color-blocked serving utensils, chic shot glasses, shell-shaped coasters, and tiny jam spoons.
Candle Wick Trimmer
Open Spaces
$16
Ichendorf Milano Shot Glasses, Set of 6
Coming Soon
$75
The Asparagus Bunch
Maison Balzac
$34
Glass Color-Blocked Serving Spoon Set
East Fork
$118
All Night Candle Set
Big Night
$80
“How They Entertain: At Home With the Tastemakers” by Pierre Sauvage
Amazon
$73
Lancaster Cast-Iron Black Cherry 12″ Spurtle
Bernal Cutlery
$29