By Kat Odell
From Bloomberg News
Holiday gifting for food lovers is a harder proposition than it seems. The cliched “it’s the thought that counts” doesn’t always apply to someone who is picky about their chocolate, their sparkling wine, their food-scented candles.
At the same time, in this season of high indulgence, nothing screams holidays more than terrific food and drink items, and related gadgets and accessories. Whether you’re trying to impress a serious culinary enthusiast, or spoil someone (yourself), the 21 items below check multiple boxes. They range from a custom-engraved tomahawk steak to a new cookbook replete with photos, highlighting a world’s best restaurant; there’s also a bottle of elegant sake from an expert Champagne maker and a grill for smoking meat from famed pitmaster Aaron Franklin. In short, something for everyone you want to celebrate with — after they’ve opened their gift.
Food
Gucci Panettone The iconic fashion house collaborated with California-based pastry chef and panettone expert Roy Shvartzapel for the ultimate take on Italian Christmas bread. This one is studded with Amarena cherries, chocolate-hazelnut gianduja and crowned with whole, toasted hazelnuts packed in a holiday-hued Gucci-designed metal tin. $160Andy’s Orchard Persimmons
The top of the line of Fuyu persimmon producers — consider them the Chateau Petrus of the industry — is Andy’s Orchard in California’s Santa Clara Valley. The farm has amassed a cult following for its exceptionally sweet, oversized fruits. $37 for six to eight fruits
MATER Chocolate
Chefs Virgilio Martínez and Pía León of globally acclaimed Central restaurant in Peru have started producing these silky smooth chocolate bars (MATER is the restaurant’s research and development arm). They’re made from 51% to 100% Peruvian cacao, harvested near the Peruvian city of Cusco this past spring. $50
Pat LaFrieda Engraved Tomahawk Steak
New York’s meat master Pat LaFrieda will custom engrave this 40-ounce, 30-day dry-aged center-cut tomahawk steak. Maybe you’d want one that says “Happy Holidays” or “My Steak” — anything within a 15-character limit. It’s the ultimate host gift. $172
Daphnis and Chloe, The Yellow Set
Celebrating classic Mediterranean flavors, this Athens-based outfit sources highly fragrant organic herbs from tiny farms throughout the Greek islands, like sage from Crete and bay leaves from the Ionian Coast. Cute branding in small glass jars makes these botanicals extra giftable. $94
Flamingo Estate Heritage Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Buttery, floral, with a hint of pepperiness, this California olive oil made from a blend of varietals is pressed from organic and sustainably-grown centuries-plus-old olive trees, is the ultimate condiment to enrich everything from goat cheese to pasta. $39
Blackberry Farm Cheese Club
The aged farmstead cheeses, including a housemade nutty herbed tomme, are just one of the selling points for culinary enthusiasts trekking to Blackberry Farm, the food-focused luxury resort overlooking Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains. Now they can be sampled at home, along with artisan cheeses from producers like California’s Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company. $215-$800
Drink
ONYX Bigface Coffee Set The Gesha coffee bean varietal is the most expensive and elusive in the world, and these particular beans are not only from one of the most legendary coffee farms, Colombia’s La Palma El Tucán, this is the same coffee that’s won multiple World Coffee Championships. Expect a silky brew with notes of chocolate and raspberry; only 250 bags have been produced and go on sale Dec. 9. $200 for 10 oz.IWA 5 Sake
This global cuisine-friendly junmai daiginjo sake — a rice wine created by decades-long Dom Perignon cellar master Richard Geoffroy — embraces an experimental blend of three Japanese rice varietals, five yeast strains, and multiple vintages. The result is a rich elixir with notes of almond and pear. $195
Forthave Spirits Mithradates VI
For 2,000 years, Mitrhridatum was marketed as an elixir of long life. The boutique Brooklyn-based distillery Forthave Spirits has reinterpreted this historical recipe as a red wine-based amaro using wine from New York’s Finger Lakes regions, and 34 spices and herbs, including cardamom and mace. $30
Casa Dragones Reposado Mizunara
Inspired by the Japanese practice of ageing whiskey in mizunara wood casks, luxe tequila producer Casa Dragones’ latest expression — and a first for the tequila category — is experimenting with the model. Their reposado tequila is rested for up to six months in Japanese mizunara barrels. This silky smooth sipper tastes of butterscotch and orange blossom. $180
Dom Perignon Rosé 2008
Containing the rosé vintage 2008, the iconic Champagne house created this flashy pink, limited edition bottle’s label in collaboration with musician Lady Gaga. Look for notes of raspberry and rose with the rich bodied bubbly. $450
Moon Juice Cosmic Cocoa
Just in time for the start of winter, the boho Los Angeles-based wellness brand Moon Juice is offering a good-for-you hot chocolate. The heirloom Ecuadorian cacao mix is spiked with immunity-boosting reishi mushroom and stress-busting ashwagandha. $30
NON
Haute restaurants like Brooklyn’s two Michelin star Aska have poured NON — an Australia-born alcohol alternative — as a fancy wine replacement. These delicious bubbly drinks comes in flavors like salted raspberry with chamomile, and caramelized pear plus kombu. $30
Kitchen
Blanc Creatives Pro Bronze Handle Rondeau and Stainless Steel Lid Set Style meets function with Blanc Creatives’ newest cooking set, a multi-purpose rondeau that’s great for searing, simmering, even oven-roasting, capped with a durable stainless steel lid each piece is handmade at a decades old factory in Pennsylvania. $675The Noma 2.0 Cookbook
Vegetable, Forest, Ocean the grand new volume from celebrated chef Rene Redzepi, with Mette Soberg and Junichi Takahashi, tells the story of Noma in 200 dishes, from a truffle feather to reindeer heart tartare. The book has recipes for enthusiast cooks, and striking pictures for anyone who wants to armchair travel to the restaurant. $75
Esker Beauty, Calendula Hand Cleanser
Hand soap is not the most obvious of holiday gifts. But this naturally antibacterial hand soap from the chic skincare line Esker, is laced with calendula petals and includes botanicals like palo santo and clove that naturally help scent a kitchen. $52
Double-Level Knife Stand
Decorated French chef Laurent Gras and Japanese woodworker Eiji Tsuji together crafted this handsome hinoki and ebony wood knife stand; rubber strips keep up to six knifes in place on a counter or near a professional work station. $480
D.S. & Durga Lightable Latkes Candle
Whether or not you’re planning to serve potato latkes this year, this Hanukkah-inspired candle uncannily captures the fried pancake aroma with green notes of raw potato mixed with the scent of fresh laundry. $65
Atelier Saucier Luxxe Set Napkins
With a soft sparkle, these pom-pom edged, reclaimed linen napkins from the Los Angeles-based textile designer add a festive touch to any tabletop and don’t wrinkle after washing. $88 for four
Aaron Franklin Barbecue Pit
Beat the hours-long lines in Austin at famed pitmaster Aaron Franklin’s Franklin Barbecue — arguably the best in the country — by making his legendary smoke-kissed meats at home. Franklin designed these substantial 600-pound, 6-foot-long handmade steel pits. $5,150
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