This is my fifth gift guide with gift ideas for food lovers. I like to stay close to the West Coast, with a few notable exceptions. I sampled every item on this list. While my palate is not the same as yours, I stand behind my picks as delicious and exciting options to gift to anyone on your list.
Napa Truffle Company Fresh Périgord Truffles
There’s more than gold in them ‘thar hills. California’s singular terroir hosts the perfect conditions for cultivating Périgord black truffles in the U.S. Now, for the first time, Napa Truffle Company has gone “D2C,” featuring truffles from partner farms in the U.S. and Europe sold directly to customers.
Pick a delivery date and your U.S.-grown truffles arrive within 24 hours of harvest. (European truffles arrive within 48–72 hours.) Included in your package: a QR code with details about provenance, harvest date, hunter and dog or farm by name. I enjoyed my ‘gord shaved over fresh pasta. The aroma will make you sigh with happiness.
Starting at $105 for 25 grams (about 2–3 servings)
Mademoiselle Colette Painted Ladies Yule Log
Get a load of this! A Bay Area bakery is offering an oh-so San Francisco Painted Ladies Yule Log. Layers of macadamia biscuit, vanilla crémeux and macadamia praline meet sweetly with caramelized macadamia nuts and dulce de leche mousse. No matter how you slice it, it’s pure creamy decadence.
Please note this item only ships to the greater San Francisco Bay Area or can be picked up in Santa Cruz
2 servings: $22 / 8 servings: $95
Le Bon Garcon Holiday Bundle
L.A.’s Justin Chao expand the notion of what a caramel can be by making buttery caramels in flavors of the Pacific Rim alongside traditional flavors. The Le Bon Garçon team tells me Classic Sea Salt is always a best-seller, I was enchanted by a few other flavors – Strawberry Sakura (with hints of ume plum), Dirty Chai (warm spices and a hint of coffee), and Earl Gray (vanilla and bergamot).
The holiday assortment: Cider + Spice, Peppermint Mocha, Pumpkin + Spice, Spiced Gingerbread) is fun but you can’t go wrong with a Classic Quartet (Sea Salt, Honey Lavender, Dirty Chai, Bitten Peach).
Each comes in a pretty box. Bonus for using home compostable packaging – each clear wrapper is made from biodegradable wood pulp. Cool!
1 box (approx. 20 pieces) / $28
Gold Ridge Organic Farms Sweet and Savory as Apple Pie
A trio of orchard- Made An orchard-inspired trio from a farm deep in the hear of Sonoma County got my attention for their deep flavor, a result of the care at every step of production.
Apple Cider Balsamic Vinegar is barrel-aged for two years with balanced sweetness.
Slow-cooked at the farm Original Apple Cider Syrup is thick and rich, a local replacement for maple syrup.
Notes of butterscotch and vanilla are a highlight of apple-forward Bourbon Barrel-Aged Apple Cider Syrup. Each bottle contains 12 pounds of apples. No joke!
Bundle contains:
- one Balsamic Vinegar – 250 ml/8.45 oz
- one Original Apple Cider Syrup (355 ml/12 oz)
- one Bourbon Barrel-Aged Apple Cider Syrup (355 ml/12 oz)
$80
Black Barn Apiary Ancho and Garam Marsala Honeys
Gallerists and urban beekeepers Barbara Rosin and Gene Douglas traded big city bustle for 20 acres in Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine where they make thoughtful honeys and chocolate. It was no surprise to me that a duo focused on planting and nurturing honeybees and all pollinators would turn honey into something extra-special. Their crème honeys carry the light floral note of the field. Then Rosin and Douglas add spices herbs and other ingredients to create flavors like Raspberry Balsamic and Fennel Tarragon.
I was particularly smitten with Ancho, smoky-sweet from the chile’s unique character, as well as Garam Marsala, its unmistakeable aroma built from cardamom, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and clove. No matter which flavors you choose – Porcini, Tandoori, or Two Cinnamons are a few more of the 18 flavors – the savory-sweet goodness of well-made honey is a winning gift.
8.6 oz. jar / $40
Cuzen Matcha Maker Starter Kit
I could not figure out why matcha-mad people knew something I did not know. That is, until I played around with this cool kid machine and discovered the joy of a properly made cuppa. Tea nerds, the future is upon us! Pour the perfectly-cut organic tea leaves, all Japan-sourced into the mill at the top of the maker. Place the pour cup on the magnet. Select your desired tea strength. About a minute later, out comes freshly ground, gorgeous green tea made to your exact specifications.
I frothed an ounce of oat milk to layer on top of the tea. My only wish was for a clear cup so I could marvel at the alchemy of this fine tea. Wow.
The Starter Kit comes with:
- Matcha Maker
- A 4-gram sample of each Leaf Blend: Premium, Signature and Latte Blend
- “A guide to your matcha moment” booklet
- Mill-cleaning brush
$299
Malibu Farm Hot Honey, Ketchup & Hot Sauce Bundle
Habanero chile and I are buddies – I enjoy its sweetness and ‘not too hot’ heat. You can imagine, then, my delight when California’s Malibu Farm (locations in Malibu and Tiburon) developed perfectly prickly Mango Habanero Hot Sauce. Locally-grown habaneros are swirled with mango, which tips this hot sauce more into the sweet chile rather than burning hot camp. That’s not all – Hot Honey squeezes out of its jar with sweet, not burning, heat and Ketchup brings together Tabasco, tamarind, and anchovy to load plentiful umami into a refreshed tomato-based sauce.
Of course hot sauce is great on tacos and all manner of stir-fries and ramen. Or stirred with vinegar into cucumber salad. Add a spoonful of horseradish to Ketchup for shrimp dip and hot honey can be used as a topper for cereal or drizzled on fried chicken.
Bundle of one Hot Honey (8 oz.), one Ketchup (8 oz.) and one Hot Sauce (5 oz.) bottles / $32
Profanity Jam Tropical Picnic Pack
Because I am all-in on habanero, I also want you to know about these Utah-made jams. Packaged in a colorful tube (no additional ribbon required!) are Blood Orange, Passion Fruit and Pineapple, each swirled with enough habanero to warm your palate with tangy sweetness. My favorite? Passion Fruit. The extra gram of natural sweetness balanced the habanero’s heat in a way to begged me to put it on toast with ham. Each two-ounce jar seems perfectly designed to tip into a service bowl, then place on a cheese board for a party. Done and done!
3 2-oz. jars / $28
Bodega Trading Company Spice Blends
I am a big proponent of walking your local farmers’ market and chatting up the folks working the stands which is how I found out about Aaron Andrews’ Alameda-made spice blends. Hand-mixed and fresh as all get out, Aaron’s Creole – a mix of Garlic, Sea Salt, Paprika, Onion, Black Pepper, Thyme, Aleppo Pepper, Basil, and Oregano – is my new ‘goes on everything’ seasoning.
I especially Aaron’s his flavor-forward thinking in the BBQ Gift Set. The bundle, packed into a cute box, includes Jamaican Jerk, Coffee Cocoa Chili, Steakhouse, and Classic BBQ. Each lifted with a special something – cayenne, celery seed, ancho, dill – that alone, does not stand out, but pulled into a blend makes all the difference. Makes me wonder: why didn’t I do this sooner?
One 2.3 oz. jar of Classic BBQ – $12
BBQ Gift Set, four 2.3 oz. jars – $50
Selefina Palatable Hues Natural Food Color Set
Sometimes, my fairy godmother gets a little delayed…Oh! How I wished for natural food colors when I was dying cake frosting when my kids were younger! These are a little late for my littles’ cake-baking days, but no less wondrous – dye-free colored powders for cooking and baking, and from a New Jersey company, too!
- Mango — warm yellow tones and soft opacity and a lightly sweet taste (make yellow pop!)
- Hibiscus Flower — vivid pink to red hues with a tart edge (red velvet, I see you!)
- Butterfly Pea Flower — deep blue color that shifts toward purple in acidic environments (will the unicorn food trend ever die? Not on my watch!)
three 2-oz. jars / $15
Sightglass Coffee’s Taste of San Francisco
If you live anywhere in California, you are well aware of the L.A.-San Francisco rivalry on basically everything. It is, then, a wonder that an L.A.-based roaster is a cult-favorite in San Francisco. Maybe its because the L.A. team knows it should name a coffee bundle for the foggiest NorCal city and – boom! – City By the Bay happiness. The team prioritizes sustainability and flavor integrity in all coffees. In this two-pack, flagship Owl’s Howl espresso—with notes of cacao nib, stone fruit, and candied orange peel—is paired with BlueBoon, a blend with milk chocolate and mandarin orange notes. Don’t tell Stefan – he prefers to keep his orange and chocolate flavors separate – but he’s already swooned over the Owl’s Howl, calling it “better than the Italians.”
Bundle contains two 12 oz. bags / $44
Need more gift ideas for food lovers? Here’s my 2025 and my 2024 selections — all still available!