Holiday Shopping Guide 2013: Great Gifts for Food Lovers

Chef For a Day

Guest Chef Series, Asterisk, Newport

Has your foodie ever wanted to know what it's like to be in charge of a restaurant? Now they can find out at the Asterisk Restaurant and Bar's Guest Chef Series, which will allow your foodie to be the chef for the night. Assisted by Chef and Proprietor John Bach-Sorenson, they will be responsible for menu planning and cooking a private meal for invited guests.

Price is $35 per person. 599 Thames Street, Newport. More info here.

Custom Wine Bottles

Custom engraving, Bottles Fine Wine, Providence

Custom bottle engraving is available at Bottles Fine Wine for glassware, champagne, wine, bourbon or scotch whiskey bottles, as well as flasks, shakers, and more. Personalized messages and logos can be engraved and etched onto almost anything made of glass or metal from Bottle's extensive inventory of high quality liquors.

141 Pitman Street. Click here for more information and pricing options.

Fondue Pot

Stock Culinary Goods, Providence

This enameled cast iron fondue pot at Stock Culinary Goods is perfect for get-togethers with friends or classy wine-and-cheese nights. Dip bread into cheese, fruit and pastries into chocolate, meat into sauces, and whatever other creative choices your food lover can come up with!

$199. 756 Hope Street, Providence.

Rhody Samplah

Farmstead, Inc., Providence

If your foodie is a proud Rhode Islander through and through, they'll love Farmstead's Rhody Samplah. This sweet, cheesy, meaty gift basket encapsulates everything that's great about the Biggest-Little-State-in-the-Union. The basket's Rhode Island-made treats include Atwell's Gold Cheese from Narragansett Creamery, Sopressata from Pascoag's Daniele, Farmstead jam, chocolate from Garrison Confections, and a bag of Kate's Biscotti made in-house at Farmstead.

$50. 186 Wayland Avenue, Providence.

Steak Branding Iron

Monogrammed Forged Steak Brand, Williams-Sonoma

This steak brand is the perfect gift for the grill master on your list! The iron brand is a miniature version of cattle brands used to identify livestock and distinguish ranch families. It's hand-forged by a Texas cattle rancher and comes with a wall-mounting storage rack. Last but not least, personalize it with your grill master's single, double, or triple initials!

$39.95. Williams-Sonoma, 100 Francis Street, Providence/41 Hillside Road #134, Cranston.

Women Wine-Making

6-Week Wine Making Course

Women Wine Making offers individual or group classes in the comfort of your own home. Invite a few close friends and enjoy the course together! In the 6-week class, your foodie will undertake the step-by-step process to transfer wine juice to alcohol, as well as bottling and labeling the final product. When finished, they’ll have 22-24 bottles of their very own wine. All materials, including wine juice, are provided, and there will be plenty left for several more rounds of wine making.

Course is $300. Visit Women Wine Making to find out more. Photo: rv3_cls/flickr.

Recipe Boxes

MalcolmStudioShop

Create a one-of-a-kind recipe box, courtesy of MalcolmStudioShop! Start with a size, a color scheme, or a general theme and go from there. Add found objects, hand-painting, stenciling, and more to make your foodie's recipe box as unique as they are. Eco-friendly artist Karen Malcolm up-cycles, recycles, and creatively restores each box, which are all made of solid wood and carefully crafted to last. Boxes accommodate 3x5" cards.

Prices start at $65. Check out MalcolmStudioShop's fun recipe boxes and more here.

Cutting Boards

Stock Culinary Goods, Providence

Control freaks, rejoice! If your foodie never grew out of disliking the peas to touch the mashed potatoes on their dinner plate, this is for them. Made in the USA of light, organic fibers, these graphic cutting boards by Stock Culindary Goods are designated for food groups like fish and seafood, veggies, poultry, and meat. A stand is also included. A little organization never hurt anyone, and no one said it had to be boring!

Cutting board set, $127. 756 Hope Street, Providence.

Meat Club

Farmstead, Inc., Providence

Members of Farmstead's Meat Club will enjoy collections of delicious meats and condiments, delivered to their door 6 times a year. Along with the meats and condiments, each collection will include notes from Farmstead's chef and meat expert on the ingredients used in each item, as well as how members might prepare and serve the meats in their homes. Each collection is crafted in the spirit of the season, and this month the collection includes Truffles Foie Gras Mousse, Goose Rillettes, Pata Campagnola, Baboo's Mustard, and Matt's Candied Nuts.

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Meat Club

Farmstead, Inc., Providence

Members of Farmstead's Meat Club will enjoy collections of delicious meats and condiments, delivered to their door 6 times a year. Along with the meats and condiments, each collection will include notes from Farmstead's chef and meat expert on the ingredients used in each item, as well as how members might prepare and serve the meats in their homes. Each collection is crafted in the spirit of the season, and this month the collection includes Truffles Foie Gras Mousse, Goose Rillettes, Pata Campagnola, Baboo's Mustard, and Matt's Candied Nuts.

Membership $275. Click here for more information and call (401) 274-7177 to place your order. Photo: Farmstead, Inc.

Salt & Pepper Grinders

The Little Kitchen Shop, East Greenwich

The Little Kitchen Shop is full of clever kitchen gadgets, quality stemware, precision cutlery, artful table décor, and more. These hand-shaped salt and pepper grinders are sure to add something special to your foodie's kitchen. For products to go with them, check out the Little Kitchen Shop's spice emporium. Here you'll find whole nutmeg and cloves, Madagascar vanilla bean, cinnamon sticks, Fenugreek, several varieties of seeds, and even popcorn seasoning to inspire creative new culinary recipes. Need a special mix of spices? They'll custom grind and blend it for you!

$74.95. 90 Bond Street, East Greenwich.

Wine Gift Baskets

The Savory Grape, East Greenwich

The Savory Grape offers themed gift baskets as well as customizable baskets to fit your colleague, friend, family member, and your budget. Each basket is hand-crafted by a team member of The Savory Grape, wrapped in cellophane, and topped off with one of their handmade bows. Click here to peruse the gift basket options. Another great gift for the wine drinker in your life is a membership to the Savory Sipper Wine Club. The 4 levels of the Savory Sipper Wine Club cater to drinkers ranging from the casual wine sipper to the ultra-picky wine collector.

1000 Division Road, Unit 120, East Greenwich.

Macaroons + Biscotti

Lynne's Dolce e Pane

Time for stocking stuffers! Macaroons from Lynne's Dolce e Pane come in 6- and 12-packs or on a stick, and are drizzled with chocolate and topped with toasted almonds. And the biscotti–oh, the biscotti! The bakery boasts over a dozen varieties including Apple Cinnamon Almond, Blueberry White Chocolate Almond, Espresso Roast Chocolate, Rosemary Parmesan Almond, and even Egg Nog. Decisions, decisions!

725 Branch Avenue, Providence. Pawtucket Farmers Market, 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket.

Make Your Own Candy Kit

Verve, Inc.

Local company Verve, Inc. is the manufacturer of Glee Gum and other sweet treats made with natural, allergen-free ingredients and boxed in colorful, eco-friendly packaging. Now Verve offers Make Your Own Candy Kits that include everything your food lover will need to make natural sweets from scratch. Each chocolate, chewing gum, or gummy treat kit comes with simple instructions and info on their ingredients. These kits are perfect for kids that get bored when nasty winter weather keeps them indoors!

$13.95. Available at gift stores nationwide and online here.

Oils + Vinegars

Virgin & Aged, Newport

Virgin & Aged carries an incredible selection of fine oils and vinegars that come from all over the world. Choose from dozens of gourmet flavors to create a custom gift basket that your foodie will obsess over, including Persian Lime, Fig, Tuscan Herb, Red Apple, and even Butter. Want a specific mix of flavors? Virgin & Aged offers mixes of Citrus, Savory, and Spicy, to name a few. These oils and vinegars add that extra something to any pasta dish or salad.

385 Thames Street, Newport.

Artisan Granola

The Providence Granola Project

Health nuts: this one's for you! The Providence Granola Project offers several great choices of gifts for the granola lover in your life. The store carries three kinds of limited edition granola gift boxes: Originola, Breakfast Muesli, and Bourbon Pecan. All three boxes come with Holly Jolly Ginger granola, a special holiday card from the granola project team, and a coupon for a 6-month granola subscription. Shop by the bag if you're looking to be more specific, or buy a 3-, 6-, or 12-month subscription to the Granola-of-the-Month Club. Visit the Granola Project website to browse the products.

73 Governor Street, Providence. Photo: Kelly R Patton/flickr.

Classico Gift Baskets

Venda Ravioli, Providence

Vendi Ravioli is a food emporium located in the "Little Italy" section of Federal Hill. This place does it all–catering, groceries, café, dining, cooking demos, tastings, and more. The Classico gift baskets are filled with delicious food and beverage items, many of which are imported from Italy. The Classico 45 basket contains at least 9 items, the Classico 70 at least 11, the Classico 95 at least 17, and the Classico 130 at least 21. Click here to learn about the numerous Italian delights that comprise these baskets.

275 Atwells Avenue, Providence.

Chocolate Making Classes

Laurent Vals, Little Compton

Of course chocolate makes a great gift anytime of the year, let alone during the holidays, but why not gift your foodie with a class that lets them make their own? Taught by chocolatier Laurent Vals, classes take participants through the introductory stages of chocolate making, including tempering and decorating. Each person leaves with a box of handmade chocolates and a recipe that they can experiment with at home. Classes by reservation only.

41 South Shore Road, Little Compton. For reservations and more information, call (401) 635-2003 or (401) 846-1388.

Photo: Peter Pearson/flickr.

Martini Shaker

The Little Kitchen Shop, East Greenwich

For the foodie with a cheeky sense of humor, there's this "Boozemin" Martini Shaker from The Little Kitchen Shop, which is full of quirky kitchen tools and gadgets with a British flair. Check out their website here.

90 Bond Street, East Greenwich.

Gourmet Oils + Vinegars

Olive del Mondo, Providence

Olive del Mondo offers fresh olive oils and vinegars on tap in their charming store on Providence's East Side, as well as pestos and spreads, jams and confits, and a variety of salts and spices. Their beautiful gift baskets contain all the essentials for delicious gourmet meals. The Trip to Tuscany and Pampered in Provence baskets include two 120ml olive oils, two 120ml vinegars, an Italian pesto or French Jam, and a dipping bowl with either French or Italian traditional designs. Alternatively, Olive del Mondo's gift bags include two oils or vinegars along with self-closing pour spouts. If your foodie is just starting out with gourmet ingredients, try the 6-piece sampler pack.

815 Hope Street, Providence. For more gift options, go to www.olivedelmondo.com.

Fresh Gifts

Wintertime Farmers Market, Pawtucket

The Wintertime Farmers Market is the perfect place to find fresh and local groceries and gifts for your foodie. Get your veggies, cheese, meat, fish, bread, and baked goods from your favorite local vendors, or add a personal touch and decorate a package with fresh-cut winter herbs such as mint, rosemary, sage, and lavender.

4-7pm Wednesday through January, 9am-1pm Saturdays until May 17. 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. Photo: Farm Fresh RI.