The Best Food Gifts for Curious Cooks, Holiday Hosts, and People Who Just Love to Eat

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.

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 an Yes Society Armonia membership, which includes an initial credit of $250 to start your wine collection. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.