Foodies are notoriously difficult to shop for if you’re not a foodie too. Are they into baking? Butchering? Do they even have room in their kitchen for a potato ricer? Facts like these are crucial so that you don’t end up buying the chef in your life their third microplane. To help you out, we’ve asked three rising stars on the Brooklyn gastronomical scene for their recommendations to help you improve the kitchen of your favorite chef.
Emily Elsen – Co-Owner, Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pies
A weekend away at Table on Ten
If someone were to gift me a weekend stay at Table On Ten, I would feel pretty special. Particularly if my stay included a Friday or Saturday night when they host a special Pizza Night, when they make fresh brick oven pizza that’s worth traveling miles and miles for! Using all locally sourced ingredients from nearby farms to create inventive and delicious combinations. The attic room is particularly special night’s sleep in a small town in the woods. For a weekend get-away, Table on Ten is not only a great value, but absolutely something unique.
A bag of Parlor Coffee ($12 – $14)
Parlor roasts delicious coffee and they recently launched a new line of bags that make for a beautiful, simple gift! (Who doesn’t love receiving nice coffee?) We sell them in the pie shop, and you can find them at their pop-up in Brooklyn.
Opinel Colorful Paring Knife Set from Brooklyn Kitchen ($40)
A home cook can never have enough paring knives around in my opinion, and I love having these colorful ones in my kitchen. It’s a good simple shape for a paring knife, and the bright hues are a fun counterpoint to the same old brown and black.
Mike’s Hot Honey ($10)
Mike’s honey is an awesome accompaniment to pizza, fried chicken, BBQ, cheese anything you want a sweet hot kick too – I like it better than hot sauce. It’s also great for making vinaigrettes and marinades as well.
A handmade knife from Cut Brooklyn ($650)
Joel’s knives are beautiful, handcrafted one-of-a-kind works of art. Truly a special gift that would be cherished for a lifetime. And Joel himself provides lifetime service on all of his knives, to me that is a great value to know your knife will always be properly taken care of by its maker! Priceless really! [Author’s note: Yes, these are pretty expensive, but they are really, crazy good knives]
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Chitra Agrawal and Ben Garthus – Brooklyn Delhi
Honey from Tremblay Apiaries
Honey, honey & more honey is probably one of our favorite food gifts to receive. We just got some from upstate from a cousin and it’s almost halfway gone already. Our favorite local honey is Tremblay Apiaries, which you can get at greenmarkets.
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Grapefruit and Smoked Salt Marmalade from Anarchy in a Jar (available here)
The most delicious and unique jam we’ve ever had is made by our friend Laena McCarthy at Anarchy in a Jar. Grapefruit & Smoked Salt Marmalade is one we’d love to get as a gift for sure.
Dumplings Around the World tote ($25)
We’ve already gifted this bag designed and screen printed by our friend Diana Kuan of Plate & Pencil one to rave reviews and been gifted one ourselves.
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Orissa Agnihotri – Director of Operations at Raaka Chocolate
Irving Farm City Never Sleeps Gift Set ($32)
At Raaka we are obsessed with the very delicious coffee from Irving Farm Coffee Roasters. We recently did a coffee/chocolate collaboration with them to create an Horchata chocolate flavored with morose seeds, cinnamon and their El Salvadorian coffee. They have a great gift set that includes our Horchata bar, their El Salvadorian Talnamica Coffee and a BAGGU reusable bag.
Kombucha Brooklyn home brew kit ($56 at By Brooklyn)
By Brooklyn is one of Raaka’s favorite local shops. Its an awesome store on Smith St. that carries only local Brooklyn made products. Kombucha Brooklyn makes a super fun home brew kit. It includes the kombucha scoby, tea, sugar and a huge glass jar where you can watch your scoby grow. After two weeks, you have a super healthy and delicious drink. Best part is, you can keep the scoby going for years and keep that kombucha buzz going. We also love the idea of supporting two local business at once by buying your kit from By Brooklyn!
Bourbon & Cheese Class from Bedford Cheese Shop (price varies)
Who doesn’t love noshing on cheese and sipping bourbon? Bedford Cheese shop does an awesome bourbon and cheese pairing class that any foodie would love to attend! I can’t really think of a better way to spend the afternoon.
Previously in our gift guide: 5 of Brooklyn’s funniest people tell you what to buy a comedy nerd, 3 of Brooklyn’s smartest literati on what to get a book worm, 4 Brooklyn film pros on what to buy a cinemaphile, 3 Brooklyn fashion mavens on what to buy the fashionista in your life, 4 Brooklyn artists on what to buy a starving artist