As cooks and food lovers, it follows that we love edible gifts, particularly when they come from our own kitchen. But we also know there are tremendous online resources for food gifts — websites featuring all kinds of makers, bakers, and artisans offering delicious and beautifully packaged treats, sweets, and snacks. So, we're curious: where do you shop for food gifts online, particularly when you're looking for something special and indulgent? What is your recommendation for the best, most unusual, or inspired food gifts on the web?
Here are just a few of our favorite resources:
- Zingerman's: Zingerman's has excellent taste in unusual and gourmet foods, and they excel at gift boxes.
- New York Mouth: This site features wonderful small, independent producers from New York and beyond, with a pretty impressive list of gift box options.
- Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream: What more can we say about Jeni's that hasn't been said already? Incredibly delicious ice cream and sorbets in wild flavors like Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallow and Absinthe and Meringe.
- a*pour toi: the smart, lovely gift boxes from a*pour toi offers "a personalized, high-end, healthier gourmet gift box with a French touch." There are even lactose-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free gift box options!
Now you tell us: what are your favorite online resources for food gifts and gift boxes?
Related: Where To Buy Artisanal and Specialty Foods Online: 9 Great Marketplaces
(Image: Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan | The New Baby Taco Box)
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When my Grandma used to take me shopping she'd point to an item and say "why buy that when you could make something just like it at home"? Best advice she ever gave me. People like home made gift boxes better anyway.
I know I always look at Fab.com on Sunday nights to see what type of "Foodie" things they have for sale. Good resource!
Zingermans, Zingermans, Zingermans!
I highly recommend Love with Food. They send a fun sampling of gourmet foods and part of their profits go to feeding the needy. I think a year subscription is a great wedding present.
Two of my favorite Food gifts are http://www.williams-sonoma.com Croissants and Omaha's eCreamery Ice Cream gifts http://www.ecreamery.com/ The eCreamery Girls were featured on Shark Tank!
As a Michigander, I definitely agree with Zingerman's! Also, Cherry Republic.
As another Michigander, I'll echo the Zingerman's sentiments and add in American Spoon Foods (amazing jams, preserves, and sauces)!
If they're too far away to make something and take it, I like Harry and David's (Medford, Oregon), Zingerman's, and really love Edible Arrangements out here in California. The latter is fruit cut and arranged like flower bouquets--strawberries, bananas, pineapple, melons, citrus. So beautiful, delicious and healthful. And let's not forget King Arthur Flour!
We live in a small town that's nowhere near a Whole Foods or other gourmet grocery store. Although our local grocery is perfectly delightful and has an amazing cheese department, we are always on the hunt for healthy snacks. I mean, I cook every night but sometimes at work you just want to tear open a bag and have a handful of something tasty to tide you over until dinner. I joined Naturebox and have loved every month of it. They send us great snacks automatically, and the box usually lasts most of the month. I've gifted memberships to several friends who are as in such dire straits as we when it comes to quality snacks made from ingredients they can pronounce.
I've ordered a few things through New York Mouth - love it! Great customer service, really great variety of products, fast shipping.
I order chocolate online every now and then (for gifts and for myself...mostly myself) - Liddabit Sweets and Mast Brothers.
New York Mouth! Really fun and unique door items + great packaging. It feels like a real treat whenever I order anything from them (like a special gift from your favorite foodie friend).
My go-to for cookies is Keep It Sweet Desserts - Lauren is truly the most talented baker and everyone who has tasted her goodies is wowed:
http://theactorsdiet.com/2012/03/31/keep-it-sweet/
9 nanas
Cherry moon farms. I discovered them when my brother was sick in Florida. Also good customer service
Oh, and stonewall kitchen!
I think USGrocer.com is good one!
Can't believe no one has mentioned Maggie Battista's fabulous Eat Boutique. Love the thoughtful selection.
If you like smoked fish as well as old fashioned cakes cheeses biscuits and jam, I recommend Inverawe Smokehouses, Taynuilt Scotland.
Motherfudger has some amazing desserts!
http://www.motherfudgerfudge.com
For gourmet chocolates:
Christopher Elbow Chocolates (out of Kansas City)
http://www.elbowchocolates.com
They are AMAZING.
I'm originally from Michigan so we LOVE Zingermans! Chocolate Cherry bread is the BEST!
We gave our pals "Sideshow," the new project by James Beard award-winning pastry chef Nicole Plue, for the holidays... They absolutely flipped for them, no exaggeration. It is lovely to share something friends enjoy so much!
http://www.sideshowbynicoleplue.com
The beautiful packaging pales only to the perfectly balanced sweet-and-salty goodness inside. "Cereal Thrillers" make perfect ice cream toppers, and OH MY GOODNESS her Saltine Toffee (saltine crackers, dark chocolate, salted butter toffee, and roasted almonds).
L.A. Burdick is spectacular for chocolate - and beautifully packaged, too!