Lately, I've been attending craft festivals--from Renegade to West Coast Craft--to check out Etsy finds and artists in-person, and to inspire my gift-giving this holiday season. On a crafty quest, I stumbled on a few unexpected items, one of which was Jennifer Kindell's vegetables prints. Perfect for the foodie in your life, Jen's hand-printed screen prints are inspired by the abundance and diversity of California produce. Reasonable and unique, these prints showcase nature's jewels in an unexpected way.
I'm not a huge fan of the subscription model, where you're forced to spend money on things you might not want on a monthly basis. But, I do think that companies that offer subscription services are great curators. Companies like OliveBox and Imperial Tea Court offer one-off purchases, so that you can gift the stationary or tea aficionado with a grab-bag assortment of goodies. Or, if you want your gift to last a little longer, some companies like Zingerman's offer short subscription options so your recipient can enjoy artisan vinegar for half a year or sample cheese on a quarterly basis.
Food is often linked to memories. Just ask Marcel Proust. What better way to remember a delicious meal or a talented chef in your life than through art? Food blogger Emiko Davies will transform a
favorite recipe into a custom original watercolor painting to preserve that favorite meal made by that special someone. Her services are offered through Food52, a neat website that brings cooks together to exchange
recipes and ideas.
Let's be honest, homemade gifts are objectively more thoughtful than Bloomingdale's gift cards, but there's a creepy element to them. The handmade wreathes and turkey drawings were cute when we were in kindergarten and didn't have money to purchase real gifts; but now, as a grown-up, if you're gonna gift a homemade item, it better be nice and nicely packaged. We don't want recipients thinking, "When did you make these gluten-free oatmeal raisin cookies? And what exactly is in them?" We want them to think, "Wow, are you Rachel Ray's sister? Not because of your voice but because I think you're crafty."
This is where San Francisco-based Yellow Owl Workshop comes in. They offer various stamps that help you personalize the gifts coming straight from your kitchen or garden. How about drying those mint leaves from your garden and instead of putting them in a plastic Ziploc, packaging them up in a small tin and stamping your gift of tea? After all, we don't want those tea leaves to be mistaken for anything else, just like how you don't want to be mistaken for Rachel Ray's sister.
And I'm not talking about clothing. I'm talking about the kitchen. There are a couple of cooks in my life. The closest one is my Dad. He's always trying something new and succeeding. I know I'm overly spoiled. He often packs his gourmet meals in Tupperware containers, which have been coined "Daddy meals" by a couple of girlfriends. The point I'm trying to make is, it's hard to impress Dad when he's "in the know" with the culinary world. However, I have managed to surprise him with a few food trinkets. I picked up a bag of black garlic from Berkeley Bowl during my last trip up to Northern California. Looks good, taste great (almost sweet). You gotta trust me on this one. It adds kick to whatever dish you're making. And look at this great item (that I have yet to gift)--black sea salt. I thought sea salt was pretty wonderful already. I love it much more than regular salt since it's more substantial and really offers a salty bit of heaven. And now it's black! I think I have a fascination with both of these black foods because they are so basic and essential to the kitchen but there's a twist.
Help bring the cook in your life back to basics with black (say that quickly 5 times)!
