Here is a list of ideas to set you on the road to finishing your holiday shopping this month with gifts that are sure to be not only appreciated, but enjoyed.
Seek out an experience
Dining is quickly evolving beyond the food being served on the menu when you walk through the door. Restaurants across the country are increasingly looking to create memorable experiential moments with food that tell stories and immerse us in the process by engaging all of our senses and offering us a fresh perspective to relish in. One that is happening at the end of the month is the Let’s Brunch! Charcuterie Workshop being hosted by A Grazing Experience (agrazingexperience.com) happening at 1121 E 2nd St. on Dec. 28. Tickets to this would make a great gift going into the new year.
Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images
Same with tickets to any of the Dorothy Lane Market culinary center classes. They are almost wrapped up for the year with their schedule, but you can still get seats at the remaining classes or purchase a gift certificate to give the gift of a class or two or three in the new year.
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
If you have a favorite restaurant or vendor you can always see what they have planned through the month and into the new year that you can buy an experience to. There’s always something happening and something to do, you just need to figure out when and where it is. Next week for example Branch & Bone Artisan Ales is hosting a beer and chocolate pairing event on Dec. 11 from 7-8:30 p.m. Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen, host of the Bean to Barstool beer & chocolate podcast and brewer Justin Trhlin will walk attendees through four pairings of rare bean to bar chocolates and four 5 oz. pours of Branch & Bone beers, including 2023 BBA Feral Dawn and a one-off treatment of Dark Fortress being released for the event.
Pop-up restaurants, themed dining events and chef collaborations continue to be strong offerings and if you know your special someone loves a particular business or chef it’s worth calling to see if they will be having anything special planned in the first quarter of the new year to gift them with.
Shop local
Head to a small town like Tipp City and pick up some of their specialty food products. For instance, premium organic loose leaf teas, coffee beans, essential oil and tea accessories from The Golden Leaf Tea and Herb Company (www.thegoldenleafonline.com) or candy and nuts from the Trophy Nut Factory Store. There’s also Bodega Wine and Specialty Foods, Buckeye Distillery RAD Candy Company and Sweet Adeline’s Bakery.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Small town shopping is always a great way to find locally produced food items and gift ideas that are off the beaten path. While you are there do yourself the biggest favor and stop by Crafted & Cured for a charcuterie board that won’t quit and a craft beer. Because this shopping excursion should be about you too, right? And it doesn’t have to be Tipp City — there are plenty of spots to choose from that will deliver the goods. Troy, Waynesville, Lebanon, Yellow Springs, Miamisburg and so many more are waiting for you to venture out.
Consider the sweet treats
Esther Price is the girl to bring to any party. Each year it’s a great destination to grab holiday gift baskets large and small packed with chocolates, almond butter toffee, cashews and much more (https://estherprice.com). For this one you can shop and buy from the comfort of your couch if you aren’t feeling the temperature outside. Or, you can visit one of their three local locations and soak up the seasonal decor and magic that a chocolate shop at Christmas offers up.
There’s also anything at DLM’s bakery counter that would be a hit and an option, because Killer Brownies are the tip of the dessert iceberg when it comes to what DLM has to offer. I am also a big fan of Heather’s Gourmet Caramel Apples in Springboro (heatherscaramelapples.com), Bellbrook Chocolate Shoppe (https://bellbrookchocolates.com) and for my money you can’t go wrong if you head to a Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop in Miamisburg or Middletown for some retro sweet treats.
Get creative
Make up a basket with some of the flavorful creations we are known for. Pine Club House dressing, Mamma DiSalvo’s Italian Sauce, some spices or soup mixers from Spice Paradise, a gift card to Bill’s donuts or Marion’s, a can of Skyline, some Mutt’s sauce (www.muttssauce.com), Frisch’s Tartar Sauce and Springfields Woeber’s Mister Mustard Hot and Woeber’s Sandwich Pal and some of those Esther Price chocolates. Boston Stoker Highlander Grogg Coffee Beans, https://bostonstoker.com, or any Boston Stoker bag is also something worthy of including in a stocking or gift basket.
If they’ve really been good this year, head to a local brewery like Toxic, Branch and Bone, Warped Wing or Yellow Springs to pick up something fresh for the beer drinker in your life. For liquids packing a bigger punch consider buying a bottle or two from Belle of Dayton or Buckeye Vodka. Old Scratch Pizza’s house-made Calabrian Chili Hot Honey is relatively new to retail sale in comparison to the others listed and would also be a nice addition. There are plenty of other options as well - get creative and have fun with it. And remember, right now lots and lots of restaurants are offering gift card specials and bounce backs, so don’t forget to keep your eyes open for deals happening at your favorite spots.
Head to the jungle
If you love food and haven’t yet been to Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield, then you need to add that to the top of your list of things to do. Right now. Seriously. Do it. Growing up in Cincinnati my mom shopped at the Fairfield location with some frequency and I always looked forward to our visits. Even back then — many expansions and upgrades ago — it was an adventure beyond my wildest dreams.
Aisle after aisle of exotic items that I had never seen or heard of brought in from more than 70 countries, many that I filed away in my head to read up on later.
With more than 300,000 square feet of shopping space (more than six acres) and more than 180,000 products to choose from, this megastore is a self-described “theme park for foodies.” It’s accurate. Head here to get your shopping on for all of the people on your list and knock it all out while you have a fantastic adventure.
These are just a few ideas to get you started. There’s plenty more, but this is a good place to start that will help spark ideas and inspiration. Wishing you season’s greetings and season’s eatings as you navigate this final push to the holidays — you got this!
Dayton Eats looks at the regional food stories and restaurant news that make mouths water. Share info about your menu updates, special dinners and events, new chefs, interesting new dishes and culinary adventures. Do you know of exciting outdoor spaces, new exciting format changes, specials, happy hours, restaurant updates or any other tasty news you think is worth a closer look at? E-mail Alexis Larsen at alexis.e.larsen@hotmail.com with the information and we will work to include it in future coverage.
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