Surprise the gastronomes on your gift list with delicacies that are sure to please. We’ve picked out a few items that many gourmands likely consider kitchen essentials: cheese, wagyu, chocolate, truffles, and a bit of wine. Our choices include the best of the best. No one will fault you for doubling your purchase in order to keep some for yourself. Such deliciousness is hard to resist:
Cowgirl Creamery
Cheese aficionados know that Cowgirl Creamery makes some of the best organic cheeses in the nation. Their beloved triple cream Mt. Tam is a cheese icon. This Marin County, California-based, artisanal purveyor was founded in 1997 by two college friends. Today, the company continues to carry the torch of a food revolution started in their pastoral backyard. Cowgirl Creamery believes that the secret ingredient to delicious cheese starts with the land, and that’s why they partner with local dairies in Marin and Sonoma counties to source the organic, pasture-based, cow’s milk for everything they make. Their items are available nationwide wherever fine cheese is sold, at their two retail/cafe locations in Point Reyes Station and San Francisco, as well as via their online shop where these fan favorites can easily be ordered and shipped: Cowgirl Creamery’s Good Neighbors ($100 + free shipping) box is part of a new grassroots organization called Victory Cheese that’s trying to help the dairy industry through ‘victory cheese boxes’ (à la victory gardens) which spotlight cheeses from some of the country’s finest makers. $10 from each purchase is donated to the California Artisan Cheese Guild, an organization that provides resources to California cheesemakers. For those looking for an edible gift with a social purpose, the Good Neighbors collection is a craveable option. Cowgirl’s Deluxe collection ($115 + free shipping) offers a deliriously delicious lineup of their wheels. For a curated collection that begs to break out the vino, try Cowgirl’s Just Add Wine collection, pictured above ($130 + free shipping), featuring Cowgirl’s favorite cheeses, which pair perfectly with wine. This package includes accouterments like shallot-red wine confit and fig-black tea preserves.
Holy Grail Steak Co.
Satiate the carnivores on your list with steak delivery right to their front door. The brainchild of wine magnate Cameron Hughes, Holy Grail Steak Co., is a premier, online purveyor of genuine Kobe beef and other extremely high-end Japanese Wagyu, American-raised Wagyu, Australian Wagyu, and USDA ‘Upper’ Prime Black Angus – many cuts previously available exclusively to prestigious steakhouses. Working exclusively with best-in-class producer partners, Holy Grail steaks are hormone and antibiotic-free and blast frozen to -30°F to protect and preserve the steaks in their original, perfectly-aged state. All Holy Grail beef and pork are from the finest genetic lines, fed the best-quality diets, and raised with unsurpassed husbandry protocols. Holy Grail’s mission is to connect artisanal farms and ranchers with consumers who care deeply about the quality and provenance. All offerings are available individually or as part of curated flights; gift cards are also available. Try the Steakhouse Direct Favorites Flight, an assemblage of some of their bestsellers.
North South Confections
Award-winning confectioner Justine Pringle, formerly of New York City’s highly regarded Nunu Chocolates, turns the notion of ‘old-fashioned fruity chocolate’ on its head with North South Confections, her new, decadent confection line featuring creamy, chocolate-infused, 100% fresh fruit puree centers enveloped in 70% cacao dark chocolate. The ‘Fruits Both Familiar and Curious’ collection includes delightfully unexpected flavors like passion fruit (‘Tawdry Tart’), lime (‘Licentious Lime’), naranjilla (‘The Real Colombian Gold’), coconut (‘Well Hello Coco), and Graviola (‘My Dear Graviola’). Each invites a textural journey that creates a truly decadent chocolate experience. Delivered in beautifully sleek, Insta-worthy packaging, it’s the kind of gift you’ll regret not keeping for yourself.
Urbani Truffles
Truffles (the non-chocolate version) are one of gastronomy’s most prized delicacies. Distinctive in odor, their rarity deems them highly desirable. Delight any truffle lover with items from Urbani Truffles. An international division of Urbani Tartufi, Urbani has long been a landmark company in truffles, mushrooms, and truffle products. The company’s headquarters are located in Sant’Anatolia di Narco, in the province of Perugia, Italy, where Urbani Tartufi was born. With US headquarters in Manhattan, Urbani ships its varied truffle products nationwide: butter, salt, oil, an assortment of sauces, and of course, whole truffles. Take things a step further and pair your purchase with a bottle of Prunotto wine, one of the oldest wineries in Piedmont, Italy, and one of the first to export Italian wine to the thriving U.S. market in the 1930s. Their delicious Barolo and Barbaresco perfectly complement any truffle dish.
