Toffee to tea parties: Utah gifts to delight your favorite foodie for the holidays

Shopping for someone who loves food can be intimidating. If you’re not up to date on the latest cooking trends, how can you know what fancy kitchen gadget they have their eye on? What if they already seem to have all the kitchen and baking tools that exist?

This gift guide mostly features presents that focus on enjoying and experiencing food. There are gifts here for snackers, aspiring chefs, dinner party hosts, chocolate lovers and more, with options for a variety of budgets.

The items featured in the first half of this list can all be found at the Utah’s Own Holiday Shoppes at Millcreek Common, at 1354 E. Chambers Ave. in Millcreek. Inside the Public Market building, this market features Utah producers and makers, and is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Dec. 24. There’s also a wrapping station in the market, near the register, for shoppers to create their own gift boxes.

The second half of the list includes gifts that could be called “next level,” and are on the pricier side. But for the foodie who seems to have it all, these gifts might be just the thing. Happy gifting!

Toffee from Cache Toffee Collection

Founded by Lori Darr in her Park City kitchen, Cache Toffee Collection features Utah-made artisan toffee in delectable flavors like Tartan Turtle, made with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, roasted pecans, roasted cashews and vanilla cream caramel. Prices vary: $1.50 for a toffee lolly, $9.50 for three pieces in a triangle-shaped box, $21 for a ⅓-pound of toffee, or $65 for the toffee sampler. There’s also party popcorn ($10), if you need a munchie for your next cozy night in. CacheToffee.com.

Honey from Keeper of the B

Salt Lake City local Brandon Carter started his apiary and Keeper of the B in 2015, selling bottled honey, his website says. He has since expanded his line with beeswax wraps, bee pollen and other products. At the Utah’s Own Holiday Shoppes, he’s featuring unfiltered, unpasteurized, raw, local honey — from $6 for a 2-ounce jar of wildflower honey to $22 for a 22-ounce jar. At his booth, Carter also has raw honeycomb, lip balm and fragrant beeswax candles, in a small votive ($7) and large cylinder ($30). KeeperOfTheB.com.

Cutting boards from Crooked Shed Wood Works

Founded by artist Matt Chirico, Crooked Shed Wood Works is named for the 100-year-old shed that houses his workshop, where he crafts wooden cutting boards, charcuterie boards, utensils and more, his website says. At the Utah’s Own Holiday Shoppes, Chirico’s selection ranges in price from a mahogany serving spoon for $40 to a cutting board made out of walnut for $300. Most of the products at the market are sold out on Chirico’s website, CrookedShedWoodWorks.com.

Infused sugars and salts from The Salted Roots

Ivy Watrous, owner and founder of The Salted Roots, makes infused sugar and salt blends perfect for cooking, baking and cocktails. On the wall in her booth at Utah’s Own Holiday Shoppes is a list of “creative uses” for her products, a selection of blends that are all $16. For example, you can use her Whiskey Sugar — made with Bulleit bourbon, vanilla bean, blood orange and saffron — to sweeten coffee, garnish cookies or make a stellar old-fashioned. At her booth, Watrous also has two new products in stock: Wasatch Orchard Spice and Uinta Mint Bliss, both of which sound like they’d be delicious added to holiday desserts. TheSaltedRoots.com.

Stroopwafels from AmsterDam Delicious

An artisan bakery run by a family whose parents emigrated from the Netherlands, AmsterDam Delicious focuses on authentic Dutch treats, especially stroopwafels (pronounced “STROPE-wah-fuhls”), according to placards placed at their booth at the Utah’s Own Holiday Shoppes. A stroopwafel is a Dutch “wafel” cookie cut in half, with “stroop” (caramel filling) spread between the two layers. AmsterDam Delicious sells individual stroopwafels for $2.25, plus packets of speculaas cookies (Dutch spice cookies) and kerstkransjes cookies (Christmas wreath cookies) for $6.95. AmsterdamDelicious.square.site.

Gift boxes from Caputo’s

Whether your special someone is a carnivore or a cheese connoisseur, Caputo’s has a gift box that will thrill them. These gourmet gift boxes are all curated around a theme, ranging in price from The Caputo’s Office Snacks Gift Box ($69.99) or The Consummate Host Gift Box ($249.99). The Caputo’s Local Utah Treasures Gift Box ($109.99) features items from Utah producers, including drinking chocolate from Ritual Chocolate, salami from Creminelli, cheese from Caputo’s cheese caves, caramels from Bees Brothers and much more.

If you don’t see a gift box that tickles your fancy, you can always curate your own box by emailing concierge@caputos.com to discuss your vision and options. To view all gift box styles, visit Caputos.com.

Chocolate Club subscription from Ritual Chocolate

Ritual Chocolate is known for creating fabulous bean-to-bar chocolate made with organically grown cacao that’s meant to be savored. If you know someone who loves chocolate, go further than just getting them a bar of chocolate — get them a subscription box that will bring chocolate to their doorstep every month.

With every box, your special person will receive a selection of chocolate that can include new products, microlots created specifically for club members, or limited editions before they’re available to the public. A subscription is $81 for three months, $162 for six months, or $324 for a year. RitualChocolate.com.

Cooking classes

For the foodie who already has all the fancy tools and equipment, a cooking class can help them level up their skills in the kitchen or expand their palate. Several Utah businesses and culinary schools offer cooking classes:

• Salt Lake Culinary Education (SLICE), at 2233 S. 300 East, Salt Lake City, offers classes focused on baking, international cuisine and knife skills, plus classes that are designed for junior chefs and date nights. During SLICE’s chef’s table lunch events, you’ll observe and ask questions as a chef curates and executes a lunch menu, and then you’ll enjoy the fruits of their labors at the end. SLICEUtah.com.

• Gygi, at 3500 S. 300 West, South Salt Lake, offers cooking classes and a huge array of kitchen supplies. Classes are completely hands-on and range in topic from holiday treats to French macarons. Check the class schedule often as courses change monthly. GygiCookingClasses.com.

• Hill’s Kitchen — a cafe and catering kitchen at 1153 Center Drive, Suite G160, in Park City — is holding a 21+ holiday cooking class on Thursday, Dec. 19. Attendees will learn how to create a festive meal complete with dessert. Tickets are $65 each and can be purchased here.

• Caputo’s holds mostly tasting classes at their locations in downtown Salt Lake City, the 15th & 15th neighborhood and Holladay, on topics ranging from cheese to wine to whiskey. For a full calendar of upcoming classes, visit Caputos.com.

• Harmons offers all sorts of cooking classes at its multiple locations, including how to make fresh pasta, how to craft your own tamales, and how to cook Spanish paella. To see a full calendar of classes, go to HarmonsGrocery.com.

Sustainably farmed food shares from Liberty Heights Fresh

For the foodie who is low on fresh, organic and ethically sourced groceries, give them the gift that will keep on giving: a sustainably farmed food share from Liberty Heights Fresh.

The program — modeled after a community supported agriculture (CSA) food subscription — will give the recipient a bag filled with produce and other items every week, depending on their dietary restrictions and cravings.

The omnivore share, for example, includes artisan or farmstead cheese selected by Liberty Heights’ cheesemonger and ethically raised meat, as well as organically grown fruits and veggies. The omnivore share is $49.95 for a half share, and $66.95 for a whole share. There are also vegan, vegetarian, paleo and meat-only shares.

All shares include organically grown fruits and veggies, with local produce whenever possible. You also have the option to add on chocolate, fresh-squeezed orange juice, eggs and other tasty items. LibertyHeightsFresh.com.

Custom tea party from Honey Teahive

For the ultimate foodie-centric gift, give your favorite person an entire custom tea party, courtesy of Honey Teahive. You pick the menu, and owner/founder Mika Lee and her team will deliver it all, set it up, take it down and even wash the dishes. The minimum price is $500 for a tea party experience, which works out to about $40 a person if you invite 12 people — and each person gets two sandwiches, one scone, two desserts and two teas.

If that’s too much of a splurge, for about $25, once a month, Honey Teahive also offers themed tea party boxes, which include everything one person needs to enjoy afternoon tea — get one for each member of your group, or just one for a special person. For more information, visit HoneyTeahive.com and subscribe to Lee’s newsletter.