C5 Gift Guide: 9 gifts every foodie will love

We get it: Holiday shopping can be stressful. But we wanted to make it a little easier for you. Every day this week, we’ll publish a Charlotte-y gift guide to help you find the perfect present for people on your list. Today: Gifts that have a unique Charlotte flavor.

The gift options for the food and drink lover in your life are plenty in the Queen City. Even better, you can use this guide to drink and eat your way through the city while you shop. That’s our gift to you.

Cooking Class in Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen

A night in Chef Alyssa’s kitchen will scratch the culinary itch for the aspiring cook in your life. Choose from a variety of seasonal classes and skill levels for a hands-on learning experience led by Chef Alyssa Gorelick. Held inside Atherton Mill Market, participants learn new techniques and recipes while they prepare a meal with local and sustainable ingredients. The evening ends around the table for a satisfying meal prepared by your very own hands. Classes begin at $60 per person. Purchase gift certificates here.

Local Goods at Coco and the Director

Grab a cup of single-origin brew (roasted just over the border in Fort Mill) and a pastry while you shop N.C.-made goods at Coco and the Director. Located inside Uptown’s newly renovated Charlotte Marriott City Center, this stunning new coffee shop offers plenty of artisanal goods for the food-lover, like Forte Legato coffee, Crude bitters, and Chapel Hill toffee. It also features Charlotte artisans including Buckskin & Mane’s line of locally-made skincare and grooming products, and Colsen Keane’s impeccable handmade leather goods. Prices for goods vary.

Spread some cheer with Garnet Gals jam

Johnson & Wales instructor and chef Megan Lambert creates tasty jams made from the fruits of the season in her line of local jams named after her grandmother. Lambert dreams up flavors like Strawberry-Pink Peppercorn, Peach Basil and Blueberry Ginger, and goes to great lengths to support local agriculture. Find Garnet Gals jam at Orrman’s Cheese shop inside the 7th Street Public Market and pair with an array of fine cheeses. $8/jar garnetgals.com.

See the full list of retail locations here.

’Tis the Seasonings

What’s a foodie pantry without an arsenal of flavor? The Savory Spice Shop is a haven for the  savvy cook. Stock up on staples and hard-to-find spices. Plus, shop tailor-made gift baskets that range from a suite of baking spices ($13.50) to a variety of sea salts ($40), or a steak-lovers basket with spice blends made for every cut of meat ($22).

Holiday Spirits

For the sophisticated sipper, snag a bottle of Rua, the award-winning single malt whiskey from The Great Wagon Road Distillery. Rua was recently named a winner in Garden & Gun’s acclaimed Made in the South awards for its whiskey aged in American white oak barrels right here in Charlotte. You can purchase online or sample at their sister store, the Broken Spoke.  For peak fun, go take a tour of the distillery and grab a bottle on the way out. $53/750ml bottle.

Meta-wares

For the all-knowing food-lover, get meta with handcrafted wares made by the hands of Chef Marc Jacksina. The executive chef of Earl’s Grocery went next level with his love for a beautiful dish. Under the name Salt and Radishes, he started making his own custom plates, bowls and mugs. There’s a story behind every dish, like the bowls glazed with bone ash from a pig picking he participated in earlier this year. These pieces can’t be found anywhere except from the chef himself. Email him directly at mjacksina@gmail.com for the most current selections. $40 and under.

Jolly Beer Run

Leave something under the tree for the beer lover in your life. Salud Beer Shop, in the heart of NoDa, lets you build-your-own six-pack. Show your home city some love with an All-Charlotte sixer filled with Birdsong’s Mexicali Stout and Jalapeño Pale Ale, Triple C’s Babymaker, NoDa Brewing’s Hoppy Holidays and Hop, Drop, and Roll, and Unknown Brewing’s Over The Edge. $25.

A Very, Merry Holiday Mixer

Chef and farmer James Swofford, also known as the Chef’s Farmer, (known to me as “my boo”) creates the perfect mixer for all guests at your holiday party — boozehounds and non-drinkers alike — with his line of drinking vinegars dubbed Old North Shrubs. Mix this crafty beverage into your favorite cocktail or pair with your favorite bubbly water for a refreshing soda-like drink. Purchase bottles at Free Range Brewing and, while you’re at it, grab a pint of craft beer or shrub on tap. $17.50/ 16 oz. bottle.

Eat Your Way to New Year’s Resolutions

Last but not least, foodies of all types like nothing better than to eat. Support the hardworking chefs all over the Queen City who work overtime to bring you noteworthy dining experiences. Buy gift certificates to local establishments or book a holiday party or two. And don’t forget to tip your server!

Photos: Courtesy of Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen, Marc Jacksina, Garnet Gals Jam, Savory Spice South End and MS Creative PR.

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 12:01 AM with the headline "C5 Gift Guide: 9 gifts every foodie will love."