Last Minute Gift Ideas for the Food and Travel Lovers in Your Life
/By Tim Ebner, Edible DC Contributor
Ahh, the holiday rush is finally here, and if you’re like me, you’ve probably waited until the 11th-hour to start your shopping for friends and family—who also have a whole range of different gifting needs.
Fortunately, there are some socially responsible brands, plus DC small businesses that make quality products easy enough to buy online for rush delivery.
Here are eight different gifts for different types of people who love to eat and travel.
For the at-home chef. In 2015, Washingtonians Atara Bernstein and Ariel Pasternak launched what is now the Pineapple Collaborative, a community of women who love food, host thought-provoking exchanges, and frequently gather in cities like Washington, DC, New York City, and San Francisco. What started as a grassroots endeavor to provide opportunities for women has grown into a food movement of 100,000 people strong.
The Pineapple Collective launched their own branded product line, just in time for gifting.
But the biggest news, this year, has been the launch of Pineapple’s first-ever pantry staples—olive oil and apple cider vinegar produced by women-led businesses. If you order the products online, they’ll ship to your home in time for the holidays, and you’ll be one of the first people ever to try these off-the-shelf products, which have quickly become kitchen staples for any meal I whip up at home.
I also like to use a Greek olive oil, called Gaea, as a finishing oil to drizzle on top of a salad or grilled vegetables because it’s bottled and shipped just weeks after the oil is pressed, even features a harvest date on the label.
Local fair-trade chocolate maker Divine Chocolates is a perfect stocking stuffer.
For the sweet tooth. DC-based, Divine Chocolate, is a fair-trade chocolate company in the world owned by cocoa farmers. You can find their products at Streets Market or Whole Foods. In addition to more than a dozen different chocolate bars, the company features fun holiday treats, including a Hanukkah Nosh gift basket as well as an Advent Christmas calendar filled with chocolate morsels.
Divine Chocolate is also the only fair-trade chocolate company that is also co-owned by cocoa farmers. Kuapa Kokoo, a co-operative of over 85,000 cocoa farmers in Ghana, benefits not only from the fair-trade price and sale of cocoa beans but also the co-op also receives a 44 percent share of Divine’s distributable profits.
Get briny with Gordy’s Fine Brine.
For the at-home bartender. When I’m at home and want a quick drink, I’ve found that there’s a simple flavor enhancer that can boost many different run-of-the-mill cocktails, including martinis, vodka sodas, or gin and tonics—it’s the briny goodness of pickle juice. My favorite brine batchers are two small businesses, both with DC connections—Gordy’s Fine Brine, in Petworth, and Brine Brothers, owned and operated by Michael Belicose, a University of Maryland grad.
You can find Gordy’s at Union Kitchen Grocery or MOM’s Organic Market, or you can order online. Meanwhile, Brine Brothers sell a special holiday pickle pack that includes a bottle of their “Darn Good Dill Pickle Brine” plus a bottle of their “Chili Cherry Fire Pickle Brine” and a pickleback t-shirt.
For the constant traveler. Comfort and organization are two things any travel addict needs in his or her life, and there are things I always pack for long-distance trips. The first is a plush, blanket—than any airplane blanket the stewards might give you, and it helps keep your feet snug and warm at the same time. The PediPocket is a lightweight fleece blanket that also has a 20-inch pocket for your feet to stay warm. It’s machine washable and features 10 different designs and colors, including fun ones for kids too.
The Yeti backpack is insulated and provides great organization for journeys.
And for a carry-on bag that literally can organize it all—gadgets, books, trip souvenirs—look no further than Yeti’s Crossroads Backpack, a 23-liter pack that I’ve found especially useful for transporting delicate items thanks to its separate pockets and shock-absorbing foam protection. It doubles as my work backpack and comes in handy for grocery visits when I need extra padding and insulation for produce that needs to stay crisp and fresh.
Eparé Wine Glass Markers can be used in dozens of ways in the kitchen and for entertaining.
Eparé’s Wine Glass Markers come in handy at holiday time for marking well wine glasses and more. Packaged in a set of 7 markers in 5 metallic colors, they are all erasable with warm soapy water. The great thing about having a set in the kitchen, is that they can be employed for labeling spices and food storage glass jars. You can also write fun messages on hallway or bathroom mirrors, or write the menu for your meal on the mirror in the dining room. Parents, you can let your kids go crazy with writing on the windows (not the walls!). Black Sharpies on tape may be the backbone of a busy cook’s fridge organization, but Sharpies, as I’ve discovered do not erase when used directly on storage containers. Or children’s faces.
An Edible DC contributor, Tim Ebner is a food and travel writer who lives in Washington, DC. Follow him on Instagram @ebnert
