Last Minute Gifts? Think Local!
Yes — we get behind too during the holidays and need some quick gifts and party ideas. There is no need to look any further than the Piedmont region to solve your dilemma. From the editors and test kitchen of Edible Piedmont, here are some of our favorite things, not only for the holidays but all year round.
Share your passion for local, sustainable food with gift cards from area restaurants, markets, and special getaways from our locally owned hospitality gurus. Ideas include 18 Seaboard, Watts Grocery, Chef and The Farmer, Lucky 32, or the new Standard Foods. Send them for a weekend of pampering they will never forget at the Proximity or O’Henry Hotels.
Cheenies. Bite into cheesy goodness! A great treat for any glutenfree guests, but everyone will love them. This is a traditional Brazilian pão de queijo, crafted by two Brazilian mothers, Ines Uehare and Gloria Lima, in Durham. Bake the whole bag or a few at a time. Look for them in the freezer section at Whole Foods Markets and Harris Teeters in the area.
“Bourbon is the new bacon,” says Jean Martin, a long time watcher of trends, and the owner of NOFO, where you can find these super treats for the bourbon aficionados in your life. Check out Pappy Maple Syrup, honey from a producer in Charlotte, an awesome cake, and even toothpicks.
Good rendered lard is a beautiful thing, and it is hard to find. We were lucky enough to find it in Durham. The lard is from local, pasture-raised, hormone-free hogs. This is a great gift for any baker who may just return the gift in the form of biscuits or pie. Stop by Old Havana Sandwich Shop in Durham.
Little simply wrapped bags of cookies are ideal small gifts with big flavor. We love the gingerbread and chai-spiced sugar cookies at Rose’s Meat Market and Sweet Shop in Durham. And of course - go home with some meat as well.
Got a steak lover on your list? Pick up a couple of grass-fed NY Strips and some of Bone Suckin’s new Chophouse Steak Sauce and Steak Seasoning, and you’ll have a happy griller! With the notes of the great steakhouse sauces of New York and Chicago along with that Bone Suckin’ magic we know and love, it’s the perfect condiment for beef. We understand the Ford family had to eat a lot of steaks to get it this perfect. Too bad, huh?
With so many great cookbook authors in North Carolina’s Piedmont, it’s easy to select a book for that chef on your list. Just check out this array, only a small number of what you can pick up. Get to your local bookseller and ask for North Carolina authors for the best at home cooking experiences.
A pound or half pound of a fine locally roasted coffee is always a perfect hostess gift or present to the coffee nut on your list. Joe Van Gogh is a standout on the coffee aisle and our favorite. Their roasts are perfect and so is their sourcing. Maybe get some for yourself— the cold is coming!
We are peanut freaks and proudly admit it. Our go to peanut folks are Bertie County. Blister fried in the time-honored traditions of northeastern North Carolina, They have a variety for any taste from super hot peanuts seasoned with ghost peppers to our guilty pleasure: butterscotch covered.
It’s easy to drink local this season with wines and craft beers from North Carolina lining the shelves, but this time of year we like a stiffer beverage. Reach for one of Topo’s organic spirits or go whole hog with their DIY Whiskey Kit.
