gifts for gourmands

by erin thursby
Grabbing a gift for a foodie can be difficult if you aren?t one yourself. That?s why we?ve gathered together some simple choices that would make any gourmand?s holiday.
Gourmet Online While it?s always best to buy local, true gourmands might like a gift card from some internet sites such as www.stonewallkitchen.com or www.deandeluca.com. A hot sauce aficionado will surely be pleased by a gift card from www.hotsauce.com. Each sauce is rated by their hotness and reviews from buyers on the taste and temperature of the sauces are included on the entries.
Specialty Local Supermarkets Native Sun, Whole Foods and Fresh Market are three places you might want to get a gift certificate from for the foodie in your life. This way they can shop for food at a grocer that provides more interesting items than an ordinary supermarket and they can experiment, buying new things they might not otherwise try because they?re on your dime. Native Sun, of course, is the best choice if they?re into staying local, but if they live closer to one of the Fresh Market or the Whole Foods locale, you might choose one of those chains for the sake of accessibility.
Kitchen Supply A gift card to Williams-Sonoma will be appreciated, especially if you don?t have a good idea of what kitchen gadgetry the person already owns. They?ve also got plenty of gourmet goodies which you can buy to sweeten the gift. Since we have two locations here in town it?s easy and convenient.
Restaurant Gift Certificate Orsay, which serves some of the best French Fare in town, has gift certificates. Taverna, the newest and hottest restaurant in San Marco will also be offering gift certificates for the season.
The best indie restaurant gift certificate promos we?ve found is at Blue Bamboo. Buy a $100 gift certificate and get $20 more added for free. Gift certificates for their cooking classes and the purchase of their cookbook are included in this promo. This way you can give something tangible along with the certificate.
Pastiche is offering a nearly identical promo through the holiday season, though it only encompasses gift certificates for meals. Buy a $100 gift certificate and get $20 more added for free.
Cooking Classes While restaurants often offer cooking classes, the Apron?s Cooking school (a huge demo kitchen in the Publix on San Jose near 295) is the only place in town that offers a consistent cooking schedule with a variety of options. Expect to spend $30 and up.