If you’re wondering what to gift to the passionate, hardworking, and hedonistic foodie mama in your life, or just need a few ideas for yourself, look no further! I’ve got some goodies to inspire your gifting this Holiday Season.
- Cross-back apron: A flattering and functional apron to take her from garden to stove-top. $78, Terrain.
- Burlap table runner: A festive and rustic table runner hand-crafted and stamped in RVA. A steal at $19, available in-store at Orange.
- Foodshed magazine subscription: A gorgeous quarterly that tells the stories of the people producing local and sustainable food in the Mid-Atlantic foodshed. She’ll learn more about how to participate in the local food movement, what to buy, from whom, and most importantly why. $23, Foodshed.
- Fermentation crock: Does she can cukes, beans, and other veggies? Does she have a baby scoby, and is she a huge fan of lacto-bacili? Then it’s time she take it to the next level with a ceramic fermentation crock. This classic white version with blue stripes will brighten up her kitchen and expand her fermentation repertoire. $119, Ohio Stoneware available at Canning Supply.
- Relay Foods subscription or gift card: The online market for sustainable foods and everyday groceries has come to Richmond! Every mama knows the joy of grocery shopping with kids in tow, and so she will appreciate the added convenience and value offered by Relay foods: local goods and options for pick-up or delivery. Treat your foodie mama right with a subscription or gift certificate in any denomination. Relay Foods, delivery requires monthly surcharge. (Not pictured.)
- Linen napkins: Cloth napkins can turn a simple meal into an experience, plus they’re friendly to the environment. These bold and brightly colored linen napkins will get softer with each wash. No fuss, classy, family friendly. $12 each, Terrain.
- Tulip weck jars: These pretty silhouettes are a true pleasure for storing homemade sauces, condiments, and leftovers, or as reusable gifting vessels. Price varies, Weck.
- Paella pan: Stainless steel for durability with a hint of gold plated glamour. $69, La Tienda.
- Smoked paprika trio: Essential to Spanish cooking, this intensely smoky spice will warm up and elevate the flavor profile of her dishes year ‘round. The trio sampler offers the sweet, bittersweet, and spicy varieties. $17, La Tienda.
- Fresh herb wreath: Cheer up any kitchen with this lovely, fragrant, and functional wreath of rosemary, bay leaves, sage and oregano. $50, Williams-Sonoma.
- Real Richmond food tours: Dig in to the authentic and quirky, the culinary and cultural with two and a half hour walking tours to sample local eateries, hear from the owners and chefs, and get the culinary scoop on her favorite neighborhoods in RVA. Gift certificates and tickets are available online. Tours begin at $50 per person, Real Richmond.
- Lamplighter Coffee roasting and brewing workshops: Caffeine! Two hour hands-on seminars explore everything she always wanted to know about her daily fix. Learn about the factors that play a role in the diversity of flavor among coffee varieties, the basic chemistry involved with coffee roasting and how it affects flavor, or how to perfect home brewing methods. Monthly schedules are posted in-store. Workshops are held at The Summit Avenue, RVA location. $50 – $60, Register at: [email protected]. Lamplighter Roasting Company.
- Pastry stripe linen kitchen towels: A utilitarian and versatile towel is a small and deserving luxury for the busy home cook. Beautiful to look at and luxurious to touch, these towels will become her favorite kitchen accessory. Wipe up spills, drape loosely over rising dough, wrap-up warm bread for serving. $22 set of two, Tereforma.
- Ripe and Tender cookbooks: Oh the writing! Oh the photographs! Oh the food! Written by Nigel Slater, these books are a gift for the heart and mind of the mama foodie. Buy one or knock her socks off with the set. Don’t forget to pen something with love on the inside flap. $40 each, at Amazon.
- Caramels: Luscious caramels made from local Homestead Creamery cream in seasonal flavors like lavender+honey, and orange+star anise. Available at select farmers markets and by custom order, La Veche.
- Hand thrown bake set: Sculpted by hand and kiln-dried in earth-toned glazes that will complement the heart of every home. $98, Anthropologie.
- Italian glass pitcher: Fantastic for fresh squeezed juice, cold brewed tea, and fruit essence water, this glass pitcher is an instant favorite in busy kitchens. $16, Terrain.
- Mortar and pestle: Use this beautiful set made from porcelain and wood to grind spices and herbs for pesto, pastes, and other magic. It doubles as a handsome counter ornament. $50, Williams-Sonoma.
- Maya truffle box: Surprise your happy hostess or love of your life with a box of artisan truffles from local chocolatier Tim Gearhart. She’ll be in heaven. Rich, bittersweet chocolate ganache flavored with cinnamon, ancho chili and orange, dusted with cocoa. $16, box of eight, Gearhearts.
- Pickled silly sampler: She’ll be smitten with these pickled carrots, dilly beans, and spicy okra. Packed and processed right here in Richmond, even the kiddos will love them! $24, Pickled Silly.
- Richmond food co-op membership: The Richmond Food Cooperative will be a member-owned full service grocery store providing affordable, local, sustainable and healthy food options. Membership means ownership in a co-op! Here’s your chance to show your foodie mama that you care about what she cares about: the cooperative system, healthy communities and supporting local farms and businesses. $155, single membership, Richmond Food Co-op.
- Sur La Table cooking classes: She’s a kitchen maven and yet there’s always something new to learn! Broaden basic cooking and baking skills, learn new dishes, try new flavors and techniques with the many monthly offerings. Send her alone or make it a date night! $59-$100, Sur La Table. (Not pictured)
- Madagascar bourbon vanilla: Impress her with a 32oz. bottle of this quintessential all-purpose vanilla. There’s no wonder it’s the world’s most popular. If she’s serious in the kitchen, it will be gone before the ground begins to thaw. $40, Nielsen Massey, available at For the Love of Chocolate.
- The Art of Simple Food II: This follow up anthology to her classic release in 2007 is vegetable based and full of the good stuff that Alice Waters is so well known for. $22, Amazon.
- Wine classes and special events at Secco wine bar: Need we say more? Check out the online calendar of events, or call to inquire. Prices vary. Secco Wine Bar. (Not pictured.)
- Baker’s twine: A kitchen staple for trussing a chicken, tying up her garden tomato plants, and serving as the perfect craft string for family projects. Go current with a pretty hued twine in midnight blue—so close to Pantone’s 2014 color of the year, she’ll be setting trends and taking names. Check out the rainbow of colors available at the Twinery. There’s sure to be a perfect match for your foodie mama. $15, The Twinery.
- Leaf lard: Your hostess will be elated when you arrive with this not easy to find staple in hand. Flour tortillas, refried beans, and flaky baked goods are perfection with the right fat added. Price varies, call ahead for availability. Belmont Butchery. (Not pictured.)
- Butter London nail lacquer: Bring a little glamour to the modern mama, add a little spice in the kitchen. Full-on molten gold nail lacquer in Full Monty. $15, Butter London.
- Kombucha supply: For the mama who cares for her baby scoby almost as well as she cares for her own babes, Kombucha Brooklyn has her covered with everything she needs to brew and bottle her own kombucha with pizazz and finesse. Pick out a thing or two to help her perfect her brew or gift her with an all-in-one home brew kit. This fruit flavor sampler looks like fun. Prices vary, Kombucha Brooklyn.
- Custom tags, markers, and labels: Appeal to her crafty side with this dieline kit to add a personal touch to gifts of homemade, and homegrown foods. Used in conjunction with the Lifestyle Crafts rolling machine. $39, Williams-Sonoma.
- Babysitting: Offer to watch her little ones so that she can enjoy an evening out at her favorite restaurant, she’ll be thrilled. Free! (Not pictured.)
- Cornucopia farmer’s market back pack: A modern rucksack design and sturdy back pack straps combine to offer the perfect for hauling her market bounty in comfort and style. Her partner can carry the baby, or at least she’ll be hands free to push a stroller through the farmer’s market crowds. Perhaps she’ll even find herself with a lucky morning alone to peruse at her leisure. $62, Betabrand.
- Hand-made macarons: Delicate, divine, indulgent! Delight her with a hand-picked selection of pretty shells filled with buttercream. $3 each, Pearl’s Cupcake Shoppe.
- Your Best Skin lotion: A luxurious hand and body moisturizer, lightly scented with orange essential oil. Rid her of the winter blahs and give those hands a little love. Small batch balms kitchen-made in Hanover, VA. Only ten ingredients! $25, Mac’s Smack.
- Culinary getaways, foodie tours, and cooking vacations: If a splurge is in the budget, these extravagant weekend or overnight trips offer everything a foodie mama’s heart desires with local destinations, immaculate accommodations, tasting meals, cooking classes, private tours, and exciting surprises at every turn. Prices vary, search by location. Edible Destinations. For a slightly more affordable option, whisk her away to Sperryville, VA., a locavore’s mecca, to experience Mount Vernon Inn Farm with included breakfast and high-tea made from ingredients culled from the bounty of the land, featuring sustainably farmed land and pastured animals. $249-$379 per night, The Inn at Mount Vernon Farm.
