Food gifts for holidays and beyond that your loved ones will devour
I don't know about you, but I find shopping for gifts challenging. Actually, a real drag. Does anyone need another trinket, another scented candle, another bottle of cologne, another useless gadget? Or ... another ugly sweater?
A delicious treat, however? You bet.
The following are food gifts made in New Jersey — or sold in local stores — that should delight just about anyone on your list this year. They needn't be gourmets or food connoisseurs — just lovers of food.
Know anyone who is not?
Here's to easy and delicious gift shopping.
Glamberries, Zilpa's Desserts, Secaucus
This may not be strawberry season but, to chocoholics (count me in), strawberries covered in chocolates should not be restricted to any season.
Zilpa Rizzo certainly agrees. Her glamberries — "glam" because the chocolate-covered strawberries the Secaucus resident makes sport colorful sprinkles and edible glitter — are offered year-round. For Christmas, the strawberries display the holiday colors of green, white and red.
A dozen glamberries packed in a window box, tied with a bow, cost $45.
BTW: Rizzo has partnered with award-winning Steve's Burgers to sell her cheesecake empanadas at his three locations (two in Garfield and one in North Bergen).
Order: zilpasdesserts@gmail.com or call 201-988-7683
Build Your Own Cheese Basket at Van Hook Cheese & Grocery, Montclair
"Everything is a food gift here," said Carl Chastain, owner of recently opened Van Hook Cheese & Market.
In addition to a wide selection of artisan cheese, the shop has an assortment of home goods, preserves, crackers and more.
You can put a little of everything together in a gift basket of your choosing or let a cheesemonger know your budget and what your friend or loved one likes. You'll have a "personal shopper" of sorts work with you to choose the just-right items.
"We can also suggest pairings, like the best cracker to go with a certain cheese, or the right pickled onions or preserves," Chastain said.
The minimum basket price is $10. On average, Chastain said, a basket costs from $60 to $75.
This shopping can't be done online, which may be a good thing: It's an opportunity to pick up some nice cheese for yourself.
Go: 111 Grove St., Montclair; 973-830-2676, vanhookcheese.com.
Seasonal jams by Jana's Jammy, Bloomfield
Jana Joyce knows how to cook; she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. So her jams are not your typical saccharine-sweet creations with your usual suspect fruits (strawberry, grape and raspberry). Plus, not only does Joyce minimize the amount of sugar she uses for her wonderful jams, but she blends herbs and spices into her spreads.
She's been making jams for eight years and flavors depend on the season. For the cold months, she offers winter berry jam made with organic local cranberries plus organic blueberries, raspberries and blackberries blended with chopped clementines, and warming spices such as star anise and cardamon. You won't find that at your local supermarket.
This fall she introduced a balsamic fig jam that features high-quality vinegar and organic figs.
"It's a great cheese jam but also great for sandwiches — turkey sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, any of your favorite sandwiches," she said.
New flavors this year also include Meyer Lemon, Fig Blueberry (organic figs, organic blueberry and small-batch bourbon) and Blueberry Mandarin Marmalade.
Each cost $13. You can pick them up at several local stores, including Van Hook Cheese & Grocery in Montclair, General Store Cooperative in Maplewood, and Dry Goods Refillery in Montclair. Or order online.
Order: janasjammy.com
The Goat Basket by The Chocolate Goat Gift Shoppe, Lafayette
The Chocolate Goat Gift Shoppe is a 23-year-old chocolate and gift shop that is housed in a quaint 1830s stone building and owned by two sisters, Stephanie and Jennifer Koza. Why is goat in the name of their shop? Koza means goat in Polish.
"It turned out to be a fun name," Jennifer said. "People are curious and amused."
And charmed.
Charm your gift recipient with all-things goat via the gift shop's chocolate goat basket stuffed with a 14-ounce stoneware mug, a plush billy goat, goat socks, 10½-ounce goat-milk lotion, ½ pound mini chocolate goats, and one 7-ounce chocolate goat. As the shop declares, "A goat lover's dream!"
The dream costs $112.
Shop: 103 Route 15, Lafayette; 973-300-5553, chocolategoat.com/shop/Goat-Stuff/p/The-Goat-Basket.
Sauce Box by Latona's Specialties, Garfield
You can get your pasta-loving friend or family member a box of three of any of Latona's Specialties home-made sauces, wrapped in ribbon. Your choices are meat, vodka and basil. The shop is taking orders until Dec. 18. You can come in and pick up a box or order online; the cost is $67 plus shipping.
Shop: 279 Harrison Ave., Garfield; 973-546-0785, latonasspecialties.com.
Bureks by Balkan Bites, Fairview
If you're not familiar with bureks, a flaky-filled pastry that is a popular Balkan street food, may I suggest ordering some for yourself from Balkan Bites, a family-owned online company. Its owners are Ariana Malushi and her aunt, Alida; the two use the family's recipe to hand-make the delicious pies. Once you sample one — be it filled with meat, cheese or vegetables — odds are you'll want to order some for your food-loving friends.
The pies are frozen and shipped throughout the country. Flavors include spinach and cheese, potato and onion, and mushroom and goat cheese. Each bag of four (they are hearty; each can easily make a meal) costs $18.99.
For a limited time, Balkan Bites is offering an apple cinnamon burek, and $10 of each sold will be donated to Rethink Food, a nonprofit that provides food to food-insecure people.
Order: balkanbites.co
Food Tours by Beyond the Plate Food Tours, Jersey City
If your food lover delights in discovering new spots to dine, consider a gift that allows them to enjoy a variety of foods while exploring a neighborhood. Beyond the Plate Food Tours, a Jersey City-based company, has been offering tours of Garden State downtowns for the past eight years. The first tour was Jersey City, and Red Bank and Somerville soon followed. A few weeks ago, it added Central Avenue in Jersey City Heights, its first non-downtown tour:
"It is an untapped neighborhood," said owner Alessia Aron, who wears the lighthearted title of chief eating officer. "You hit the foods of five continents in three-quarters of a mile."
The tour provides samples of the dishes of Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Japan, the Caribbean and, Aron said, "the best donuts I've ever had from LoDG," a hand-crafted donut shop in the Heights.
Eating your way through a downtown or an avenue takes from 2½ to 3 hours. The tours are given every Saturday. Aron strongly suggests that you bring a hearty appetite ("There is so much food") and wear comfortable shoes. And, do bundle up; you'll be spending time outdoors as well as indoors.
The downtown tours cost $99; Central Avenue is $75. You can buy a gift certificate for a specific tour or one for a certain amount of money and let your recipient choose the tour or tours.
FYI: The company next plans to add a tour of Journal Square in Jersey City.
Order: beyondtheplatefoodtours.com/gift-cards
Brother's Smokehouse BBQ Sauce by Brother's Smokehouse BBQ & Soul, Ramsey
Jamie Farella, one of the three brothers who own Brother's Smokehouse, a popular one-year-old barbecue restaurant, may be from North Carolina's low country, but the barbecue sauce the brothers use features vinegar (popular in the region) and ketchup.
"We mixed it up. It's a little sweet and a bit tangy," said Farella, who identifies as the "tallest brother." He's 6-foot-9-inches; his siblings are a mere 6-foot-7.
The brothers' barbecue sauce is so popular that they have bottled it and sell it at their shop or online. A bottle costs $8.
Shop: 900 Route 17 N., Ramsey; 551-264-9073, brotherssmokehousenj.com.
Craft cocktail mixers from Last Call Mixology, Orange
Your loved ones love cocktails? Consider gifting them with fresh-pressed, small-batch craft cocktail mixers that Orange-based Last Call Mixology produces to up his cocktail game. Last Call Mixology is the brainchild of Victor Castellanos, a mixologist, who worked a decade at restaurants in New York City, including La Esquina Brasserie.
Castellanos uses in-season fruits and vegetables in his mixes, along with herbs. The mixes do not have any preservatives or additives but cool and unusual fruits such as blood oranges or charred pineapples. They are bottled and frozen right away to extend their shelf life.
You can buy them at Baker Street Market in Maplewood, Dry Goods Distillery in Montclair and Neighbors Wine Shop in South Orange. Or order online; the company ships nationwide. Each 16-ounce bottle costs $12.
Order: lastcallmixology.com; 973-313-8195.
Edible chocolate wreath, Enjou Chocolate of Morristown
Who doesn't love chocolate? Enjou Chocolate, which has been producing artisan chocolate — white, dark and milk — since 1983, offers approximately 1,000(!) items for the holiday. From a darling Christmas moose lollipop ($2.95) to a traditional gift basket ($395.95).
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In the market for an edible chocolate sleigh? Perhaps an edible wreath filled with an assortment of chocolates including chocolate-covered pretzels, foiled chocolate mints, gourmet nuts, foiled Christmas bells, and a candy cane? An edible sleigh costs $19.95 (small) and $125.95 (large). The chocolate wreath is $19.95 (small) and $89.95 (large).
Owner Wendy Taffet notes that this is the shop's busiest time of year. To guarantee your gift makes it in time, she highly recommends ordering online for in-store pickup. Otherwise, you can have your gift shipped, though yours won't be the only package your friendly mailman is going to have to drop off at homes this time of year. You've been warned.
Go: 8 Dehart St., Morristown; 973-993-9090, enjouchocolat.com.
BBQ grill items from DM Barbecue Sauces, online
After beloved gastropub The Twisted Elm in Elmwood Park closed, chef David "Davey" Morales and bartender Vincent "Vinny" Botti teamed up to produce Morales' popular barbecue sauces.
"When people start asking you for little souffle cups to-go with your sauce, you know you're onto something," Morales had explained when he and Botti launched DM Barbecue Sauces earlier this year.
For the holidays, the two offer a basket full of grill supplies, including a spatula, tongs, squeeze bottles, cutting board and thermometer — along with their sauces. The sauces come in four flavors: Spicy Maple, Classic, Asian and Honey.
The whole shebang costs $145 and will be delivered free of charge by the company.
"The delivery is on us," Morales said.
Order: Dmbbbqsauces@gmail.com or dmbbqsauces.com
Esther Davidowitz is the food editor for NorthJersey.com. For more on where to dine and drink, please subscribe today and sign up for our North Jersey Eats newsletter.
Email: davidowitz@northjersey.com
Twitter: @estherdavido
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Best food gifts for the holidays you can find in New Jersey
