Yes…Gift Ideas…It Must Be Done!

AKA My Secret Ingredients

Hello! If you are just picking up the Grape to Table newsletter, thanks so much for joining to learn more about wine, food, and life. We have just wrapped up my origin story (click here to read), and we are diving into fun content focused on meaningful time at the table with delicious wine and food. 

I sincerely hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving enjoyed something truly  delicious. I find it fun to ask folks their favorite dishes after such holidays as all sorts of interesting regional specialties come up! Try it out when you get back to the office or the virtual office or even when you are catching up with staff at your fave local bar/restaurant/market. These little ties that bind us together can be a surprising enhancement to your day! 

Speaking of another tie that binds many of us together…let’s talk about shopping…do you love it or hate it or fall somewhere in the middle? We live in such a consumerism era that it’s easy and understandable to get down on shopping when so many have so little. But there’s also something special about spending time finding a meaningful gift for someone you love. And there’s also the opportunity to support businesses that you believe in. And for food lovers there’s that chance to turn them onto something new. That’s exactly where I am headed with my short list here. Pictured above and listed below are some of my favorite “secret” ingredients…

Rancho Gordo 

Ok, it was only a few weeks ago that I went into pretty great detail about my love for Rancho Gordo (click here to read that newsletter). But short story – it’s a California based business that has been integral in saving and distributing many heirloom varieties of beans but also this Crimson Popcorn! It has less hull and MORE FLAVOR than the generic grocery store variety. Plus, it’s extra pretty in a gift basket. Other favorite things from Rancho Gordo: all varieties of lentils, cassoulet beans, garbanzo beans, Domingo Rojo (red) beans, Marcella (white) beans, Midnight Black Beans…and the list goes on. They do have a bean club (!!), but you will have to get on the waitlist for that. Evidently, I am not the only one who loves Rancho Gordo :) 

Zingerman’s Olive Oils 

Ok, really this is just my chance to wax poetic on another food institution I LOVE – Zingerman’s! If you are not familiar with this family of businesses in Ann Arbor, Michigan, prepare to fall hard as they just do everything the right way. I met one of the founders, Ari Weinzweig, years ago at a food conference and eventually made the trek to Ann Arbor for a crash course on building a better business via their consulting arm. I highly recommend that, but I also highly recommend checking out their online catalog of terrific food products. I especially love their collection of olive oils and vinegars. Full disclosure, the French oil pictured above – Moulin Cornille – is out of stock until the next harvest :( but get on the email list its comeback date! It’s extra yummy as it’s made with late harvested olives and has this uber umami punch! Another favorite olive oil that is in stock would be their Muraglia from Puglia, Italy. It comes in a beautiful ceramic jar that I refill with less expensive EVO to use while cooking. So really you are getting two gifts in one with the Muraglia :) Other favorite things from Zingerman’s: Agrumato Lemon Olive Oil (for a finishing touch on roasted veggies), their great collection of Balsamic Vinegar (a variety of ages and price points), Les Moulins Mahjoub Couscous (you have really not had couscous until you have had true, sun dried couscous – life changing and an amazing story), and last but very far from least…drum roll please…Zingerman’s Cinnful Cinnamon Rolls (These are a must on any special occasion in our house and with good reason! And yes, they ship and even freeze well – pure magic!) Clearly, I’ve drank the Zingerman’s Kool Aid so I would also recommend any of Ari’s books on leadership for anyone starting or running a business (and not just a food biz!).

Noma Smoked Mushroom Garum 

Yes, this is from that Noma, the world famous restaurant in Copenhagen. Regardless of your feelings regarding the restaurant (it’s not without its detractors), I do believe they really ushered in a new era for Denmark cuisine (bringing attention to local ingredients and foraging). When I visited Copenhagen in 2021, I did not even consider vying for a reservation (just not my thing)d, but as I was researching the trip I must have signed up for their newsletter and subsequently received an email a few months later when they launched their Noma Food Projects with this Smoked Mushroom Garum. I was intrigued and still under the Danish spell so I ordered some, and WOW it really surpassed any and all expectations. It is a complex, umami packed, force of nature (truly!). Garums date back to Ancient times (think Phoenecians, Greeks, and Romans) and were a sauce made from fermented fish, but this version is totally plant based! They crush organic mushrooms with salt and rice koji and let it ferment for 8 weeks before cold smoking and bottling. I use it anywhere I need some extra flavor. If you read my Shrimp & White Beans newsletter then you know I LOVE using it when cooking beans. I honestly don’t even find a need for stock in my bean booking when I add 2 to 3 tablespoons of this to the pot! (They are continuing to expand their product line since they plan to close the restaurant at the end of 2024 and focus entirely on Noma Food Projects. So far I have mainly obsessed over the mushroom garum, but I did treat myself to a bottle of their Dashi RDX (reduction) recently, and it was also filled with an insane amount of flavor.) 

Donostia Manzanilla Olives Stuffed with Anchovies

I am just going to go ahead and admit that by recommending these olives, I am also giving myself the opportunity to plug one of my fave Charleston businesses, Counter Cheese Mongers. Full disclosure, I have been friends with owners Eric and Nora for years now, but honestly I think I would be recommending their delicious cheese business regardless! And as the title of this blurb suggests – they don’t just sell cheese. I am just as fixated on their accoutrements as I am their cheeses from small, American creameries, and these olives are a must on any cheese board I make. If you live in Charleston you can find Eric & Nora at a couple of markets (Sea Island Farmers Market on Saturdays, this time of the year) and NOW at their brand new brick and mortar (but only on Fridays and Saturdays). Luckily, you can also order from them, and I have shipped their deliciousness around the country with great acclaim from friends and family. (In the non cheese category I also highly recommend their homemade crackers and these terrific hazelnuts they source from an Oregon farm.)

Diaspora Spices 

Soooo…regular readers know that I am a nut for delicious, conscientiously sourced spices as I have recommended Mountain Rose Herbs (and still do!). But just recently I learned of Diaspora Spices when they were featured on the Splendid Table podcast. They also featured Burlap and Barrel, which is very well thought of, but I was totally drawn in by the Diaspora story. The short story: founder Sana Javeri Kadri was raised in Mumbai, India,came to the United States for university, and after graduation she found a job in marketing for the well known Bi-Rite grocery store in San Francisco. There she realized that even though chefs and foodies both religiously sourced their produce and protein they still bought spices that had most likely been sitting in a warehouse for years. Sana believed there was a way to do better – in terms of quality and in terms of proper compensation to farmers. Ultimately, she founded Diaspora in 2017 at age 23 with just one spice – turmeric – from one farmer. Today, they source 30 single origin spices from 150 farms across India and Sri Lanka and pay their farm partners an average of 6x above the commodity price! You really should read the whole story on her website by clicking here, but if you are short on time just know that I have was blown away by my first purchase – a baking spice blend she calls Pumpkin Spice and also their Haldi Doodh Masala (the key to making the best Golden/Turmeric milk ever!). I just reordered even more for gifts, and I was especially motivated to do so over the weekend when they sent out an email saying that rather than participate in Black Friday/Cyber Monday/etc they are donating 10% of their sales from through Giving Tuesday to a Farm Worker Fund they created in 2022 to raise money for healthcare and educational programs on a few pilot farms they source from. Last year they raised $22k and hope to raise $25k this year. I am definitely all in on shopping for a good cause :) 

Ok, that wraps up my short list of delicious and conscientious gifts. I would also remind you there’s clearly plenty of opportunities to give back to your own community during the holidays. One of my favorite is a donation in someone’s name to the local food bank! 

P.S. I would love to hear your favorite food gifts! 

P.P.S. I will be announcing my winter/early spring wine class series if you are into gifting experiences – stay tuned! 

As always, I appreciate your sharing and subscribing. For now all content is free, and a portion of all content will always be free. I do plan to turn on paid subscriptions as soon as I have built up a bit more of an archive.