As we approach the holiday season, we begin our search for unique holiday gift items. There is a world of variety to be found and enjoyed in specialty food items. I would define ‘specialty foods” as those foods not purchased and consumed on an “everyday basis” as well as those that represent the upper end of the spectrum, qualitatively speaking. But these items are “expensive” aren’t they? Well, some may fetch a higher price than one may pay for an item in the same family(e.g. “estate bottled extra virgin cold pressed olive oil” as opposed to “olive oil” in the supermarket) However, let’s take a look at the previous example. The estate bottling offers a flavor profile that is unsurpassed by any ordinary oil, with an intensity that requires very little to produce stellar results. And though it may be three times the price, it is not used to cook with, or to make vinaigrettes and the like. A thin drizzle on top of that arugula and Parmigiano Reggiano salad or a grilled sea bass fillet, is all you need. Used as such, you will get perhaps fifty or more servings from one bottle. I do, and I use olive oil like water.
And while we’re on the subject of Parmigiano Reggiano, this fantastically flavorful product from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy will put a smile on any cheese lovers face, and paired with a high-quality balsamic vinegar, will make an elegantly simple yet sublime gift for the gourmet or foodie. And specialty oils, vinegars, coffees, and other non perishable item will last quite a while in your pantry, making them gifts that your friends and family can enjoy throughout the year. Truly the gift that keeps on giving!
Specialty cheeses are also ideal for gift giving. This fastest growing segment of the specialty food world (in terms of both new products and also sales) offer a world of variety and a diversity of flavors unparalled by any other food group. And a selection of five half pounds of specialty cheese will serve eight guests generously if used for an after dinner cheese plate. Again the flavors are so pronounced that any more than a few ounces is overkill. And a holiday gift basket, in my opinion, is the perfect gift, period. I have given many over the years with great success. I must have bought my parents a hundred sweaters, scarves, shirts etc, that got thrown into a drawer (or elsewhere!) without a mention. But for the last ten years, I buy them a big gift basket of cheeses, salamis, jams, honeys and the like. And every year for months I hear “hey, thanks for that salami” or “your Mother and I just had that cheese, that blue cheese, what was that one?” I don’t recall that kind of feedback and enthusiasm over a pair of gloves! And, perhaps the best reason to give this type of gift is that, all too often, we just don’t purchase them for ourselves. Be it a question of being too busy, buying just what we need to get through the week, tightening our budgets, or unavailability at the local grocer, we very often forget to treat ourselves to some of the finer things. So let’s do it for one another. We’ll all thank ourselves in the end.
- Patrick Ambrosio
