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GIFT THIS: EASY LOCAL FOOD GIFTS UNDER $20
Just when I thought I had my holiday shopping list under control, I remembered a rather large group that I forgot to put on my list – all of the important non-family members to whom I want to show appreciation at the end of the year. For me, that includes teachers at my son’s school, child care providers, coworkers and our wonderful neighbors.
I only freaked out for a moment, because I know that the answer to this question is: food. Everyone loves edible gifts, and I’m not talking about fancy pears or fruitcakes. Santa Cruz County is home to a talented cohort of culinary makers, and many of their products are hiding in plain sight on grocery store shelves. Wine and liquor might not always be appropriate, but estate-grown olive oil and craft hot sauce are easy crowd-pleasers.
I made a list of my favorite locally made food gifts, including beautifully wrapped fair trade chocolate bars, wildflower honey and handmade jam. The best part is many of these “splurges” are less than $20 – most of the gifts on the list are under $15. And all of them are widely available at grocery stores throughout the county, including Staff of Life Markets and Shopper’s Corner in Santa Cruz, Deluxe Foods in Aptos and AJ’s Market in Soquel, as well as larger retailers.
See all nine products on this mini food gift guide here.
BEST OF THE WEEK AHEAD
Below, find a curated list of the best food and drink events in Santa Cruz County for the coming week. At the top, I share my picks of unmissable local happenings.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
ICYMI – here are food news stories from Lookout that you might have missed.
- The Neighbor’s pub vandalized only days after opening (Lookout)
- Inspired by Measure Z, one Santa Cruz restaurant cuts ties with soda (Lookout)
- Dungeness crab season delayed in California until at least Dec. 31 (Lookout)
- Winds of change at Linda’s Seabreeze: Beloved Seabright restaurant under new ownership (Lookout)
