Local Foodie Gift Guide

Most Parkites should be in the know by now that there are some seriously awesome products that are grown, made and sold right here in our beloved little beehive state and better yet, in and around our town. Our local purveyors are what keep us going back to farmers’ markets week after week during the summer months because who doesn’t love the idea of cooking with and using ingredients from a farm that’s 20 miles away, as well as using locally made products in general? I’m going to go ahead and say, everyone. People today are becoming increasingly passionate about the food they eat and where it comes from, which is fantastic and gives our local purveyors a huge sense of purpose in our community. At Dishing, we love exploring what’s available that we know was made close by, meeting the people that are involved, and hearing their stories. With the holidays coming up, so many of these people’s products create the best gifts, so we’ve made a little gift guide using some of our favorites!

This gift guide doesn’t have to be just for those of us who get way too excited when we walk into Sur La Table, spend way too much time looking at recipes on Pinterest, or simply the ones that just cannot get out of the kitchen, AKA, food people. It’s true for anyone. If you give someone a basket of locally made cheese, I think they’re going to be pretty happy.montage chocolates

1.) Let’s start with these miraculous little beauties. Sitting on a mountain top at the peak of Deer Valley sits that extremely beautiful building called The Montage. Inside is a pastry kitchen and pastry chef who does nothing short of magic things with chocolate. Originally from Holland, Chef Raymond Hammers has competed in several chocolate competitions over the years and has brought his brilliance to our town. If you are one of their lucky guests staying at the hotel, you will receive one of his gorgeous chocolate creations during turn down. The most perfect chocolate truffles you’ve ever seen with flavors such as mint, salted caramel, coconut, spiced apple, huckleberry, salted chocolate, and green tea passion fruit, and more. You could almost pass these as jewelry. They’re that pretty. You can purchase them at their coffee shop The Buzz located right by the lobby.chili

2.) Just down the road, Deer Valley Grocery Cafe is not only serving up the most delicious comfort food, but you will also undoubtedly get stuck at some point perusing at all of their locally made specialty snacks for sale around the cafe. Anything from locally made pickles from Yeehaw Pickles, dried fruit and nuts from All Good Provisions, to locally made honey. Stop by and grab an armload of things to make the perfect basket, or pick up some of their pre-packaged ready to go turkey chili mix and Haute Chocolate’ or chai mix. As I said, this gift guide is not strictly for foodies, and these wonderfully pre-made gifts make your gift recipient’s world a lot easier while bringing traditional Deer Valley flavors to their home kitchens. Check out Deer Valley’s online shop to order all sorts of goodies.

3.) Alcohol. Usually, when I haven’t spent enough time thinking about Christmas gifts and it gets down to the last second, this is what my loved ones end up getting. But, aside from that, whether it is Black Rum, Pink Gin or Sparkling wine, so many people will be happy with alcohol as a gift, especially if it is quite pricey and one they may not buy for themselves. Even if it is a last-minute gift or a pre-determined one, they’ll never usually care. It’s the thought that counts.

Vida Tequila – Okay, so considering Draper is not the most ideal place to actually make tequila, the tequila is not made here in Utah, but it is locally owned and is a Utah company. The husband and wife owners live in Draper and have a serious passion for tequila production and consumption. The Tequila is made in Jalisco, Mexico. Many local restaurants have picked up on not only supporting these local agave plant lovers but simply the quality of the tequila. In recent blind tastings, Vida has stood up nicely against larger competition brands of Tequila, with all 3 of Vida’s tequilas getting recognition when Patron, Cuervo, and Don Julio didn’t receive any.

  • Cognition Winery – Refer to Dishing’s peek inside Park City’s newest and first winery where there are some amazing things happening. Cognition 2Call to make an appointment to taste and purchase some of their delicious and locally made wines such as their: 2012 Bourdeaux blend – 69 percent Carneros merlot and 31 percent Oak Knoll cabernet franc – retails at $25.99 and their 2013 sauvignon blanc – retails at $16.99 , Fruit harvested from Calistoga and Rutherford, Calif. Make an appointment

4.) Cheese, cheese, cheese. We are so lucky to have some great cheese makers in our area

and what better way to say “I love you” than a basket of cheese? You’ve probably seen it in the cheese section of the grocery stores, or even experimented with it yourself, but Gold Creek Farm’s cheese is absolutely lovely and they seriously have flavors for just about everyone. Bacon chive cheddar for your guy, Chartufo truffle cheddar for your truffle lover, saffron cheddar for the sophisticated, aged white cheddar for the young ones, the list goes on and on. Head to their website and explore the gift options. There’s a Wine and Dine gift set, a cheese board gift set, and a deluxe basket, full of their traditional and classic cheese flavors. Click here to shop.deluxe cheese basket

6.) This one fits oh so perfectly at the bottom of your condiment lover’s stocking. Wilson’s Mustard is a Utah family recipe that started in the 1950’s. A distinct flavor that people have fallen in love with, they now have variations such as balsamic herb, roasted chili and original. A great addition to any sandwich, burger or cheese plate (cough, cough, Gold Creek Farm, cough), your mustard obsessed family member or friend needs this. Now that the farmers markets are over, you can find it at Park City Market or shop here.

6.) Coffee. This one goes right along with side with what I said about alcohol. A perfect, quick gift, and for coffee drinkers, they are always happy to receive.

  • Pink Elephant Coffee Roasters produces small batch, artisan coffee and is based out of pink elephantMidway, Utah, just a 15 minute drive. Owners and founders Mitch and Kelley Baker are extremely passionate and knowledgeable about a good cup of Jo and how to get to their perfectly sourced beans to that point. Visit their website to order and for more info.
  • Publik Coffee – With two locations, the original being in Salt Lake City and the second located and connected to the Kimball Arts Center, this is probably my favorite cup of publikcoffee in Park City. At Publik, they believe in quality over quantity, community over corporate, planet over profit and sweating the small and the big stuff. Their coffee is roasted and for sale at their Salt Lake location click here for coffee types and sourcing info.

7.) Atticus Coffee, Books & Teahouse; this family run and owner operated cozy corner of Main Street is where a large chunk of Park City locals gather. Whether it be a casual coffee break with a friend, an actual work meeting, or simply those of us that get cabin fever on our computers all day and are seeking a change of scenery while we work on our laptops. It’s comfortable, funky, and the coffee/tea keeps flowing. Aside from their great drinks and snack/lunch options, Atticus is home to one of my favorite places to buy gifts. Their unique notebooks, cards and small gifty items always catch my eye when I’m in there and I can find something for almost anyone. Their loose leaf tea options are endless and just that alone makes an awesome gift. They have all of the tea accessories that one would need. Stop in their location on lower Main to browse their selection of 70 different kinds of loose leaf tea and I guarantee you won’t walk out with just tea!atticus

8.) Smorgasbord. Literally. There is a fantastic company in town called A Local Table and boy do they make things easy. They are geared toward bringing the best local food and product to your table and their gift options are amazing. They have pre-made options or you can put together your own assortment. Shop here.a local table

We hope this is a great beginners guide to all the wonderful things that Utah has to offer. There are so many more amazing products, so get out there and explore the options and give the gift of local goodness this Holiday Season.

Happy Shopping!

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