The holidays are around the corner, and the most wonderful time of the year can easily devolve into the most stressful time of year if you’re still shopping. Do you count among the stressed-out Santas searching for last-minute gifts? If you have any food lovers in your life—and let’s be real, who doesn’t have a food lover in their life?—this list offers plenty of last-minute inspiration.
Our last-minute gift guide includes multiple price points, too, so regardless of your budget, you’re sure to find a winner for the food lovers on your list.
Under $25
Any treat from the Goo Goo Shop
Upgrade Santa’s milk and cookies with the quintessentially Nashville candy, the Goo Goo Cluster. This holiday season you can purchase a number of Goo Goo-inspired gifts and treats from the Shop located in Downtown Nashville, or from the Goo Goo Cluster website. Our favorite wintertime Goo Goo treat is the White Christmas Premium Goo Goo: a decadent creation that combines dark chocolate peppermint ganache, crushed Oreo cookies and peppermint nougat inside a white chocolate shell, topped with crushed peppermint pieces. Simply divine.
Accessories to create the perfect cocktail
For the cocktail connoisseurs, premium ice molds are a must. Cubes, spheres and even diamonds are all popular, but spheres are generally considered the ice pièce de résistance. The shape dictates how much icy surface area comes into contact with the drink, which affects the dilution of a delicious cocktail. Nashville locals can stop by Welcome Home in East Nashville to pick up sphere ice molds for $12, or purchase a set of two online from Williams-Sonoma for $15. If you’re too cold to think about ice, a new set of stemware to ring in the ’20s is another excellent addition any bar cart. In a fitting nod to the Roaring ’20s of last century, coupe glasses are making a big comeback. The Camille Coupe Glass from Crate & Barrel (the long-stemmed style preferred by red wine aficionado Olivia Pope on ABC’s Scandal) retails for $12, and can elevate any bar cart.
Cheeky kitchen towels from Apple & Oak
Nashville boutique Apple & Oak curates a colorful collection of vintage rugs, quirky gifts and comedic cards. Don’t sleep on their adorable tea towels; the clean modern design can fit with any kitchen decor, and the captions add a bit of levity to the otherwise long evenings of cooking, baking and hosting. Our favorite: “Your opinion is not part of the recipe.”
Camp Craft Cocktails
These pre-packed mason jars full of aromatics and dried fruits are perfect for the outdoorsy mixologist on your list. Simply add the liquor of your choice to the jar, let it steep in the fridge for a few days, and you have a perfectly balanced batch cocktail that’ll fill eight generous glasses or 16 smaller pours. Locals in a time crunch can pick up Camp Craft Cocktails at The Kitchen Nashville, otherwise you can order on their website.
$25 – $49
A new cookbook
Everyone needs inspiration in the kitchen from time to time, and what better way to instigate a culinary epiphany than with a new cookbook! Some of our favorites are Nashville Eats by Jennifer Justus, South by Sean Brock and Carla Hall’s Soul Food. If you’re in Nashville, you can pick up any of these titles at Parnassus Books, otherwise they’re all available on Amazon.
Nashville Cheese Gal Cheese and Honey Pairing Box
Cortney LaCorte, better known on Instagram as @nashvillecheesegal, has taken social media by storm this year, showcasing her perfectly constructed charcuterie and cheese spreads and board-building-tutorials. This holiday season, pick up a Limited Edition Cheese and Honey Pairing Box from Amazon for a great last-minute gift for any cheese lover on your list. This curated box contains four jars of organic honey from Bee Seasonal plus a pairing guide from the Nashville Cheese Gal to ensure the perfect flavor profile for your honey and cheese combinations.
Make your own hot sauce kit
Perfect for the spice lover who marches to their own drumbeat, this DIY hot sauce kit from Uncommon Goods includes all the supplies they’ll need to create custom condiments. The kit comes with six bottles and blank labels, plus all the spice blends and vinegars necessary to whip up several different fiery flavors.
Reusable tote for food shopping
This reusable tote from Food52 is sure bet for the eco-conscious consumer, essential for trips to the grocery store or farmers market. Made entirely of canvas and vegan leather, the tote has six pockets to ensure safe passage for delicate items, like wine bottles or a loaf of bread, plus an external strap for flowers. There’s even a ring inside to keep keys accessible, yet out of the way.
$50 – $99
Walk Eat Nashville gift card
Experiences make great gifts for the person who has everything, and a Walk Eat Nashville gift card offers a three-hour food tour experience, on the date of your recipient’s choice. The gift cards never expire, and tours are offered six days a week in multiple neighborhoods throughout Nashville. Your giftee will sample cuisine from five top Nashville eateries, and get the chance to meet and interact with the chefs, managers and owners behind the exploding culinary scene in Nashville. Walk Eat Nashville gift certificates are available in $75 denominations, or a dollar amount of your choosing, and can be sent to a recipient’s inbox or your own, for printing and wrapping.
Cooking or cocktail classes
Another great experiential gift for foodies who love hands-on learning: cooking classes. In Downtown Nashville, D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe offers class participants the chance to get into the kitchen with chef and owner David Andrews, as he covers various topics from macarons to croissants. Classes are held on Saturdays, and you can find more information and purchase tickets on the D’Andrew’s website. Another great option for the burgeoning bartender is a class at Liquor Lab, where guests learn how to concoct classic and specialty cocktails from top mixologists. Tickets for classes are available online through the Liquor Lab website.
Brooklyn Slate Co. cheese serving tray kit
Any party host knows there’s no such thing as too many serving trays, and this beautifully packaged gift set is a great addition to any holiday tablescape. The kit includes a platter from Brooklyn Slate Co. and soapstone pencils for inscribing the cheese varietals onto the tray itself. It also comes with a hand-carved maple wood spreader and food grade mineral oil for maintaining your board, plus bags for storage. Multiple board sizes are available online, and depending on which size you select, this kit will only set you back $54 – $70.
Countertop herb garden
The home chef in your life deserves fresh herbs without the incessant trips to the grocery store. A countertop herb garden ensures fresh herbs are always at hand—especially valuable in the winter, when an outdoor garden would struggle to survive. The Click & Grow series utilizes NASA-inspired technology to ensure a Keurig-like process that’s quite literally as easy as “click and grow.” This foolproof system waters the plants and automatically controls the grow-light, so even the black-thumbed can’t kill these plants. These tabletop planters can be found at Nordstrom, Target, Urban Outfitters and Williams-Sonoma.
Over $100
Monthly cheese club
Murray’s monthly cheese subscription box is the gift that keeps on giving. Between three and four curated cheese selections will arrive at your recipient’s door each month, complete with a tasting guide and pairing suggestions. A variety of packages are available, starting at $175 for a pre-paid, three-month subscription.
Porter Road Butcher, delivered to your door
Nashville-based premium butcher shop Porter Road Butcher now ships nationwide. Available as a one-time purchase or in a subscription model, Porter Road boxes come based on protein type or meal preference, like the Breakfast Box or the Grill Master Box. Give the gift of pasture-raised meat to the voracious carnivore in your life, and you’ll be revered as a holiday hero.
Hot Sauce subscription
If variety is the spice of life, then a variety of spice is the pizazz in an otherwise routine weeknight meal. Enter Fuego Box, a subscription service that ships unique, small-batch bottles of hot sauce either monthly or quarterly. Perfect for trying new flavors or experimenting with recipes, Fuego Box offers different options based on heat level and number of bottles per shipment.
Bonus Idea for any price point
If you’re still scratching your head, a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant is a simple solution for a last-minute gift. Better yet? If you can’t decide on a single restaurant, consider a gift card that can be utilized at multiple concepts like Margot/Marche, or etc./Etch. Still can’t decide? Nashville Originals includes a coalition of over 40 locally owned restaurants, and a Nashville Originals gift card is good at any member restaurant and never expires.