My first stop is this Wednesday December 8th at the Eat Local Week Better Bites of Austin Holiday Fair from 4-8 pm at City Hall. Better Bites is a trade association for makes of local, all natural food and beverages and their members offer up some of the best foodie finds in town.
Whether you need salsas (Austin Slow Burn, Kelly Jo & Co., Kala's Kuisine), chocolate (Arte y Chocolate, Delysia Chocolatier, Shakti Chocolate), coffee (Casa Brazil), nuts (Austinuts) or popcorn (Reel Popcorn), Better Bites has a quality vendor for you. I will definitely be stopping by Jake's Granola and Hope+Glory to fill out some of my holiday baskets. If you don't want to put your own baskets together, you can also bid on pre-made baskets.
I'll finish my gift basket shopping at the farmers markets this weekend. Many of the vendors offer terrific products that work perfectly in baskets, but I'm particularly partial to Confituras who makes jams, jellies and conserves. I haven't eaten breakfast without one of Stephanie's terrific products in over three months. You can find her at the Downtown and Barton Creek Farmers Markets. Yum!
If you'd rather let your friends and family pick their own gifts, you can still give them terrific products from local artisans with gift cards. One of the best gifts I received this year was a gift card to Antonelli's Cheese Shop. John and Kendall Antonelli carefully hand select unique cheeses, charcuterie, and all the necessary condiments and beverages to accompany them. They even keep a record of the items you buy so that you can revisit that beautiful blue cheese you bought a few months ago that you just can't remember the name of.
Savory Spice Shop, one of my new favorite foodie spots, has everything an adventuresome home cook needs to wow their friends and family. The pre-mixed spice blends are terrific and include dips and dressings. On Wednesday December 8, Savory will be donating 10% of their sales to the Sustainable Food Center so you get great gifts and help a wonderful nonprofit.
And on that note, as you check items off your shopping list, I hope you'll leave some room in your budget for those who aren't as fortunate as you and yours. Please consider making room in your budget for you favorite area nonprofit. Many have special holiday campaigns to serve their clients and every little bit helps. The Capital Area Food Bank, the Sustainable Food Center and Urban Roots are on my personal gift list and I hope you'll consider them for yours as well.
Start humming Jingle Bells and grab your list - it's time to start shopping. See you at Eat Local Week!
