the valley
FOOD
Everyone loves good food, so as you’re picking out those last holiday gifts, we suggest giving gourmet goodies, fine wines, and culinary accessories from retailers around the Coachella Valley. Here are some gastronomic gift ideas to get you started.
Kitchen Art
The coffee drinker in your life has enough mugs, so give something gorgeous to display them. South African artist Carrol Boyes’ sculptures do double duty as artworks and home accessories. Well Balanced ($370), cast in aluminum, holds up to eight cups.
Where to Buy: The Upper Crust, Palm Desert, theuppercrust.us
Creative Candy
Treat someone to the Lolli & Pops Champagne Brunch Collection ($39.95) — 16 bite-size truffles made of milk and dark chocolates in brunch-inspired flavors like French toast and coffee. Or, the Cocktail Truffle Collection ($39.95) includes milk chocolate rum, Irish cream, and amaretto.
Where to buy: Lolli & Pops, Palm Springs, lolliandpops.com
Beautiful Bubbly
A bottle of Beau Joie Brut Champagne ($109.99) doubles as decoration in its copper “coat of armor” that helps keep the bottle chilled. The rainbow-striped bottle of True Colors Cava ($21.99) gives back to organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community. And Pizzolato Sparkling Rosé ($24.99) comes in a studded “diamond” bottle that can reused as a vase.
Where to buy: Bouschet, Palm Springs, bouschet.com
Truffled Treats
For your friend with a taste for the finer things, go for an array of all things truffle. Sabatino Tartufi Sliced Summer Truffles ($39), which come packed in olive oil, are an extra-special topper for almost any dish. Sogno Toscano Truffle Sauce ($55) is perfect for pasta, while Maison Pébeyre Truffle Salt ($27) and Truffle Honey ($32) are accoutrements mushroom dreams are made of. Finish a gourmet gift basket with a snack they can tear into right away: Urbani White Truffle Potato Chips ($13.99).
Where to buy: On the Mark, Palm Springs, onthemarkpalmsprings.com
California Cooking
Send a basket of plant-based gourmet gifts from the Golden State. Start with vegan and gluten-free Snickerdoodle and Pumpkin Spice cookie mixes ($8.25 each) from Renewal Mill of Oakland. Add Napa-based Rancho Gordo Dried Flageolet Beans ($7.25), perfect for soups, and top it off with all-purpose Desert Dust seasonings ($11.95 each) made from organic ground dates grown in the Coachella Valley. Finish the basket with Dick Taylor Chocolate-Coated Cherries ($14.75), made in Eureka.
Where to buy: Chef Tanya’s Kitchen,
Palm Springs, cheftanyaskitchen.com
Artisan Oil
Give your loved ones a supply of the most useful pantry staple with a La Quinta Olive Oil Four-Bottle Gift Pack ($36). Mix and match flavored oils such as jalapeño and blood orange and throw in a specialty vinegar like the mango-habanero white balsamic to spice up their salads.
Where to buy: La Quinta Olive Oil Company, La Quinta, laquintaoliveoilcompany.com
Italian Eats
Michael’s of Brooklyn pasta sauces ($11.99) are cooked and jarred in the kitchen of the fabled ristorante that’s been operating since 1964. Go for simple tomato and basil or spicy arrabiata. Pair them with Rustichella d’Abruzzo artisanal dried pastas ($8.95), and you’ll give someone a quick and easy dinner they’ll thank you for when they’re swirling their spaghetti at home.
Where to buy: Jensen’s Finest Foods, Palm Springs and Palm Desert, jensensfoods.com