Log In


Reset Password
Lifestyle

Gifts for gourmands

Top picks from local retailers to fête your favorite foodie

Durango’s isolated location and progressive culture combine to make it somewhat of a food mecca, with a uniquely local take on the flavors of Southwest Colorado.

Whether your friends and family are gluten-free, paleo, sugar-free, chile-loving or more traditional in their diets and culinary interests, Durango’s friendly, locally owned merchants have gifts for all your favorite foodies this holiday season.

Let’s start with sweet treats. This town has no shortage of chocolate goodies for the holidays. Nature’s Oasis has a particularly dazzling and diverse display of gourmet chocolates, including locally made confections from Animas Chocolate Co., national specialty brands such as Lake Champlain and Moonstruck and attractive gift packs of delectable truffles.

Libby Storc, grocery manager at Nature’s Oasis, said the truffles are big sellers for Christmas, including gift baskets of truffles imported from France. Prices range from 1.76 ounces for $6.99 to 17.62 ounces for $27.99.

The Yellow Carrot makes giant pieces of toffee this time of year, in decadent, holiday-themed flavors such as Butter Rum Nut and Chocolate Coffee. These colossal chunks are as visually appealing as they are delicious and sell for $0.95 per ounce.

The Yellow Carrot also bakes a scrumptious variety of large, richly flavored, gluten-free dessert bars, priced from $6 to $8 each. The enticing flavors include Jack Daniels Brownie, Boozy Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Cheesecake with Butterscotch.

Another local shop has a gluten-free solution for anyone who is feeling glum about missing out on their favorite Italian pasta dish this winter. The Intolerant Italian sells – and ships – handmade gluten-free pastas and bread mixes. Owner Roxanne Riccardi said of her big sellers is a gift basket that includes two bags of dried pastas, a focaccia mix, a pasta spoon and a jar of house-blended dried Italian herbs, all for $36, including shipping. Another best-seller is a paleo-friendly, grain-free nutty bread mix ($11.50), which can be made into loaves or muffins.

If you prefer your pasta the old-fashioned way, made from wheat, then Nature’s Oasis offers a line of Cucina Viva Italian pastas, breadsticks, risotto mixes and crostini. Storc said people tend to gravitate toward European products because they know they are GMO-free. The products are beautifully displayed on an endcap in the grocery section and sell for less than $5 each.

For the true Italian gourmet, Nature’s Oasis offers Melina’s Green Gold, an estate-grown olive oil packaged in a glass container in the shape of a cluster of grapes, for $17.99. Add a bottle of Melina’s balsamic vinegar in the same grape-shaped packaging for $15.99 to make an attractive gift set.

For the meat lovers and grill chefs in your life, Honeyville offers a deliberately Southwestern style chokecherry chipotle barbecue sauce, along with other creative flavors, for $6.95 at its in-town location inside the Durango Mall.

Nature’s Oasis sells a comprehensive line of popular spice rubs by award-winning Seattle chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas. Each of his popular “Rub with Love” formulas is made from all natural ingredients and comes with a recipe on the package. The rubs can be used for baking, sauteing, grilling or barbecuing. At $5.49 each, there’s a flavor for every taste, from African Peri Peri to a steak or a pork rub and even a veggie rub.

For the coffee lover, 81301 Coffee sells stainless steel, pour-over coffee cups for $40. Owner Sage Anderson said 81301 exclusively serves pour-over drip coffee because it is smoother and fresher, and it doesn’t turn acidic from sitting in a pot on a heating element.

Speaking of freshness, 81301 also sells a countertop canister (with logo, of course) for home storage that vacuum seals to remove air from your ground coffee. Its bags of house-roasted beans make great stocking stuffers, at $12 per pound for regular and $13 per pound for decaf, and you get a free cup of coffee with the purchase of a bag of beans. Anderson said the Morning Stoker blend, a combination of Guatemalan and French roast coffees, is its best seller.

There’s plenty out there for tea lovers, as well. Durango Coffee Co. sells a line of Downton Abbey Teas, featuring characters from the show, made by the reputable Republic of Tea, for $12.79 each.

Tea drinking is steeped in ritual, and tea infusers make it easy to relax with a hot cup. Both Nature’s Oasis and Durango Coffee Co. offer a vast array of teapots and infusers. At Nature’s Oasis, check out the wintery-themed Tea Forte ceramic tea mug, with the infuser built right into the cup, for $17.99.

What’s trendy in kitchen gadgets right now? Silicone lids and spiralizers. Durango Coffee Co. offers an entire line of silicone pot lids by Charles Viancin. From bottle toppers for $1.99 each to lids that fit a 10-inch pot for $18.99, it has a lid for every job. Used as an alternative to plastic wrap, the lids fit tightly and can stand up to refrigerator, microwave or oven use, up to 425 F.

Durango Coffee Co.’s tea and coffee buyer Jessi Henderson said that a year ago few people had heard of spiralizers – kitchen appliances used to cut veggies into linguine-like strands that can be used as an alternative to pasta – but now they are selling a lot of them. Their hand-held version sells for $15.99. At Kroegers Ace Hardware, housewares associate Faith Sims said the Veggetti hand-held spiralizer ($17.99) is a top seller.

For the eco-conscious food connoisseur, Kroegers sells elegant salad bowls and small platters made from stain- and liquid-resistant, environmentally sustainable acacia wood, for $37.99 and $16.99 respectively.

Sims also singled out a collection of modern and brightly colored Ecologie brand serving trays ($14.99), salad bowls ($16.99) and serving spoon sets ($5.99) from Now Designs. Manufactured from crushed bamboo and rice husks, these bowls are durable yet naturally biodegradable, according to the manufacturer.

At Nature’s Oasis, you can buy reusable sandwich and snack bags, locally made with cute fabrics by Cartwheel Clothing. Fun for both kids and adults, these would make a perfect stocking stuffer for someone special.

For the kids on your shopping list, cooking is a valuable life skill, and what better way to foster a child’s interest in cooking than with some gadgets of their very own. Local seamstress Mary Benson, who sews under the label Bewick Finzer, creates high-quality children’s aprons, which are available at Dietz Market and Durango Coffee Co. for $30. Each apron comes with cooking utensils such as a carrot peeler, a small wire whisk and a wooden spoon. Her durable bibs for infants ($16), also are available at both locations and make great gifts for parents-to-be.

This holiday season, take pride in being a Durangoan and spread the Southwest Colorado love with practical and fun food gifts infused with local flavor.



Reader Comments