From an Italy trip to specialty coffee, 6 luxury Christmas gift ideas for the foodie

Dana McMahan
·5 min read

If you're shopping for a food lover this holiday season — even if that someone is you — there's never been an easier person for whom to shop. A world of luxe ingredients, fun kitchen gadgets, and food experiences awaits. The hard part? Figuring out where to start!

No worries. We've got a few fun ideas to start you on your merry way. Sorry in advance if you suddenly realize you need all of these things.

Anova precision oven

The Anova Precision Cooker Pro sous vide machine.
The Anova Precision Cooker Pro sous vide machine.

The Anova precision oven ($489) is “one of the most exciting at-home kitchen gadgets that I’ve seen hit the market in the past few years ... which is an at-home counter-top combi steam oven," says Ryan Rogers of Eternal Optimist Hospitality (bar Vetti, Feast BBQ, Royals Hot Chicken). “It’s certainly a splurge item and really only for those hardcore home cooks that enjoy the ability to dial in precise temperatures with a steam-injected convection oven, but it is a fraction of the price of a commercial combi-oven.”

You may likeWhat to get someone from Louisville? The 25+ best holiday gift ideas for 2022

A special blend of coffee roasted at Fante's Coffee

Blake Carlson, master roaster at Fante's Coffee House, releases freshly roasted beans into the cooling tray durnig a recent morning roast session at their location at 2501 Grinstead Dr. Friday, Dec. 3, 2021
Blake Carlson, master roaster at Fante's Coffee House, releases freshly roasted beans into the cooling tray durnig a recent morning roast session at their location at 2501 Grinstead Dr. Friday, Dec. 3, 2021

For the coffee lover in your life, Anoosh Shariat of Anoosh Bistro, 4864 Brownsboro Road, wants you to know "the best cup of coffee is made with the finest beans and a pour-over or a French press."

Go all out, and "make an appointment with Leo Fante at Fante's Coffee and have your own special blend of coffee roasted for you."

Or you can always gift a french press to the coffee lover in your life. You can get them all over the place. For example, there are tons of options available at places like Target for anywhere from $19.99 and up.

The in-house latte from Fante's Coffee
The in-house latte from Fante's Coffee

You may likeHere are 6 holiday, or limited edition, bottles of bourbon you should gift this year

Order food from restaurants all over the country with Goldbelly

Kane’s Donuts traditional donuts on Goldbelly.
Kane’s Donuts traditional donuts on Goldbelly.

Will travel for food? You don’t have to, thanks to Goldbelly, the online purveyor of some of the best restaurants in the country. Essentially, Goldbelly is an online marketplace for food products where customers can order products from restaurants, bakeries, delis, etc., and have them shipped across the United States.

I got turned on to the service during COVID when I had a meal from Chicago’s famed chef Stephanie Izard of Girl & the Goat, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

17 holiday gifts for men who don't want anything: Goldbelly subscription
17 holiday gifts for men who don't want anything: Goldbelly subscription

“Goldbelly really allows people to bring the flavors of world-class restaurants into their homes,” says Rogers. “They don’t have every mom-and-pop place in America, but they have a pretty incredible selection of the greatest hits of some great restaurants. It’s an opportunity for people to share places without the flight and hotel expenses associated with physically going there or having to stand in line for four-plus hours like I've done both times I've visited Franklin BBQ in Austin, Texas."

You may likeWhat to get someone from Kentucky? Try one of these 20+ creative holiday gift ideas

Iwatani Smokeless Korean Barbecue Grill

Meat coming off the grill at Gogi Korean BBQ
Meat coming off the grill at Gogi Korean BBQ

Are you, like me and obsessed with GOGi 1055 Korean BBQ at 1055 Bardstown Road? There's something so primal and utterly decadent about grilling meats on the table until it's caramelized and succulent. Guess what? Now you can do that at home.

Jesse Huot of Grind Burger Kitchen, Oskar’s Slider Bar, and Smör Nordic Bakery, got an early Christmas gift from his wife Liz, in the form of the Iwatani Smokeless Korean Barbecue Grill ($86).

"I did not think I was gonna like this thing as much as I do, but it's made countertop status," he says. "I've used it every day since I got it."

Not only can you grill meats with super easy clean-up, but the interactive nature of it has also been great for their quest to get their son to eat vegetables.

You may likeTry one of these 12+ Beers of Christmas from Louisville's craft beer scene

"I think I'm going to get them for people as gifts," Huot says, "because I want everybody to have that little 10 minutes of something fun."

Rougie Mousse of Duck Foie Gras with Truffle

Rougie Mousse of Duck Foie Gras with Truffle, 11.2-Ounce Tin
Rougie Mousse of Duck Foie Gras with Truffle, 11.2-Ounce Tin

Go all in on decadence this holiday season with a treat beloved by chef Dallas McGarity of The Fat Lamb, 2011 Grinstead Dr.

"My holiday treat is usually buying some Rougie Mousse of Duck Foie Gras with Truffle ($34.70)," McGarity says. "I love this stuff. I get a crusty baguette, a glass of red wine, some really good butter, and some sea salt and sit around the fireplace. It's so good.

"I worked for a French chef in South Carolina, Jacques Bouguyon, and he used to get this every single Christmas. We would sit around the restaurant on Christmas Eve and indulge together while drinking copious amounts of wine and talking about food. It was instrumental in my development as a young chef. Every time I eat this it brings back those memories. It's perfect for any ‘foodie’ in your life and something that is unique and really delicious."

You may likeGifts for bourbon lovers: Six of the best bourbons you can only buy in Kentucky

Saveur the Journey Italian culinary adventure

Foie wrapped in cured duck is served at at La Mère Gaud. Courier Journal dining columnist Dana McMahan explored the food and drink of the Haute Savoie region of France on a culinary tour with Saveur the Journey in October.
Foie wrapped in cured duck is served at at La Mère Gaud. Courier Journal dining columnist Dana McMahan explored the food and drink of the Haute Savoie region of France on a culinary tour with Saveur the Journey in October.

If you read my story last year on the culinary tour of the French Alps I joined with Aaron Schorsch of Saveur the Journey, your mouth may already be watering at the thought of taking one of his trips. And if there's one that may be even more tempting to a food lover, it’s the Italian culinary adventure to the Piemonte region of Italy.

This slice of Italy is famous for wine, risotto, egg pasta, and chocolate, not to mention castles, art, architecture, and beautiful countryside.

Along with Schorsch, you’ll join Monica Wuthrich, a graduate of Slow Food’s University of Gastronomic Sciences, for a deep dive into the region where you’ll get up close and personal with food producers, chefs, and winemakers, indulging in everything from Alba truffle hunting to an artisan chocolate making class.

You may likeHow a natural wine bar, coffee shop, retail space combo may change Louisville's bar scene

The nine-day trip is capped at 12 participants and costs $4,450.00 (not including airfare and alcohol). Learn more: saveurthejourney.com/product/piemonte-italian-culinary-adventure-2023.

Tell Dana! Send your restaurant “Dish” to Dana McMahan at thecjdish@gmail.com and follow @bourbonbarbarella on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Top 6 luxurious foodie gifts to give in Louisville in 2022