by TM Petaccia

It’s often hard to figure out holiday gifts for some people. Tastes in clothing, jewelry, music, and other items are often difficult to figure out (especially sizes), but everyone eats. Here are our picks of local food and drink items to satisfy any appetite.

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Cheese, Please

Orrman’s Cheese Shop, Uptown / The Market @ 7th Street
Order one of several cheese-themed gift boxes, including collections spotlighting North Carolina, Italy, and France, as well as three-month gift subscriptions to Orrman’s Cheese Club ($135). Order online.

The Loyalist Market, Matthews
This provisioner/bistro offers a holiday Butcher Box containing three curated artisan cheeses along with two premium meats, a bottle of wine, and several accoutrements. $125. Pick up in-store or call 704-814-9866 to order.

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Mangia

Mano Bella Artisan Foods, SouthPark
Stop in to pick up one of several pre-made gift baskets containing a variety of housemade dried pastas, risotto kits, biscotti, taralli, and cookies — along with imported olive oils, sauces, and other tasty items. You can also have them create a custom basket of items you choose for a more personal touch. Order online or pick up at the South Park location.

Enzo’s Italian Market, Stallings N.C. / Lancaster, S.C.
Reminiscent of the Italian groceries in the Northeast, Enzo’s carries the most extensive selection of panettone flavors, the traditional holiday sweet bread, you’ll find anywhere. You can also get a number of themed holiday baskets, including red, white, or bubbly wine baskets; meat and cheese baskets, chocolate baskets, gluten-free baskets, and others. Pick up in store.

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Java Happy Holidays

Enderly Coffee, Enderly Park
Order a variety of gift boxes to suit any coffee preference: light, medium, or dark roast. You can also sign up your favorite coffee drinker with a coffee club subscription for up to one year of brown bean goodness.

Summit Coffee, multiple locations
Take your coffee drinker on a java adventure with Summit’s Mystery Box. Get four 4 oz. bags of whole bean coffee. You can also gift three or six-month coffee subscriptions.

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Kampai

Prime Fish Cellars, Cotswold
Offering many hard-to-find sakes, artisanal soy sauces, and other Japanese delicacies, this store also offers premium wines, truffle salts, caviar. and more. They can create a custom basket for you starting at $75. Pick up in-store or call 980-353-0652 to order.

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Bread and Chocolate

Verdant Bread, Oakhurst
Sign a loved one up for a weekly bread subscription which gets them a different style of artisan sourdough bread, made from N.C. milled flour to be picked up every Wednesday at either the Monroe Road store, The Pickled Peach in Davidson, or High Branch Brewing in Concord. Order online.

Chocolatier Barrucand, Concord
Get your chocolate Santas, reindeer, snowmen, and Christmas trees, crafted by master chocolatier Jean Luc Barrucand. You can also pick up his gingerbread houses and gingerbread men. Purchase in store.

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Keeping the Tradition Alive

Reid’s Fine Foods, multiple locations
Since 1928, Reid’s has been a go-to provisioner for the city’s most discerning palates. Giving a Reid’s holiday food basket has become a Charlotte tradition for many families. They come in a wide variety of sizes and price points. Pick up in-store.

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Spreading Holiday Cheer

Holiday Beers, local Charlotte breweries
Just about every Charlotte brewery has at least one holiday-themed beer. Stop by one and pick up a few cans for under the tree, or go on a beer safari and create your own Charlotte beer variety pack to gift for the beer lovers on your list. Check out December’s Charlotte beer releases.

Old Fashioned Kits and Individual Syrups, Unpretentious Palate
Six of the city’s best bartenders offer their nuanced takes on the classic old-fashioned cocktail. Just add bourbon. The kits give you all six (two cocktails per bottle) plus garnishes. Order online. Larger individual bottles can be purchased at Assorted Table Wine & Shop, The Market at 7th Street/Uptown; Charlotte’s Got a Lot store, Uptown; The Culture Shop, Plaza Midwood/Belmont; and O’Darby’s Liquor Barn, Landrum, SC / Taylors, SC.

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Card It!

If all else fails or for the very last minute, just about every Charlotte food shop, bar, and restaurant offers some type of gift card. It’s always a good idea to have a few “on standby” for the one who somehow slipped through the cracks or for the unexpected “reciprocal gift.”

Happy Holidays!