Tis the Season—Eat Magazine’s Okanagan Gift Guide for Food-Lovers

The Butcher, The Baker, The Wine and Cheese Maker, An Okanagan Cookbook is a veritable who’s who of the Okanagan culinary scene. Authored by food and wine columnist Jennifer Schell, it features treasured recipes from the Okanagan’s best chefs, and is a must-have for the food-lover on your list. An Okanagan Cookbook is a behind-the-scenes look at the chefs, farmers, and artisan producers whose passion and commitment to the local food scene has helped shape the Okanagan as a culinary destination. Available at selected Okanagan locations.

A great chef knife is a must for the serious home cook on your holiday list. Already a major destination for chefs from far and wide, Kelowna’s newly-opened Knifewear specializes in beautifully hand-crafted knives. Sure to please any home chef, the best-selling Masakage Kumo knives are handmade in Japan by blacksmith Katsushige Anryu, a fourth generation knife-maker. Don’t forget to pick up the knife sharpening stone and register for the knife sharpening and cutting classes.  Starting at $175.00.  Knifewear. 2983 Pandosy Street. Kelowna.

Great gift ideas at Lakehouse

LakeHouse, A Home Store  is the place for sourcing a vast array of kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, beautiful aprons and Nespresso machines.  The friendly staff will help you find the perfect gift to suit your budget, be it big or small. Le Creuset dishes are always sure to please, or perhaps a Kitchen Aid Mixer in the color of the season, candy-apple red, is on a special someone’s list. Coveted gifts this year include the Penguin SodaStream ($279.95), a gadget with a cool, sleek design that, with the push of a button, turns ordinary water into a sparkling sensation, and the Vitamix 5200 Blender ($699.95), known as the “Ferrari of blenders” and favorite of professional chefs, now available for the home.  Gifts starting at $3.95.  LakeHouse, A Home Store. 510 Bernard Avenue. Kelowna

Kelowna’s Valaroso Foods, takes pride in sourcing the best of Italy and has a huge selection of gourmet pastas, olive oils, and balsamic vinegars—including the traditional aged balsamic of Modena. For the holiday season, Valarosa Foods brings in special, seasonal European items—biscuits, cakes, and candies vie with dishware from Italy and Panettone from the Veneto region. Put together your own gift basket from anything in the store, or choose from the section dedicated to Valaroso’s favorite gift items. Valoroso Foods. 1467 Sutherland Avenue. Kelowna.  2441 Main Street. West Kelowna.

Agent 007, James Bond, uses the Chemax coffee brewer for his daily cup. Elevate the coffee aficionados on your list to super spy status by packaging together the Chemax coffee brewer, a pound of the special Jack Frost Holiday Blend and an afternoon brew school class. Available at Cherry Hill Coffee.   Cherry Hill Coffee. 1404 Hunter Court. Kelowna.

What to get for the food lover who already has everything?  Handmade preserves from the Okanagan’s best chefs are surefire winners. Exclusive, handmade preserves are available at: RauDZ; Wild Apple Resort at Manteo Resort; Mission Hill Winery; The Bench; Sonora Room at Burrowing Owl Winery; and new this year, Miradoro Restaurant at Tinhorn Creek.

For the host and hostess:  A box of macarons from Sandrine’s French Pastry and Chocolate will bring smiles. Or make the occasion sparkle and bring a bottle of BC bubbly made in the traditional champagne method—Summerhill Pyramid Winery’s Cipes Gabriel; Blue Mountain Winery’s Brut Rose; Bella Wines 2011 ; Haywire Winery’s The BUB.

Happy Holidays!