Food & Dining

12 Southern-made gifts for the foodie on your shopping list

Give the gift of masala tea, lavender jam and sheep’s milk caramel.
By and C.W. Cameron / For the AJC
Nov 26, 2024

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s weekly Stock Up column, curated by contributor C.W. Cameron, is a treasure trove of local and artisan gift ideas for any foodie in your life. From a cookbook for kids to a peach cobbler kit and Georgia-made cocktail syrup, these 12 Stock Up picks from the past year make for delicious gifts at a variety of price points. If you want more Southern-made product ideas, check out the full collection at ajc.com/things-to-do-stock-up.

Cookbook for kids

"Let’s Eat: Recipes for Kids Who Cook." Courtesy of TouchWood Editiions
"Let’s Eat: Recipes for Kids Who Cook." Courtesy of TouchWood Editiions

“Let’s Eat: Recipes for Kids Who Cook” by D.L. Acken and Aurelia Louvet (TouchWood Editions) is for older children ready to tackle real cooking. The book “includes familiar things, like burgers and tacos, but also more adventurous fare, like crispy sesame chicken and falafel,” Hagedorn said.

$31. Available at bookstores and hgdistribution.com/en-us/products/lets-eat.

Crab soup. Courtesy of Austin Nelson Photography
Crab soup. Courtesy of Austin Nelson Photography

Crab soup mix

Stir Deborah Nelson’s Cream da Crab soup seasoning mix into a quart of half-and-half, add canned crab meat and in 20 minutes you have 6 cups of rich crab soup. We love the packaging, made to look like the newspapers used to wrap seafood at Charleston’s famous downtown market.

$16.95 per 6-ounce bag of soup mix. Available at gullahgourmet.com.

Dinnerware. (Courtesy of Fiesta Tableware Co.)
Dinnerware. (Courtesy of Fiesta Tableware Co.)

Dinnerware from Fiesta Tableware

Through the years, West Virginia-based Fiesta Tableware’s line of art deco dinnerware has been produced in 56 different colors, with 13 available now, including the newest color: sky. The extensive line includes plates, bowls, mugs and serving pieces (such as pitchers and butter dishes), as well as bakeware.

$139.99 for a 12-piece dinnerware set. Available at fiestafactorydirect.com.

Jasmine Road gift box. / Courtesy of Joey Pelicano
Jasmine Road gift box. / Courtesy of Joey Pelicano

Gift boxes for a cause

Jasmine Road employs female survivors of human trafficking, prostitution and addiction. The women produce a product line and gift boxes, the most popular of which includes granola, coffee, cranberry-pistachio bark and wildflower honey, among other items.

$15 per 12-ounce jar of honey, $16 per 16-ounce bag of granola, $65-$120 for boxes. Available at jasmine-kitchen.myshopify.com.

Lavender jam and shortbread. Courtesy of the Lavender Cottage & Garden
Lavender jam and shortbread. Courtesy of the Lavender Cottage & Garden

Lavender jam, shortbread

We tried Lavender Cottage & Garden’s lavender peach jam and the sugar cookies, which include tiny bits of lavender that provide just a hint of flavor. You also can buy culinary lavender for baking.

$7.95 per half-dozen cookies, $9.95 per 8-ounce jar of jam. Purchase at the shop (53 Ga. 255 North, Sautee Nacoochee) or thelavendercottageandgarden.com.

Masala tea. (Courtesy of Hosnara Begum)
Masala tea. (Courtesy of Hosnara Begum)

Masala tea

Jar Masala sells masala tea — a South Asian blend of black tea mixed with cardamom, clove, cinnamon and other spices. Six spoonfuls of tea boiled in 1½ cups of milk and water combined make a rich, aromatic tea.

$10.99 per 4-ounce jar. Available at the Alpharetta, Avondale Estates, Grant Park, Marietta, Peachtree Road and Suwanee farmers markets, the Local Exchange in Marietta and jarmasala.com.

Peach cobbler kit. (Courtesy of Pearson Farm)
Peach cobbler kit. (Courtesy of Pearson Farm)

Peach cobbler kit

This peach cobbler kit was a favorite in the 2024 Flavor of Georgia Contest and includes a quart jar of chopped, spiced and sweetened Pearson Farm peaches. All you have to do is melt butter, stir milk into the mix, spoon the peaches over the batter and bake for 45 minutes.

$34 per kit. Available at pearsonfarm.com/products/peach-cobbler-kit.

Pecan oil. (Courtesy of Nancy Webb)
Pecan oil. (Courtesy of Nancy Webb)

Pecan oil

Peacock Orchards’ pecan oil also was a Flavor of Georgia finalist this year. It is perfect for when you want to enhance the pecan flavor of baked goods, like pecan blondies. Peacock Orchards also sells shelled raw pecans, pecan flour and even pecan shells to use when smoking meats.

$10 per 5-ounce bottle, $16 per 8-ounce bottle. Products can be shipped only within Georgia. Available at Canton Farmers Market and peacockorchards.com.

Popcorn with Low Country flavors. Courtesy of Tracey Richardson
Popcorn with Low Country flavors. Courtesy of Tracey Richardson

Popcorn with Low Country flavors

Gullah Pop comes in three Low Country flavors: Lemon Peppa, Haut Pimento Cheese and Ho-Lotta Hissy Fit. The popcorn is popped in coconut oil and then tossed with Gullah-inspired seasonings. You can buy the seasoning mixes, too. We put all three out for guests and the kids loved Lemon Peppa while the adults scooped up the other two.

$14.25 per 1.1-ounce to 1.35-ounce package of each flavor. Order from Amazon or lilliesofcharleston.com.

Rainbow trout caviar 
(Courtesy of Anna Eason)
Rainbow trout caviar (Courtesy of Anna Eason)

Rainbow trout caviar

Sunburst Trout Farms sells smoked and original trout caviar. We tried the original, which is golden pearls of freshwater trout eggs processed with salt and sugar. We loved the flavor — mildly salty, mildly fishy and buttery.

$52.50 per 2-ounce jar of original rainbow trout caviar, $57.99 per 2-ounce jar of smoked rainbow trout caviar. Available at sunbursttrout.com.

Sheep’s milk vanilla bean caramel. Courtesy of Becky Luigart-Stayner
Sheep’s milk vanilla bean caramel. Courtesy of Becky Luigart-Stayner

Sheep’s milk vanilla bean caramel

This caramel from Dayspring Dairy in Gallant, Alabama, is made by simmering fresh milk from sheep with turbinado sugar and vanilla beans. It has the rich, milky flavor of dulce de leche. It’s also available in bourbon and coffee flavors. Southern Living and Garden & Gun magazines included it among their favorite Southern foods, too.

$10 per 5-ounce jar. Available at dayspringdairy.com.

Strawberry lemon cocktail syrup. Courtesy of James Farmer
Strawberry lemon cocktail syrup. Courtesy of James Farmer

Strawberry lemon cocktail syrup

Atlanta-based Farmers Jam’s strawberry lemon cocktail syrup, made with organic Southern strawberries, won a 2024 Good Food Award. The website features recipes that play up mint and cardamom flavors, including a strawberry azalea cocktail to enjoy while watching the Masters next spring.

$12.99 per 8-ounce bottle. Available at Green’s; Tower Beer, Wine and Spirits; the Zero Co.; Chop Shop; Evergreen Butcher and Baker and thefarmersjam.com.

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Here’s one more present we like: A gift subscription to the AJC. Give your favorite foodies unlimited access to all AJC content, including dining guides, recipes and restaurant news. It’s the gift they can unwrap all year long. Gift subscriptions start at $19.99 and offer digital access to every article on the site and the AJC News app. The gift is for new subscribers only, is a one-time purchase and doesn’t renew. Go to ajc.com/holiday to start gifting.

About the Authors

Olivia Wakim is a digital content producer on the food and dining team. She joined the AJC as an intern in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree. While in school, she reported for The Red & Black, Grady Newsource and the Marietta Daily Journal.

C.W. Cameron is a freelance writer who has been covering local food and recipes for the AJC since 2009.

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