16 Dec 18th-Dec 24th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Gift Guide 10 local holiday gifts for the food lover on your list. BY SARA CROCKER W hether you have the cullinarily curious or full-on food lovers on your holiday shop- ping list, gifts that celebrate feasting and cooking are the kind that keep on giving. A snazzy cook- book or a knife can encourage new skills and confidence, while a class may unlock a new hobby. Consider the Phoenix New Times food team your helpful elves, guiding you in finding the perfect present for anyone on your list. We’ve got practical workday tools like tea towels and display-worthy, locally made skillets, as well as fun in-person experiences and boozy rituals. These items also cater to a range of budgets, from sub-$5 stocking stuffers to big gift splurges. Here are 10 gifts to consider for the gourmands on your holiday shopping list. Cosmetics from Caldwell County BBQ 18324 E. Nunneley Road, Gilbert 25000 S. 206th St., Queen Creek Is there someone in your life who simply will not stop talking about their disdain for seed oils? Well, beef tallow is getting used for more than deep-frying these days. Caldwell County BBQ, an East Valley-born barbecue joint that’s made a name for itself with Texas-style smoked meats, has entered the self-care space with a line of skincare made from its leftover beef fat. Caldwell Cosmetics’ line includes lip balm ($3.75), whipped skin balm ($16) and lotion ($14). The balms are made with a blend of tallow, beeswax, olive oil and scented oil. These products are available at Caldwell’s locations in Gilbert and Queen Creek, as well as online. Chef’s Knife from Knife House 4837 E. Indian School Road This Arcadia-based shop specializes in a chef’s most important tool. Knife House has sold and sharpened blades since 2007. In the nearly two decades that have passed, the shop remains a favorite among chefs and dedicated home cooks for premium Japanese and German blades. Knife House has also taken home six New Times’ Best of Phoenix awards, including Best Knife Shop this year. A chef’s knife is an investment and something that’s personal to each cook, so save this gift for your nearest and dearest foodie. Knife House also boasts gift-worthy sharpening stones, cookware and kitchen tools. The store doesn’t list those wares online, given its large and rotating selec- tions, but prices can vary from tens to thou- sands of dollars depending on the blade brand, shape and size. Mugs & Hugs Class at Pip + Clay 617 N. 24th St. Gift the coffee lover in your life with an experience they’ll remember. Among Pip Coffee + Clay’s art classes is one where students will take to the pottery wheel to make their own coffee mug ($60). The studio is our favorite place in the Valley for art classes, and there’s something satis- fying about rolling up your sleeves, getting creative and walking away with something you made. An added bonus, the studio has a cafe where coffee, tea, beer, wine and cocktails flow. Pip makes it easy for shoppers to gift one or several classes with e-gift cards. If you want to add more oomph to this present, consider picking up a bag of locally roasted coffee from one of New Times’ favorite coffee shops. Classic Cooking Academy Class 10411 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road, Scottsdale Give the gift of cooking skills with a class at Classic Cooking Academy. Its chefs have taught home cooks a larder’s worth of skills over nearly 20 years of culinary classes in Scottsdale. And, there’s some- thing for even the most food-obsessed to learn at stand-alone or multi-week classes. Academy chefs begin with a demonstration, then guide participants in recreating a full menu of dishes. Students go home with a packet of recipes and delicious leftovers. In this communal setting, participants may make some new food-loving friends along the way. The academy offers gift cards for each of its class formats, starting at $80 for a single class to $600 for a multi-week program. ‘The Joy Bus Cookbook: Meals That Matter’ 10401 N. 32nd St. Jennifer Caraway’s Joy Bus Diner has served comforting eats in Phoenix and brought healthy meals to homebound cancer patients in the Valley since 2011. Caraway released her second cookbook in October. “The Joy Bus Cookbook: Meals That Matter” ($35) shares 70 recipes while tracing the history of the mission-driven restaurant. Iconic Phoenix chef Chris Bianco wrote the introduction to Caraway’s cookbook. The chef shares how to make her signature Southwestern-meets-Southern dishes, including deviled eggs, Oaxacan mole and Joy Bus Diner staple, Princess Poppy Seed Pancakes. The cookbook is available at local bookstores such as Changing Hands, the Joy Bus website and large retailers including Amazon, Bookshop.org and B&N. Profits from the book go toward The Joy Bus’s work. Hybrid Carbon Steel Skillet from Copper State Forge Copper State Forge is a father-and-son blacksmithing outfit in Goodyear that’s produced handcrafted cookware and utensils since 2021. Their skillets, which range from 8 to 12 inches in diameter, are lightweight, pre-seasoned and stunning, featuring traditional round and unique hexagonal shapes that offer style and substance. Copper State’s hybrid pans blend the two pan shapes, featuring a rounded front for sauteing and crisp edges in the back that function as pouring spouts. Home chefs and pros alike love carbon steel because it combines the best elements of traditional steel and cast iron pans — durability, responsiveness to heat and the versatility to cook on a stovetop or in an oven. Plus, you won’t feel like you’re lifting weights every time you need to pick up the pan. You’ll find Copper State pans online (hybrid pans start at $207). GenuWine Arizona Wine Club Membership 888 N. First Ave., #101 Wine is a quintessential holiday gift, but picking a bottle can be tricky. For the aficionado or wine novice in your life, a wine club membership will introduce them to new sips without you having to become a sommelier in the process. GenuWine is an Arizona-centric self-serve wine bar run by friends Emily Rieve and Lindsey Schoenemann. Their monthly wine club provides two bottles (of all reds, whites or a mixed bag) and includes an Arizona-made or grown product. Members can also visit the wine bar during the first five days of the month to try the wine club options and decide which bottles to take home. Monthly memberships start at $39 and can be bought online. (If you’re looking for a club that’s close to where you or your gift recipient lives, check out these other wine clubs around the Valley.) Tea Towel from High Jinks Apparel Co. 3000 E. Ray Road, #109, Gilbert One of the most useful gifts for people who regularly cook or entertain is a tea towel. It can quickly dry dishes, be folded up to be used as a hot pad on the fly or serve as a fun statement hanging from the handle of your dishwasher or fridge. There are plenty of spots to find a uniquely Arizona towel, but we’re partial to the colorful, vintage cactus prints from High Jinks Apparel Co.($15). Shop their store at the Gilbert hub Barnone or order your wares online. Pako Lazo Pottery 5757 N. Central Ave. 2626 E Pecos Road, Chandler The colorful pieces from Pako Lazo Pottery are mesmerizing, thanks to a dimpled spiral at the center of plates ($30) and serving bowls ($75). This isn’t just a design aesthetic; those dimples can finely grate items like garlic and ginger. The potter also crafts mise en place dishes, butter bells, garlic roasters and herb grinders. Find Pako Lazo Pottery ceramics online and at the Uptown and Gilbert farmers markets. Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Club Membership 1 W. Jefferson St. Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour’s new membership program allows you to gift well-made cocktails from the acclaimed downtown Phoenix bar. The Cocktail Club’s perks will also make the recipient feel like a VIP at Bitter & Twisted. Each of the bar’s two membership tiers offers members one cocktail each week (including mocktails), priority access for reservations and walk-ins, early access to the bar’s events and discounts. Memberships (starting at $55 per month or $595 annually) are limited and can be purchased online. Pako Lazo Pottery makes colorful and useful kitchen tools. (Jacob Tyler Dunn) Arizona wines from well-known large houses and smaller producers can be purchased at GenuWine Arizona. (GenuWine Arizona) PIP Coffee + Clay serves up sips and ceramics. (PIP Coffee + Clay) Caldwell County BBQ has a line of tallow- based skincare, called Caldwell Cosmetics, that includes lip and skin balms. (Caldwell Cosmetics) ▼ Food & Drink
