Local Treats Make Perfect Gifts This Holiday Season
- Hilary Daninhirsch
- Oct 31
- 5 min read
It is almost gift-giving season, which means that once again, you will have to tap into your creativity to find just the right gift for everyone on your list. One thing that we all have in common, though, is that we all have to eat, so it is hard to go wrong with something edible.There are so many local producers of delicious delicacies, so finding the perfect gift won’t be difficult.
One popular option is pickles from the Pittsburgh Pickle Co. Based in Verona, this company produces five flavors of pickles, as well as such pickle-related products as Pittsburgh Pickle Ketchup & Mustard; pickle juice called Picklexir; and its award-winning Bloody Mary mix, Briney Mary, the latter of which can be found at Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores across Pennsylvania. Giant Eagle stores in the area carry their pickles, and soon, customers will be able to order from their website.
“We started the company with our first recipe, Pittsburgh Style. We realized there was no rule book when it came to flavoring pickles, so we approached it with the most Pittsburgh angle possible. We knew our company colors had to be black and gold, so black pepper and mustard seed were a given. Minced garlic, celery seed, and dill seed are like coal and gravel, all so gritty. Finally, we made a brine that was salty and sweet, just like Pittsburghers themselves,” said CEO John Robi, who owns the business with his brothers.
Olive oils and vinegars are another category of consumable goods that are just right for gift giving. Heather Cramer owns Olive & Marlowe, purveyors of small-batch, artisanal olive oils and vinegars. Cramer said that these make great gifts, as they are not gender specific, and olive oils are pretty universal. “People are so particular about the wines they like to bring, but you need to know less about the person to buy them a good olive oil,” said Cramer.
Olive & Marlowe’s best-selling olive oil is the arbequina, which she described as “…fruity, medium intensity, and great to use for anything.” Other popular olive oil flavors include roasted garlic and Tuscan herb, while both the 25-star traditional balsamic and the fig balsamic are best-selling vinegars.
When you give a gift, it’s a bonus if it is displayed or presented in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Cramer contracts with a local woodworker, who designs wooden crates and boxes with sliding clear lids in which she is able to sell sampler sets of her bottles.
Cramer closed her brick-and-mortar store, but her products can be ordered through her website, certain farmers markets, or local shops such as Café Conmigo in Wexford and Handmade Pasta by Yvonne in Ross.
Maple Street Jam is known for its eclectic flavors of homemade, small-batch jams, such as bacon onion; blackberry vanilla bean; blueberry lemon; honey rum strawberry; or toasted almond peach, to name a few. Caitlin Girdwood, who is also a photographer, owns the business with her mother. The two created the business during the pandemic. “I wanted it to have a high tea feel, so if you hand it to someone, it already looks like a gift; we wanted to evoke the feeling of coziness and togetherness.”
Girdwood used to make pepper jam with her friends, which they loved, so she thought she’d try to make other flavors as well. She tries to source locally as much as possible. Even the rum in one of her liquor-infused jams is from a Gibsonia distillery.
Customers can find Maple Street Jam in various stores throughout Pittsburgh, such as De Fer Coffee and Love, Pittsburgh. At Christmas time, Girdwood creates a special jam exclusively for sale at Gifted Hands locations. “It will be there again this year; it will have strawberries, oranges, cranberries, and a bunch of warm spices like cinnamon and clove,” she said. At certain times of the year, jams can also be ordered directly from the website.
Steel City Salt, based in Millvale with a weekend presence in the Strip District, offers 150 products that are now sold at more than 250 stores nationwide. “At our shop, we hand-blend salts, spices, and seasonings using ingredients from all over the world. Himalayan pink salt, exotic peppers, Italian truffles—you name it,” said Owner John Tarallo.
“We bring the best salts and spices in and then infuse, mix, and blend it right here in Pittsburgh. Some blends are global-inspired from our travels abroad, some are totally unique, and some are pure Pittsburgh pride (Pierogi Salt, Black & Gold Blend, Dill Pickle Salt, Yinzer Dust),” he added.
The products are also sold at a number of Pittsburgh locations, including Batch in Saxonburg, Una Biologicals, and Public Lands, among many others.
You can’t go wrong with chocolate as a gift, as that is a universal favorite. Pollak’s Candies in Etna, which has been owned by the same family since it was founded in 1948, offers handcrafted chocolates using time-tested family recipes.
“Pollak’s Candies is especially known for our signature caramel recipe, which has been a customer favorite since the very beginning. Alongside our classic caramels, many people also recognize us for specialties like our cordial strawberries, pecan delights, and peanut butter meltaways, which have become signature staples over the years,” said Beth Weidner, who oversees retail operations.
Chocolates in particular make a good gift, said Weidner, as they are “…timeless, versatile, and symbolize celebration and care.” At Pollak’s, customers can choose from multiple sizes of gift baskets as well as boxes of chocolates in different sizes, each tied with ribbon, and the store will even gift wrap their chocolates.
Gift sets can be completely customized to the customer’s wishes, and the store also offers corporate gifts. “We work with them to customize the packaging to reflect their brand, whether that’s a personalized box, a ribbon in company colors, or a style designed for a specific occasion. These gifts not only make a lasting impression but also show clients, employees, and partners a touch of thoughtfulness that goes beyond the ordinary,” said Weidner.
Gift givers can also use many of these products as the basis for a DIY gift basket. For example, the olive oils can be paired with wine, cheese, and a loaf of bread, while jam can be part of a themed breakfast gift basket or a curated charcuterie gift.
“We connect memories to flavors. A great memory sometimes has a taste,” observed Robi.
Plus, as Cramer pointed out, edible gifts are practical. “A lot of people don’t like things that will just sit around the house and collect dust, but they will use it up and then be done with it.”
“When anyone makes me anything homemade, it adds an extra level of specialness; that is why I think edible gifts are so great. If you’re buying the jam, especially local, it looks like you curated it and you went out of your way to buy something special,” said Girdwood.