2023 The best modern gifts for chefs, chefs and the culinary curious

By | November 21, 2023

Whether you’re shopping for the aspiring home cook, the experienced restaurateur, or the culinary explorer looking for their next kitchen adventure, our carefully curated list promises to enhance their dining experience. From innovative gadgets to fine ingredients, each of the gifts on this list will not only inspire creativity in the kitchen, but also add a touch of design sophistication to any culinary space. Delight the foodies in your life with these carefully curated gift items that go beyond the ordinary and celebrate the art of cooking.

There are those who are determined to perfect their knife skills… and then there are those who strive for a period of perfection. The Ritter Piatto 5 manual food slicer, which won the iF Design Award 2021, combines solid traditional craftsmanship with modern technological know-how. It is operated via a smooth-running crank with a beech wood handle and does not require an external power supply, so it can be used anywhere. Thanks to highly functional materials and its timeless design, the food slicer fits into practically any environment. It is equipped with a guide holder for better results when cutting large and difficult-to-cut pieces. Once the food is sliced, it falls onto the bamboo board provided. Four suction cups ensure non-slip safety.

Side by side image of a yellow mesh bag with oysters on the left and a glass bottle with a green label containing vinaigrette

The Hog Island Oyster Club Box contains a mix of Hog Island oysters and specially selected oysters from sustainable growers, delivered to your door. Your first box includes a paring knife, paring gloves, and chef-curated recipes! After you place your gift subscription order, you will receive a digital gift certificate via email so you can share your gift with the recipient at the right time.

The icing on the cake of this gift is Noma Project’s Forager’s Vinaigrette, perfect with shallots for an unforgettable mignonette. Blackcurrant wood oil is harvested from young, tender and bright green blackcurrant twigs with chlorophyll and blended to create a bright and aromatic oil. Wild Rose Vinegar is made from fragrant wild rose petals, hand-picked and blended at an incredibly high concentration to produce a delicate, balanced and floral vinegar. Forager’s Vinaigrette is also great on salads, grilled vegetables, and as a marinade for raw seafood in a ceviche.

Montage image of knives and kitchen utensils next to a bright red confetti cutting board

The Le Petit Chef collection is ideal for curious young chefs looking to help out in the kitchen. It’s a beginner knife set that’s a safe way to teach kids cutting and paring skills they’ll use throughout their lives! This trio puts safety for little hands first, with a knife that features a rounded tip and a gauge ring that makes finger positioning easier and prevents the hand from slipping on the blade. An additional finger ring on the peeler gives children a more secure grip and enables safe peeling. The tools are all made with stainless steel blades and beech wood handles. These real kitchen tools are sharp – adult supervision is recommended when using Le Petit Chef products. Pair the Opinel trio with Fredericks and Mae’s exclusive cutting boards, inspired by the bold colors and lush tones of modernist painting.

Book cover with a soft yellow background with overlapping words in different colors

For any aspiring chef or foodie, Massimo Bottura is an icon. Imagine sharing the story and recipes of Casa Maria Luigia, Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore’s idyllic guesthouse in the heart of the Italian countryside. Casa Maria Luigia offers exquisite food as well as amazing art, fascinating design objects, beautiful interiors and an impressive collection of cars and motorcycles. Through insightful texts, simple recipes and impressive images, this book captures the extraordinary experience of a stay at Casa Maria Luigia. The book contains 85 recipes for dishes and drinks served at Casa Maria Luigia that you can prepare at home, including jams and preserves, cakes and pastries, frittatas and focaccias, salads and drinks, as well as a selection of fish, meat and and vegetable dishes.

Photomontage of a butter container, a block and a pack of seaweed butter and a piece of butter with a butter knife

Let’s face it: Butter makes everything better! But not all types of butter are created equal. And then there are flavored butters like seaweed butter or Espelette butter. Give the gift of exquisite butter from Le Beurre Bordier in a beautifully designed glass container from Ferm Living made from 100% recycled glass. The gift is rounded off with ButterUp, the best breakfast since sliced ​​bread. A special knife that transforms a hard block of butter into luscious, spreadable strips. Its shape was perfected by self-proclaimed “butter enthusiasts,” who prototyped a variety of models before finally settling on a design that features a wide blade with an integrated grater for maximum butter-bread surface area. Spread the love to your foodie friends.

Shot of a long oval wooden fruit bowl with fruits held in it

Nothing is more satisfying than returning home and paying out your farmer’s market bounty. Here is the container my family uses to store fruits and vegetables in a single straight line as we begin planning our weekly menus. The elongated oval shape is reminiscent of an old-fashioned race track. It is made from a single piece of slightly curved beech wood and was designed by Ron Gilad for Danese Milano.

A twisted wooden wall shelf for magnetically holding knives

For many aspiring chefs, having your chef’s knives on display and within easy reach is essential. This 2-in-1 shelf and magnetic board made from solid natural oak offers both functions combined with a simple twist. The shelf is available in 3 versions: natural oak, smoked oak and black oiled oak.

Trio of wine bottles each with different colors and flavors with images on labels

Need a delicious bottle of wine that looks as interesting as it tastes? Look no further. I had the pleasure of tasting with wine broker and former sommelier Matt Ahern, founder of the Wonderland Project. With the help of thoroughbred Sonoma winemakers, the Wonderland Project was launched in 2010 to celebrate California. Each bottle is decorated with eye-catching artwork commissioned by Cheyene Randall. From orange to rosé to red, the tasting notes read like poetry, full of details that transport you to the vineyard at harvest time.

speckled, printed linen napkins with wine stains

Bed linen is the perfect basis for any festive table decoration. But do we always have to buy new ones? My current obsession is Susan Holland’s vintage echo print linen from PLUCK Collective in Miami. This collection brings existing objects to new life. From wine stains to marigold prints, I like how the prints reflect the random unpredictability of nature itself. Much like a worn marble countertop tells the story of your entertaining past, the imperfections and texture of Pluck’s fine linen are as impressive as they are inevitable party fouls or accidents.

Stacked blue and white flat packages of Spanish ham

Carmen and Aaron grew up in parallel worlds, both grew up in Spain with Chinese parents, both came from families of hard-working entrepreneurs. As children, they both ate Spanish and Chinese food, often combining them in delicious and inventive ways. Almost 20 years ago, they moved to the United States, where quality Spanish sausages were difficult to find. And so Mercado Famous was born – an incredibly special brand of high quality Spanish meat. The showstopper gift is the king of charcuterie, the centerpiece of the party, a whole free-range, 100% Serrano pork ham, shipped whole for you to slice fresh. Grain-fed and aged for over 18 months, it is the finest and most prestigious ham in the world. Perfect for first-class dining, Christmas parties and unusual tapas menus. For 40 people.

Follow us so you don’t miss any of our 2023 gift guides this year!

This post contains affiliate links. This means if you purchase something through an affiliate link, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting Design Milk!

TJ Girard is a sought-after food designer and creative consultant celebrated for staging theatrical, interactive food and beverage experiences. She now lives in California where her creativity is solar powered! TJ writes the Design Milk column called “Taste.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *