Gifts from people I know, for people who like food and care about who makes it 1. Huwa Olive Oil. Harvested in the West Bank of Palestine, this is an extremely fresh and beautifully designed olive oil. It comes in a squeeze bottle! Bilal is a young entrepreneur who won a small business grant from Queens to pursue this project. His father gave me a tour of Little Palestine in Chicago—content coming soon on that. Price: $16 Available online at https://huwatasty.com/ Available in NYC at Jubilee Marketplace 2. Coffee Subscription from Obscure Coffee Roasters. Roasted in Bushwick by Norberto Peña, this project began as a way to import Puerto Rican coffee. It’s grown to include beans that are sourced directly from farmers throughout Latin America. Price: $12-$20 Available at: www.obscure.coffee 3. Nonsan “Vitaberry” Strawberries. Vitaberry is not a brand, it is a varietal developed in South Korea, and these berries are selected from a cooperative of farmers in the region. These are wonderful and worth trying at least once. They grow in winter, and get better as the season goes on. Price: $20 Available online at kevinschoices.com Available in NYC at Jubilee Marketplace 4. Fauzia’s Jerk Seasoning. Fauzia is a second-generation street vendor in The Bronx—her mom is also named Fauzia! Combining her Jamaican roots with the sundries of a New York halal cart, her inventions like the jerk chicken gyro are legendary. I need to have this seasoning on-hand to try to recreate the flavors at home. Price: $10 Available at fauzias.com/shop 5. Kitchen Scissors from Ernest Wright. These are hand-crafted in Sheffield, UK. The folks who put scissors together are known as “Putter-Togetherers,” and Ernest Wright has invested in the apprenticeship and preservation of these traditions. Beautiful product that I use quite often, but they are currently on back-order. Price: $127.41 Available online at https://www.ernestwright.co.uk/ 6. Floral Terranes. This is a very small wine and cider producer on Long Island. They scour Long Island to find orchards and apples that have been grown for decades, then turn those apples into beautiful ciders. They have great relationships with vineyards as well, and are selective about what grapes they use for their wine production. I particularly love their Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Price: various between $25-$50 Check Wine Searcher for local availability and shipping 7. Premium Sesame Oil made my Mr. Kang in Nonsan, South Korea. This is the best sesame oil I’ve ever had in my life. I encourage you to watch my documentary about the process, Mr. Kang has a really beautiful story. Price: $20 Available online at kevinschoices.com Available in NYC at Jubilee Marketplace 8. Unified Ferments. If you’re planning on celebrating Dry January, do yourself a favor and order these kombuchas. They are easily one of the most interesting beverages I have tried in my life. Whereas many kombuchas use fruit in their secondary fermentation, here tea is used to create really different, unique flavors. I would like to learn more about this process. Price: $25-$30/bottle Available at shop.unifiedferments.com 9. My merch. 50% of all profits go to the restaurants and small businesses featured. I sold out of the Philly line, but there are still shirts available for Tony & Tina’s in the Bronx, LaRina in Brooklyn, and The Pin Lady in San Francisco. Price: $35 Available at www.bigheartedworld.com - @eatingwithrobert