2024 Holiday Gift Guide

Corporate Gifts and Company Events

Almotti Gluten-Free Italian Delicacies

Italian pastries, breads and desserts that are delicious and gluten-free.
WHAT TO GET: Order party trays for the office or gift boxes for clients, like a gluten- and dairy-free cookie tray, classic gift baskets or gift cards.
PRICE RANGE: From $15
WHERE: Pick up 14395 SW 139 Ct., Suite 102, or order for delivery
MORE INFO: Almotti

Cao Chocolates

Miami bean-to-bar chocolatier Ricardo “Cao” Trillos not only creates chocolates, he leads virtual and in-person chocolate tastings for Fortune 500 industry leaders and businesses all over the world. He also creates gift baskets and chocolate collections.
WHERE: Order online
MORE INFO: Cao Chocolates

Schnebly Redland’s Winery

The southernmost winery in the continental U.S., Schnebly produces tropical fruit wines, including passonfruit, pineapple, beach rose, guava, lychee, mango, avocado, coconut and carambola, making a true South Florida-flavored gift for clients. Their beautiful winery – with lush waterfalls and tiki huts – is a charming location for holiday parties.
WHERE: 30205 SW 217 Ave.
MORE INFO: schneblywinery.com

Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe, Coral Gables

Let longtime Miracle Mile merchant Jeffrey Wolfe select exactly the right wines for your recipients and your budget.
WHERE: 124 Miracle Mile
MORE INFO: Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe

Local Non-Food Gifts

Burger Beast Merch

Sef Gonzalez is a human encyclopedia of local pop culture and esoteric comfort food lore. On his website, find pop-culture t-shirts like the Brian Reedy-designed Cruz Diablo shirt and Los Piratas.
WHAT TO GET? You can find retro Burger Beast t-shirts on his website.
PRICE RANGE: From $19.99
WHERE: Order online
MORE INFO: Burger Beast Store

Isabel, Fine Home Accessories, South Miami

Savvy and smart, Isabel brings her good taste and sly sense of humor to her collection of exquisite, whimsical and elegantly practical gifts for every budget, from cookbooks to artwork by local artists, jewelry and housewares.
WHAT TO GET? Serving dishes made from gourds, gorgeous party napkins and lovely glassware are thoughtful gifts.
WHERE: 7334 SW 57th Ave, South Miami
MORE INFO: Shop Isabel

Islamorada Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Center

Visitor centers are filled with information and this one is also a great source for local goods.
WHAT TO GET? Inside this picturesque building in Islamorada, you'll find topical books, maps, ornaments, local hot sauces, just to name a few. One-stop shopping!
WHERE: 87100 Overseas Highway, MM87 (Founders Park)
MORE INFO: Islamorada Chamber of Commerce

Mary Jane’s Closet, Cudjoe Key

If you're going to stop at one gift shop in the Keys, make it this one. You'll find lots of truly local and original Florida Keys-flavored merchandise here, including t-shirts, souvenirs, island home decor, art, ceramics, books and one-of-a-kind gifts.
WHAT TO GET? Get breakfast or lunch while you’re shopping at the adjacent My Morning Joint, or ice cream at the Icestream trailer out front.
WHERE: 22864 Overseas Hwy., MM24, Cudjoe Key
MORE INFO: Mary Jane's Closet

Miami Beach Botanical Garden Gift Boutique

Thoughtful gifts for your favorite aspiring or experienced gardener, plus specialty items from local artisans, garden seeds, jewelry, gardening tools, gloves and their own compost soil, signature garden merchandise including t-shirts, baseball caps, totes, bandanas and reusable water bottles.
WHAT TO GET? There’s an especially good selection of gifts for kids, including creative kits and books.
WHERE: 2000 Convention Center Dr., Tues.-Sun. 9-5
MORE INFO: Miami Beach Botanical Garden

Historical Recipes By Mail Subscription

This isn't local, but we were so tickled by this idea that combines history and food. Recipients receive detailed replicas of handwritten recipes from figures in history, like George Washington, Emily Dickinson and Rosa Parks. Choose a six-month ($42) or 12-month ($78) gift subscription. Each month, recipients will receive a historical document replicated on high-quality paper with painstaking accuracy and attention to detail. Each vegetarian recipe comes with context pages about the writer’s history and the story behind the recipe. There are also history-by-mail subscriptions about national parks, historic cartoons, sports history and others.
MORE INFO: Historical Recipes Subscription

Martha of Miami

Her brick-and-mortar in Westcheste may have closed, but you can still find Martha of Miami’s Cuban-flavored gifts online.
WHAT TO GET? Patria y Vida cafecito cups, a colada y croquetas dish, Cuban Bred t-shorts and onesies, prints about flan and Ironbeer and much more.
MORE INFO: Martha of Miami

Tropical Audubon Society Holiday Pop-Up Shop

WHAT TO GET: Unique bird cards, tropical honey, nature photographs, Florida bird enamel pins and other treasures.
WHEN: Saturday, December 21, 10am-2pm
WHERE: 5530 Sunset Dr.
MORE INFO: Tropical Audubon Society

West of Chester Art

Illustrator Melissa Gutierrez calls herself a memory chaser. Her minimalist prints of places beloved by locals – Churchill’s, Arbetter’s, La Vaquita,  Frankie’s Pizza, to name a few – capture places that are long gone or still around.
WHAT TO GET? New this year is the bilingual Westchester’s ABCs of Miami Book ($19.99). Mini prints ($15) or larger prints ($25).
WHERE: Online
MORE INFO: West of Chester

Eat Local! Artisan Food and Drink

Azul Wine and Spirits, Sunset Harbour

For a decade, this compact liquor store has been providing locals and professionals with spirits and wines.
WHAT TO GET? Amid their vast selection of wine and spirits, bitters, liqueurs and bar supplies is an impressive collection of mezcal and tequila. Need a break? They’re a wine bar, too.
WHERE: 1414 20 St., Miami Beach
MORE INFO: Azul Wine and Spirits

Board Oh!

There are charcuterie boards, and then there are Board Oh! boards, elaborate and color-coordinated edible works of art.
WHAT TO GET? For parties, look for fruit and cheese boards. What creator Melissa Wilson really sparkles is in: her candy and sweets boards, perfect for parties or special gifts.
WHERE: Order online
MORE INFO: Follow her on IG @board_oh_ and contact boardoh@gmail.com

Calizo Condiments

Build your own bundle of Calizo’s olive oils, olives, vinegars, mayonnaise, dry seasonings.
WHAT TO GET: Go online and choose the size you want: 4, 6 or 8 products. Fill your bundle and you’re done!
WHERE: Order online
MORE INFO: Calizo Condiments

Cao Chocolates

Miami’s bean-to-bar chocolatier Ricardo “Cao” Trillos has been creating chocolates and confections since 2009.
WHAT TO GET? Gift baskets (from $85); a three-month chocolate subscription ($135) where recipients will get bonbons and truffles, chocolate bars and baked goods. 
WHERE: Order online
MORE INFO: Cao Chocolates

Cindy Lou’s Cookies, Miami

Walk into this tiny cookie shop and take a whiff of the buttery, sweet, chocolately perfume of the bakery.
WHAT TO GET? Make up a gift box of cookies: classic chocolate chips, loaded peanut butter, seven-layer bars in cookie form, oatmeal raisin, shortbread, cinnamon toast crunch plus specials like lemon cloud, salted chocolate truffle, caramelitas, to name just a few.
PRICE RANGE: Varies
WHERE: 7320 NE 2 Ave.
MORE INFO: Cindy Lou's Cookies

Fookem’s Fabulous Key Lime Pie

Josh Abril’s key lime pies with signature sea-salt Graham cracker crusts are now available at his new brick-and-mortar shop in Coconut Grove.
WHAT TO GET? Choose from mini-pies (from $6) and whole pies (from $30). Flavors include classic key lime, key lime/guava, key lime/espresso, key lime/coconut plus seasonal specialties.
WHERE: 3081 Oak Ave. Also available at Julia & Henry’s, Josh’s Premium Meats, Tinez Farms, Barracuda Taphouse & Grill, Botanico Gin & Cookhouse, Sandbar Sports Grill, Shore to Door Fish Market. Or order online via DoorDash.
MORE INFO: Fookem's Fabulous Key Lime Pie

Gaucho Ranch – Grill Boutique, Little River

100 percent grass-fed meat and much more: beef, heritage pork, poultry, wild-caught seafood, game meats and more, plus an array of grilling supplies for your own asado. They also cater. You won’t find friendlier or more knowledgeable staff.
WHAT TO GET? Heritage Berkshire pork tenderloin ($19.50), Intoku Wagyu franks ($19.25), Flintstones grass-fed cowboy steak ($117.60) and other cuts.
WHERE: New location! 8224 NE 2 Ave.
MORE INFO: Gaucho Ranch. 

Gables Delight Jams

Green Tomato Market Produce Delivery

For the CSA-curious, offices looking for healthy produce, or people who’d love regular but flexible deliveries of local fruits and vegetables, Green Tomato is an ideal choice. They source from Florida farms and artisans and offer a hybrid CSA/delivery service: order a weekly, biweekly or monthly delivery/ You can pause or skip deliveries as needed.
WHAT TO GET? Whatever’s in season, plus artisan foods like kimchi, pasture-raised beef and poultry and Aroa Yogurt. You can also choose special themed bundles: organic mushrooms, dairy, butcher’s variety and so on.
WHERE: Order online
MORE INFO: Green Tomato= Market

Key West First Legal Rum Distillery

We are big fans of Renaissance man Paul Menta – chef, kiteboarder, distiller, local seafood advocate, Keys ambassador, to rattle off but a few of the many hats he wears.
WHAT TO GET? Aside from his locally distilled rums, his distillery is filled with eclectic gifts  – candles, soaps and salt scrub, rum cake, sauces,  you name it. Or treat a friend to a mojito-making class.    
WHERE: 105 Simonton St., Key West
MORE INFO: Key West First Legal Rum Distillery

Knaus Berry Farm

Knaus Berry Farms ships their seasonal favorite cinnamon rolls via Goldbelly for $79.95 for two dozen. Or buy them in person.
WHAT TO GET: Stand in line for cinnamon rolls (insider tip: go there early on a weekday) and bakery goods, or pick up fresh produce, strawberry jelly and a guava pie while you’re there. U-pick strawberry season usually starts in January. Cinnamon rolls are $16.75/dozen, pies start at $13.45. They’re closed on Sundays.
WHERE: 15980 SW 248 St., Homestead
MORE INFO: Knaus Berry Farm

Milam’s Markets – South Florida

This family-owned grocery chain carries foods from so many local artisans, you can make your own all-local gift basket. For Cyber Monday, their gift cards offer 20% off $100 gift cards, only available online.
WHAT TO GET? Susi Licious Cookies, Cao Chocolates, Keez Beez honey, Gringuita cookie dough, Jammy Yummy, Grate Madeleine, Almotti, Health Gate Gourmet, Edda's Cake Designs, Glaser Organic Farms are among local vendors.
WHERE: Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, Redbird, Miami Springs, Sunny Isles Beach, Link at Douglas
MORE INFO: Milam’s Markets

Pamela Wasabi’s Cakes

Natural vegan and gluten-free cakes, cookies, desserts and treats, including seasonal specialties like pumpkin pie, apple cobbler, praline cheesecake and pumpkin spice cake.
WHAT TO GET? Special holiday gift boxes include holiday brownie boxes (from $20) and snow donuts (from $18-32). For your holiday table, order a Pumpkin Spice Cake ($68) or vegan Tiramisu ($60).
WHERE: Order online, or visit their shop at 1602 NW 20 St.
MORE INFO: Pamela Wasabi Bakery

Pammy's Pies

Blueberry, pecan, pumpkin, mixed berry, apple and other flavors, with beautifully decorated crusts come from Pamela Mills' kitchen.
WHERE: Find them at the Legion Park Farmers Market on Saturdays.
MORE INFO: Email her at millspamela@bellsouth.net.

Pampanguena Food, Cutler Bay

We love visiting this friendly market and cafe. They stock a wide range of Filipino foods – baked goods, snacks, condiments, noodles, frozen foods – and do a brisk takeout business.
WHAT TO GET? Anything ube, the vivid purple yam that goes into halo-halo, pastries, ice cream and more.
WHERE: 18623 SW 107th Ave, Miami
MORE INFO: Pampanguena

Ponche Crema Misia Tata

Venezuela’s version of eggnog is sold by the bottle at farmers markets.
WHERE: Find this rich, creamy beverage at Miami Lakes Farmers Market (Saturday), Coconut Grove (Sunday), City Place Doral (Sunday) or call and order.
MORE INFO: 786-395-7685

Robert Is Here

South Florida’s favorite family fruit stand is always a fun visit. Fortify yourself with tropical fruit shakes and sandwiches, check out the farm animals out back and paintings throughout the property, and listen to Robert talk about whatever tropical fruits are in season.
WHAT TO GET? Ship seasonal fruits to out-of-town friends. Stock up on their extensive collection of local honey, key lime condiments, myriad hot sauces and preserves.
WHERE: 19200 SW 344 St., Florida City
MORE INFO: Robert Is Here

Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe, Coral Gables

Longtime Miracle Mile merchant Jeffrey Wolfe knows all about wine and food pairings. Tell him your budget and he’ll select exactly the right choice for your recipients.
WHAT TO GET? While your wine gifts are wrapped, pick up some of Jeffrey's quick pickles.
WHERE: 124 Miracle Mile
MORE INFO: Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe

Get Growing! Gardens and Plants

Lion Fruit Farms Compost, Redland

Vermicompost – organic waste materials transformed into nutrient-rich compost – nourishes the soil and enhances plant growth. Lion Fruit Farms uses earthworms, fish and rabbit poop to create products that build fertility in South Florida’s poor soil.
WHAT TO GET? Worm tea may be used in certified organic production or food processing and handling according to the USDA National Organic Program regulations
MORE INFO: Lion Fruit Farms

Little River Cooperative, Redland

Buy veggie starts, herbs, cut flowers, garden tools, soil, seeds and more.
WHAT TO GET? Little River can install an edible garden on site.
WHERE: Shop at the nursery on weekends at 22305 SW 157 Ave. or order online for pickup or delivery.
MORE INFO: Little River Cooperative

Orchidscape, South Florida

Orchid experts Sanna and her team will source customized orchids, such as Encyclia, Oncidium, Brassia, Cattleya, Schomburghia, Grammatophylums and select hybrids, design and install them in trees and palms for optimal viewing. They can maintain them regularly, too.
WHAT TO GET: A spectacular gift: have Orchidscape cover a palm tree in colorful orchids. You can also give gift certificates.
WHERE: They cover South Florida
MORE INFO: Orchidscapes

Ready-to-Grow, Kendall

Grow organic vegetables, herbs and fruit in your backyard or condo with the expert help of Dylan Terry and his team.
WHAT TO GET? A fruit tree makes a great gift and Ready-to-Grow has one of the best selections of rare and popular trees, including multiple varieties of avocado, banana, mango, sapodilla, loquat and carambola.
WHERE: Visit their nursery on Saturdays (sometimes only open by appointment; call first) at 4590 SW 122 Ave.
MORE INFO: Ready-to-Grow

Tree Amigos Growers, Davie

Lots of veggie starts including a variety of tomatoes, herbs, eggplant; fruit trees; flowers; and medicinal plants. Jason, John and Santi also specialize in building soil and offer soil, fertilizer, cover crops, gardening tools, raised-bed systems and advice.
WHAT TO GET? They can set up a garden for you, or equip you with everything you need to do it yourself. Gift cards are available, too.
WHERE: 10900 SW 48 St.
MORE INFO: Tree Amigos Growers

Urban Oasis Project, Miami

In the spirit of giving, sponsor a home garden for someone who needs access to fresh healthy food.
WHAT TO GET? For $300, you can donate to Urban Oasis Project’s G.I.V.E. Gardens, where volunteers build raised-bed gardens for those in need. You can also donate for other programs that make fresh, local food available, including their Fresh Access Bucks SNAP Doubling program and community food box programs.
WHERE: Donate online
MORE INFO: Urban Oasis Project

Read! Books and Periodicals

Buying from big online sellers may save you a few bucks, but it doesn’t do anything to support local businesses. Resist the urge to go for one-click shopping and visit your friendly local bookstore. Here are some titles that make great gifts.

The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Good news for bakers –   after 35 years, The Cake Bible is being re-released. Author Rose Levy Beranbaum must have known that pages in the first edition were very likely too chocolate-stained to read. Even better news: the meticulous Beranbaum has tweaked and reworked methods to reflect ingredients and equipment changes. If you geek out on the science of baking, you will be richly rewarded. And if you’re new to baking, these recipes will guide you to success. The Cake Bible has inspired brides and grooms to bake their own wedding cakes and more casual bakers to try simple like Chocolate Oblivion Torte, made with only four ingredients to devastatingly delicious effect.

My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method by Jim Lahey (with Rick Flaste)

Jim Lahey, award-winning baker and author, and founder of the Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City and Miami, got the attention of home bakers when his no-knead bread recipe in his cookbook debuted in 2006. This update adds five new recipes, including a foolproof way of making panko breadcrumbs. For intrepid bakers, there are recipes like peanut butter and jelly bread and pistachio-goji bread; for newbies, the no-knead recipe that uses only water, flour, yeast and salt; and for everyone, terrific recipes for sandwiches, panzanella, and soups that use breads and veggies.

Modern Cuban: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Recipes by Ana Quincoses

Traditional Cuban food served in Miami restaurants – black beans, medianoche, arroz con pollo – respects its cultural origins. So does celeb chef Quincoses in this cookbook, but she also serves up modern-day tidbits, like using frozen pastry disks to make empanadas, and recipes like jackfruit ropa vieja. A guava cheesecake recipe is here, even though she says, “You and I both know that no one ever made cheesecake in Cuba. It is by no means an authentic and traditional Cuban dessert, but this recipe is so good, I had to include it.” Quincoses has also labeled recipes as vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian.

Books & Books

Shop first at local independent bookstores, where you can enjoy coffee and browse at your leisure.
WHERE: 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; 533 Eaton St., Key West; 11297 S Dixie Hwy., Pinecrest; 3409 Main Highway, Coconut Grove; Bal Harbour Shops at 9700 Collins Ave., Miami International Airport.
MORE INFO: Books and Books

O, Miami Books

O, Miami publishes print books, e-books, zines, chapbooks, posters, and other ephemera that document the culture of Miami. Their titles include:

Westchester’s ABCs of Miami
O, Miami is publishing its first children's book, Westofchester's ABCs of Miami by artist and illustrator Melissa Gutierrez of WestofChester. This bilingual picture book celebrates iconic Miami landmarks with unique illustrations for each letter of the alphabet. From A to Ñ to Z, we invite readers to reminisce about Miami's past, discover its present, and create new memories for the future. Now available for preorder; orders will ship by 11/20.

Ventanitas: A Window into Miami’s Coffee Culture
“If you live in Miami, you don’t get your coffee indoors. You get it through a window. A little window. A ventanita.” Through poetry, stunning photos, and joyful interviews, Ventanitas: A Window Into Miami’s Coffee Culture is a view into the lives of people who run these vital Miami strongholds and gather there daily for conversations & human connection. By Daniela Perez Miron, photography by Gesi Schilling

Miami Grubs: Meals and Memories
Miami Grubs is inspired by a failed attempt to find a Miami Subs restaurant. This experience created a rabbit hole conversation around the places that go missing once people leave Miami. What memories do those places carry?" by Lysz Flo for the 2021 O, Miami Poetry Festival. Features stories and poems about Tostones, Steve’s Pizza, Mangú, Morro Castle, Chef Creole, El Rey de las Fritas, Matsuri, and many more.
WHERE TO ORDER: O, Miami

Edible Communities Subscriptions

Did you know there are 75+ Edibles in the U.S. and Canada, each telling the story of their communities?
WHAT TO GET? We’re partial to edible South Florida, of course ($28/year), ideal for friends and family who have moved away. But we’re not the only title in the Sunshine State – there’s Edible Sarasota and Northeast Florida, along with great titles in the U.S. and Canada.
MORE INFO: Edible South Florida subscription

Donate! Nonprofits and Organizations

Your donations support causes that enrich our community. Below are some food and food justice causes making a difference in South Florida.

Black Girls Cook

Established in 2014, Black Girls Cook is a nonprofit organization with a mission to teach adolescent girls of color self-actualization activities and life skills through the use of culinary arts and edible gardening with an emphasis on Black foodways.

Buddy System MIA

Buddy System is fighting food insecurity by creating unique and innovative ways to support the community, beginning with access to free, healthy food.

Coconut Grove Crisis Food Pantry

They organize and distribute groceries to approximately 175+ households every week, relying on the generosity of private individuals as well as educational, civic and religious organizations for food donations and financial support.

Common Threads

This national nonprofit provides children and families cooking and nutrition education to encourage healthy habits that contribute to wellness, equipping under-resourced communities with information to make affordable, nutritious and appealing food choices wherever they live, work, learn, and play.

EatWell Exchange

Working with diverse communities to promote wellness with a focus on their culture, they show communities how to still have their cultural foods and live a healthy lifestyle.

ECHO

ECHO introduces sustainable plants, techniques, and technologies to farmers around the world who are struggling to feed their families. They go out into the world to provide training and resources that empower small-scale farming families to thrive.

Feeding South Florida

Their mission is to end hunger in South Florida by providing immediate access to nutritious food, leading hunger and poverty advocacy efforts and transforming lives through innovative programs and education.

Food Rescue US – Miami

Committed to reducing food waste and hunger in the community, they help the environment by keeping food from decomposing in landfills. Using technology, they engage volunteers to transfer unused surplus food from local businesses to local social service agencies providing for the food insecure.

Health in the Hood

By providing access to fresh foods and health education in low-income neighborhoods, Health in the Hood puts children on the path to healthy futures, giving parents useful information, and creating environments that encourage healthy choices.

Homestead Soup Kitchen

Their mission is to serve those members of the greater Homestead/Florida City community in need of a hot meal, regardless of circumstances, by having a "no questions asked" policy.

MARC, Key West

The Monroe Association for ReMARCable Citizens is a not-for-profit agency that provides life services for adult clients with developmental and intellectual disabilities within Monroe County. At their horticulture program, clients work growing plants from seedlings, repotting, and trimming them as they grow.  

Paradise Farms Foundation

This nonprofit is dedicated to broadening access to holistic methodologies through educational opportunities in agriculture, aspiring growers, chefs, culinary arts, and cultivating local community engagement. We give back by creating opportunities to educate our community on regenerative practices and cultivating local community engagement.

Slow Food Miami

This grassroots, all-volunteer board organization brings the healthful benefits of real food to children and families by building and sustaining raised-bed, organic school and community gardens across Miami-Dade County.

Urban Oasis Project

They make healthy, fresh, local food accessible to all using a multi-faceted approach forging relationships to connect diverse issues and communities, operating farmers markets, an online virtual farmers market, and distributing literal tons of produce from local farms to consumers. Most activities incorporate business practices to create economically self-sustaining programs that serve a wide demographic of incomes.

World Central Kitchen

From serving meals in storm-stricken Asheville and Florida’s Central West coast to feeding people in Ukraine and beyond, WCK is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. They partner with organizations on the ground and activate a network of local restaurants, food trucks or emergency kitchens, serving comforting meals to survivors of disasters quickly and effectively. We are inspired daily by founder José Andrés and his team's work across the globe.