Gifts Dad Will Devour

Whether he’s a grill master looking for a new way to season meat or a man with a thing for good chocolate, if your Dad loves food here are some Father’s Day gifts that will make his day. If you’re lucky, maybe he’ll share.

Beatrice Bakery's Cahlua Café Dessert Cake
(beatricebakery.com)

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Nestled in America’s heartland, Nebraska-based Beatrice Bakery Co. opened in 1917 when two brothers went searching for a product that could be prepared in summer and sold during the winter. Their search ended when they came across their grandma’s recipe for fruit and nut dessert cake, the foundation for Beatrice Bakery’s line of cakes. Today, the line has been expanded to offer other exotic flavors like the deliciously boozy Cahlua Café Dessert Cake ($6.50-$9.99), sure to please any Dad who likes coffee-flavored liqueur. Based on the popular drink from Mexico, it’s made with a combination of ground coffee, butter, vanilla, Kahlua flavoring and 80-proof vodka. Other flavors include Spicy Mexican Mocha, Irish Crème, Grasshopper and Strawberry Daiquiri.

Cape Cod Provisions Cranberry Bog Frogs®
(capecodprovisions.com)

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If Dad loves cranberries, Cranberry Bog Frogs® ($10/8-ounce box) are for him. They’re a scrumptious combination of sweetened dried cranberries, roasted cashews and creamy caramel, surrounded in milk chocolate and hand garnished with a dried cranberry.  Named after the frogs that enjoy the natural habitat of cranberry bogs, they’re so good they’ve been featured on The Food Network, The Feasty Boys and The Rachael Ray Show. The company was founded in 1996 by Sue Faria, who decided to shift careers at age 40 and devote herself to a business she loved. Her husband worked in the cranberry industry on Cape Cod, a major growing region and the birthplace of the industry back in the early 1800s, which sparked the idea for a regionally branded line of cranberry confections.

Callie's Charleston Biscuits Pimento Cheese
(calliesbiscuits.com)  

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Give Dad a breakfast to remember: Combine fresh Country Ham Biscuits ($45.09/2 dozen) with homemade Pimento Cheese ($19.90/2 containers) from award-winning Callie’s Charleston Biscuits. Each home-style biscuit is made by hand in small batches with only the finest ingredients. They arrive fully cooked and frozen, ready to be reheated and served. As for the cheese, the simple blend of freshly shredded cheddar hand-mixed with pimentos and signature spices is delicious on the biscuits, between slices of fresh bread with a ripe tomato and crisp bacon, smothered on a hamburger or simply on a cracker. Co-owners Carrie Bailey-Morey and her mother, sought-after caterer Callie White, have turned Callie’s Charleston Biscuits in Charleston, S.C. into a household name across the country. One bite and you’ll know what we’re talking about.

Char Crust Dry-Rub Seasonings
(charcrust.com)

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Created in 1957 at Al Farber’s, the family’s legendary Chicago steakhouse, Char Crust® dry rubs ($4.99/4 ounces) will make your Dad the expert griller he always wanted to be. The rubs are so good at creating juicy meats that their trademark is Seals In The Juices®. Co-owners Bernard Silver and Susan Eriksen have added new flavors over the years, but still make all the dry rubs themselves, in small batches with only the best herbs and spices. They are available in Roasted Garlic Peppercorn, Original Hickory Grilled, Ginger Teriyaki, Smoky Spicy Southwest and All American Barbecue, and each one is certified kosher. Also check out the "Rub Your Meat" T-shirts and aprons. Free shipping for foodspring readers through June 30; enter code: FOODSPRING.COM2010 in the comments box and discount will be applied when order is processed.

FOREVER HERBS Spicy Fruit Compotes
(foreverherbs.com)

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Forever Herbs, founded in 1998 in Kansas City, has a goal to bring customers the best in gourmet foods by using only the finest ingredients. The ten Fruit Compotes ($7.29/16 ounces)—Berries and Jalapeno, Peach Berry Jalapeno, Cranberry Jalapeno, Blueberry Jalapeno, Sunrise Jalapeno,  Cherry Berry Jalapeno,  Mango Berry Jalapeno,  Raspberry Jalapeno, Blackberry Jalapeno and Pom Berry Jalapeno—span the flavor palate offering something to please everyone. Tell Dad to try them over cream cheese or Brie, on grilled meats or as a spread for sandwiches.  

HOT SQUEEZE
(thehotsqueeze.com)

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HOT SQUEEZE (5.99/12-ounce bottle) has been called an adult ketchup and the perfect “guy” sauce since it requires no refrigeration after opening. This versatile chipotle-based sauce combines smoky, spicy and sweet flavors and can be used as a condiment for meats, fish, potatoes or vegetables and used as a salad dressing or like a hot sauce on eggs. It’s also great as a finishing glaze on fish, chicken and pork tenderloin. Developed in Atlanta by a catering duo known as the “Chipotle Sisters,” this delicious and complex sauce is great for Dads who love flavor.

Island Treasures Gourmet Rum Cakes
(islandtreasuresgourmet.com)

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Share this authentic, quality rum cake with your father. Moist and sweet, these cakes are available in seven flavors—Vanilla, Chocolate, Coconut, Raspberry, Banana, Cinnamon Pecan Streusel and Lemon in 32-ounce sizes (24.99) and Vanilla, Chocolate, Coconut, Raspberry, Banana and Lemon in individual 5-ounce cakes ($23.99/4 5-ounce sampler). The rum cakes are baked in Island Treasure’s bakery in Manassas, Va., and topped off with a special glaze poured onto them as they come from the oven. While developing the packaging, owner Cassandra Craig wanted the internal container to be attractive as well as functional, hence the re-closeable container that protects the cake during shipping and is perfect for serving and storage—and it’s completely recyclable.

Java Rub Collections
(java-gourmet.com)

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Coffee isn’t just for a morning jolt. Java-Gourmet uses it as a natural flavor enhancer in its Java Rubs ($5.99 per 2-ounce tin), available in flavors like Mojito, Sicilian Citrus, Shanghai Six Spice and Salt Free/Decaf. Susan Atkisson and Brian Friguliette, co-owners of the Penn Yan, N.Y. company, based their products on family recipes where coffee was a “special ingredient.” They are quick to point out that while coffee is a natural flavor enhancer, a coffee taste is not created when combining coffee with savory ingredients. Instead, an amazing depth of flavor and nutty and smoky flavors emerge. Atkisson and Friguliette started out with a company called Keuka Lake Coffee Roasters, introduced the first Java Rub in 2005 and, in 2007, established Java-Gourmet, the first coffee-based specialty food company. The company is not just about food either; it is committed to working within the Finger Lakes community and supporting other local businesses and charitable organizations.

JK Gourmet Granola
(jkgourmet.com)

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Father’s Day can get off to a good start with a delicious and nutritious breakfast. JK Gourmet Granola ($8.99-$9.99) is made from top-quality ingredients and is gluten-free, entirely free of grains, including oats. There’s no added fat, plus it’s filler-free and packed with seeds, dried fruit and heart-healthy nuts. It comes in a re-sealable pouch, making it perfect for eating while hiking, biking, skiing or even on the golf course to sustain Dad while he’s playing 18 holes. This nutritious granola was created by Jodi Bager in 2000, when she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an intestinal disease. In her search for a drug-free way to treat her condition, she decided to change her diet, eliminating all complex carbohydrates including refined sugar. By eating foods like nuts, seeds, eggs, meat, vegetables, fruit and honey, she is now disease-free. The journey inspired her to make Grain-Free JK Gourmet granola and write two bestselling cookbooks, Grain-Free Gourmet: Delicious Recipes for Healthy Living (Whitecap Books, 2005) and Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Le Caramel Topping
(le-caramel.com)

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Co-owners Christen and Vincent Kugener have always had a passion for sweets, so when the best caramel maker in Normandy, France, retired and offered to share his knowledge with them, they jumped on it. Mastering the art of caramel was a year-long process. After learning it, they decided to relocate to California to offer Americans the same quality of caramel to which the French are accustomed. Le Caramel ($12) is patiently cooked to reveal the wonderful flavors of the blend of sugar, creme fraiche and salted butter. Christen and Vincent also add just a touch of salt to accentuate the intensity of the caramel. Handmade in small batches, it has a creamy, fluid texture and a sweet, luxurious taste, making it a dessert topping that pours beautifully without needing to be warmed up.

Napa Soap Company Ceramic Shave Soap Set
(napasoapcompany.com)

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A slight twist on a food gift, Dad can enjoy Napa Soap Company’s Ceramic Shave Soap Set ($49.95), made with re-purposed grapeseed oil from the local wineries in Napa Valley. The shaving soap, poured into a beautiful ceramic mug for waterproof and re-usable packaging, also contains pure aloe vera and French clay and lavender, among other skin conditioning ingredients. The sets are available in a Honey blend, a Red Wine blend and a White Wine blend, and each cup includes almost a year’s supply of shaving soap. Founded by native Napa Valley local Sheila Rockwood, who wanted to create a product that utilized ingredients made in the region, the business combines her interest in the environment and aromatherapy. After researching the therapeutic benefits of cold-pressed grapeseed oil, a by-product of the local wine industry, she decided to use this wonderful ingredient throughout her line.

Narsai's Specialty Foods 100% Silk Gourmet Tie
(narsai.com)

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Another spin on a food gift, celebrity Chef Narsai David, San Francisco Bay area restaurateur, author and national radio and TV personality, wants to dress your Dad. He has designed food and wine motif ties and bow ties ($25) in a variety of colors. Choose from pears, chili peppers, citrus, eggplant, fish, garlic, grapes, mushrooms and olives, to name a few. You’ll also be enticed by David’s line of gourmet food products, ranging from coffees to mustards.

Pain Is Good ChileHead
(originaljuan.com)

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Does your Dad love the searing burn of a good hot sauce? Then give him a Pain is Good Sultans of Sizzle hot sauce caddy ($20.99) from Original Juan Specialty Foods, a chrome caddy that holds three gourmet hot sauces packaged in cool flask bottles. Flavors include Garlic Style, Jamaican Style and Louisiana Style. Be warned—the Kansas City company also produces The Source, one of the world’s hottest hot sauces. Owner Joe Polo infuses his Mexican heritage in all the products he develops for Original Juan, which was featured on Food Network’s “How’d That Get on My Plate.” He manufactures a wide variety of gourmet sauces, salsas, dips and condiments using the Micro-Batch™ process that allows a product to be kettle-cooked in small batches with an emphasis on quality and flavor.

Pomegranate Splash
(marxanabrandfoods.com; clubsauce.com)

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Help Dad up his antioxidant count with these pomegranate-based finishing sauces ($5.99 to $8.99). The savory flavors are created in combination with all-natural, nutritional pomegranate juice and are available in Pomegranate Port, Plum Sake Pomegranate, Black Currant Cabernet and Pomegranate, Blueberry Merlot Pomegranate, Mission Fig Port Pomegranate, and Tart Cherry Syrah Pomegranate. Jules Silver, owner of Club Sauce, is the creator of these savory concoctions, made under the trade name MarXana Brand Foods, which comes from the names of his two granddaughters, Marlea and Xana. The artisanally made, micro-brewed, ruby red pomegranate-based sauces can be used on oatmeal instead of honey, to liven up a martini or on anything in between.

Royal Hawaiian Honey
(royalhawaiianhoney.com)   

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Treat Dad to something as sweet as he is, Royal Hawaiian Honeys ($10-$15) from Tropical Traders, a line of three 100 percent raw and organic, single-source varietal honeys harvested by a family-owned apiary on the Big Island of Hawaii. The company is dedicated to producing the finest quality, artisan Hawaiian honeys and adheres to strict standards of sustainability by practicing organic farming and implementing a Carbon-Free® Initiative. Founded in 2005, Tropical Traders is co-owned by Rebeca Krones and Luis Zevallos, who buy their honey exclusively from the Hawaiian Queen Co., owned by Rebecca’s father, beekeeper Michael Krones. His farm, the Hawaiian Queen Co., (www.hawaiianqueen.com) is located on the southwest side (Kona side) of the Big Island of Hawaii, in Captain Cook, a paradise for bees as it has the perfect combination of moisture and rain, abundant, year-round nectar sources and mild temperatures. Krones, who manages 1,500 hives, is proud to be a family-run apiary, which is one of only a handful of certified-organic apiaries in the entire U.S.

Top Hat's Real Butterscotch
(tophatcompany.com)

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Bring Dad back in time to his favorite childhood ice cream parlor with Top Hat’s Butterscotch Sauce ($7/10-ounce jar; $11/20-ounce jar), based on a 1920s ice cream parlor recipe. Made by hand in small batches, it’s a rich, velvety sauce that turns chewy when poured warm over ice cream. It’s so good it’s been featured in U.S. News, Smart Money, Midwest Living and other publications. Top Hat, a family-run business in Wilmette, Ill., has been making premium dessert sauces by hand, in small batches, with the finest natural ingredients since 1982. They use imported cocoa, select chocolate, fresh whipping cream, dairy butter, Madagascar vanilla and other natural ingredients and never any artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

Venchi Chocolate "Cuba" Cigars
(doralgourmet.com)

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Cuban Cigars have never been easier to buy. Try this assortment of three ($37.25; 718.224.7413 or email doral@doralgourmet.com) –Tartufo Nougatine (with Piedmont hazelnuts), Orange (with candied Sicilian orange peel) and Meringato (with ground meringue). Each is covered in a double layer of 56 percent high-quality dark chocolate, individually wrapped and presented in a wooden gift box. These elegant cigars are made by the famous Silvano Venchi confectionery shop, which opened in 1878 in Turin, Italy. In 2000, Venchi merged with another chocolate master, Pietro Cussino, owner of CUBA chocolate, and three years later returned to the name Venchi, which now has a line of more than 350 specialties imported by Doral International.

Victoria's Catered Traditions Chocolate Covered Popcorn
(victoriascateredtraditions.com )

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What began as a gift for her daughters’ teachers has become a coveted treasure for popcorn lovers. Each kernel of Victoria’s Catered Traditions Chocolate Covered Popcorn, coated in rich, 55 percent cacao European dark chocolate, is air popped and packed in an elegant tin. It’s the added ingredients that make it a gift fit for king. Try the sweet and tart cranberries and roasted pecans, whole dried Montmorency cherries and roasted-salted pistachios, roasted almonds grown in California’s famous Central Valley and homemade caramel. Or go for the indulgent Milk Chocolate Covered Popcorn with Homemade Caramel and Pecans, based on the chocolate Turtle ($9.75/7-ounce gabled box). With more than 20 years experience as a caterer, owner Victoria Costa started her company in 1994, and continues to use only the freshest ingredients for her buttery caramel corn creations.

Woodhouse Chocolate's Chocolate Ties
(woodhousechocolate.com)

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Don’t get Dad just another tie for Father’s Day. Check out Napa Valley-based Woodhouse’s Chocolate Ties, available in milk, dark and white chocolate ($8).  Known for their exceptional chocolate sold out of their retail shop in Saint Helena, Calif., founders John and Tracy Wood Anderson use the same artisan methods to create these whimsical ties as they do for all of their other chocolate creations. The two have loved high-quality chocolates ever since they first tasted them decades ago as students abroad in Europe. They returned many times, and between trips Tracy earned a culinary degree, they had two daughters and they helped John’s parents create a winery and vineyard S. Anderson Vineyard. Nearly 20 years later, the Andersons decided to retire from winemaking and returned to their love of chocolate. Lucky us!—Denise Shoukas

Denise Shoukas is a regular foodspring.com contributor and is the author of foodspring’s food forager blog.

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