Austin Food Fight: Perfect Gifts for Food Lovers

0 comments

This year I was honored to be accepted into the Les Dames D’Escoffier, an organization that supports and celebrates women in the culinary world. Many of Austin’s most revered women chefs, food writers, and artisans are part of this group and I’m pretty much in awe every time I am lucky enough to spend time with them.

A key tenant of the Les Dames mission is to support culinary scholarships for the next generation of women studying the culinary arts. They also support various garden-to-plate initiatives in our community. To raise the funds to do all of this they they throw an awesome – and I really mean AWESOME – fund raiser each year called the Austin Food Fight: an auction of culinary experiences, travel, and gifts that are just perfect for any food lover in your life, including yourself.

Ultimate Foodie Experiences

For the foodie that has everything, these unique tours and experiences will be a true treat. Many can’t be arranged outside of this auction making them all the more special. The Guided Fishing Expedition at Bay Flats Lodge on the Texas Gulf Coast is a boat to table experience. You’ll catch your dinner with the help of a professional guide and then cook it along side the Lodge’s executive chef. Or if you’d like to stay closer to home and check a handful of foodie friends off your list in one fail swoop, enjoy a South of France Feast for 8 at new local favorite Easy Tiger. And these are just the tip of the iceberg. Private cooking classes, an East Austin farm tour, a wine dinner at Stone House Vineyard, wine tasting and lunch at Fall Creek Vineyards, and a cookie making party, are just a few examples of the many culinary experiences and up for bid.

Say Cheese Please!

Cathy Strange, the Global Cheese Buyer at Whole Foods, is the President of the Les Dames, and she’s brought her knowledge and connections that only a global cheese buyer can have to the auction. You can bid on tours of iconic cheese producers including Cypress Grove in northern California and Grafton Village in Vermont – each of which include stays at nearby inns for a wonderful getaway. Or, taste all of the goodness that the state of Wisconsin in a tour of Emmi-Roth Kase USA in Monroe, Wisconsin. If you or someone you love thinks cheese is the bee’s knees, these are must-not-miss opportunities.

Gifts That Keep On Giving

What’s better than a one-time tasty gift? How about one that comes back time and again over several months or even a full year! In the Food & Gourmet Items section of the auction you’ll find 4 weeks of produce delivery from Farmhouse Delivery, 3 months of Bola Pizza (some of the absolute best pizza in town), 12 months of Confituras Jam (so good you’ll think you’re in heaven), 3 months of Rogue Creamery’s Cheese Social Club, and a month of Greenling local box delivery. There are also several cookbook packages up for grabs including Edible Austin’s Cooking Adventures Book Package, a Yes Chef gift basket, and an Uchi Cookbook and $100 gift card basket.

Gift Baskets and Gift Cards That Won’t Be Regifted

Sometimes a gift card or basket are an option of last resort, but I’m happy to say that the ones up for grabs in this auction are will be delightfully received and most likely coveted by others. Help a local food lover discover new local artisans with a gift certificates to Amity Bakery, Henri’s Cheese and Wine, Easy Tiger, Lick Honest Ice Cream, or Antonelli’s Cheese Shop. Or treat them to exceptional dining experiences at local favorites like Olive & June, Congress, Wink, El Alma, and Trace.

And More…

I feel like I could go on and on about the wonders of this auction. I also wish desperately that I could bid on and win every single item. But given the financial barriers to that happening, I’m glad I’ve had a chance to share this unique opportunity to find great gifts for the food lovers in your life that they will truly enjoy. I’ve only featured a few of the auction items here so I encourage you to settle in with an nice beverage and peruse the 85+ experiences on the auction site. Bidding ends October 19 so don’t wait too long to the get your bids in!