Let’s be honest: Generic gift baskets and bottles of wine are decent gifts for the food and drink lovers in your life. But this year, give them something they’ll actually be excited to dig into. These nine gifts aren’t just delicious, they’re a way to support the makers and independently owned businesses that make our community so special.
Because spending your holiday dollars locally doesn’t just taste better, it feels better, too.
For the Entertainer
Denver Macaron 2025 Holiday Box
At Denver Macaron, Jamie Picasarri and Nikki Finley craft their own brand of the iconic French treat. The pastry chefs, who moved into a new kitchen on Lincoln Street in February, make macarons from potato protein instead of egg whites. The result? Shatteringly crisp, subtly sweet treats even vegan- and gluten-free eaters can enjoy. Order the exquisite holiday box, featuring 12 confections in festive and classic flavors such as horchata, toasted coconut, and peppermint chocolate. ($50; denvermacaron.com. 450 Lincoln St.)
Raquelitas Tortillas Gift Bundle
Raquelitas Tortillas is giving the people what they want: After polling Denverites about their favorite flavors, the 65-year-old company is bringing back two of its most-loved flour tortilla flavors — Mexican Hot Chocolate and Chili Fig — for the holiday season. But if those options don’t strike your fancy, the company offers more than 30 different flavors of tortillas and chips for customers to mix and match in gift bundles from Dec. 5-31. The petite RiNo storefront is open Fridays and Saturdays, noon-6 p.m., when Raquelitas chief marketing officer Ben Williamson also offers guided tortilla tastings. (bundles start at $45; raquelitas.com. 3111 Larimer St.)
Boulder Spirits Adventure Kit
Boulder Spirits, the line of bourbons, vodkas, gins and liqueurs from Boulder-based Vapor Distillery, put together an Adventure Kit with the company’s most popular sippers. The package includes six 50 mL bottles (three bourbons and three American single malts) sourced from the 17-year-old company’s 1,500‑gallon copper pot still. The distilling method, paired with a mash bill with a high percentage of malted barley, yields bourbons and whiskeys with a rich flavor profile. The set, available at Vapor’s two Boulder tasting rooms or at select liquor stores, also includes a QR‑linked video tasting with distillery founder Alastair Brogan. ($45, 5311 Western Ave., #180, Boulder; boulder-spirits.com)
For the Book Worm
“Cucina Libre: Stories and Food by Immigrants and Refugees”
This cookbook by Julia Roncoroni and Delio Figureroa — the married duo behind Cucina Libre, a Denver-based community outreach organization aiming to bridge cultures through food and storytelling — weaves heartfelt first-person stories with recipes from immigrant and refugee chefs across Colorado. Each dish, from Venezuelan plantain sandwiches to El Salvadoran pupusas, invites you into lives shaped by resilience. Bonus: All proceeds from the book benefit the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. ($30, Resilient Roots Publishing )
“Colorado Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by the Centennial State”
Imbibe your way through the Rockies with an expertly curated collection by Summit County–based food writer Amanda M. Faison. For the book, she reached out to over 80 mixologists and bartenders behind watering holes across the Centennial State and authored the text in less than three months. The recipes, published alongside beautiful photography and thoughtfully reported stories about the people and places behind the booze, are a fitting addition to any cocktail lover’s library. ($22.99, Cider Mill Press)
“The Phone Eats First Cookbook: 50 of Social Media’s Best Recipes to Feed Your Feed…and Then Yourself”
After nearly 20 years of reporting on the Mile High City’s best bites, food journalist and prolific author Allyson Reedy has learned through experience that “the phone eats first” — as the social media saying goes. To honor this cultural phenomenon, she scored 50 viral recipes from Instagram and TikTok’s top food creators (think: lasagna soup and doughnut grilled cheese). Complemented by sharp commentary from Reedy (who is a Denver Post contributor) and visuals by Denver photographer Chelsea Chorpenning, the book urges readers to make their meals more ’Grammable. ($35; Rizzoli New York, rizzoliusa.com)
For the Avid Cook
Cube of Butter
When Thoa Nguyen, owner of Banh & Butter Bakery Cafe in Aurora, realized the world of craft butter lacked global flavors, she decided to churn her own. After 18 months of research and development, the pastry chef and recipe developer launched Cube of Butter earlier this year. The scratch-made compound butters — infused with flavors like rich cacio e pepe, zippy lemon herb and umami-forward chili garlic soy — are perfect for slathering on slices of crusty baguette or melting into cooked pasta. Packaged in reusable cubes and available online for pickup at various locations in metro Denver (coordinated by Nguyen after customers order) or at Banh & Butter, 9935 E. Colfax Ave. in Aurora, the product will have home cooks skipping the Kerrygold this holiday season. ($20.99 for 10 ounces; cubeofbutter.com)
Women’s Bean Project Spice Variety Pack
By filling your stockings with Women’s Bean Project soups and baking mixes, snacks and seasonings, you can help the nonprofit support chronically unemployed women. The products are made by the program’s participants, who work at the food manufacturing and distribution business while receiving job training, therapy and other valuable resources that help them find–and keep—long-term jobs. Coveted gifts include sets of spice blends sporting flavors such as green chili, red curry and smoky tomato. (starting at $16; womensbeanproject.com)
Yuan Wonton dumplings
If you want to pull off the ultimate party trick, forgo the charcuterie board and show up with two dozen dumplings from Park Hill’s Yuan Wonton. James Beard Award–nominated chef Penelope Wong and her crew of pleating pros are selling frozen packs of the beloved eatery’s dumplings—ready to cook and serve with accompanying sauces. Pick up bags of tongue-tingling chile oil wontons, vegan Sichuan eggplant dumplings and ginger-zinged Hainan chicken dumplings, and add a jar of chili oil for $9 as a bonus gift for the host or hostess (Starting at $36 for two dozen; instagram.com/yuanwonton)