This is a year where themed foodie gifts just leapt out at me.

Let’s start with the bar.  Two great books to come out this year were The Dead Rabbit’s Grocery and Grog Drinks Menu and Death and Co.  If you know a budding bartender and have a favorite drink do both of you a favor and gift them a great bar book along with that special bottle of spirits they’ll never buy for themselves.  Or a collection of bitters you know they’ve been longing for.  Or simply open the book you’ve bought to the cocktail you want and buy everything needed to make that cocktail.  Put it all in a box or basket with the book.  Voila – a legendary gift.  Culver City liquor store Bar & Garden has a well curated selection.

Combine a baking book like The Violet Bakery with wonderful locally milled flour from Grist & Toll in Pasadena.

The reference book of the year is The Food Lab by Kenji Lopez-Alt.  Buy a good quality digital thermometer to go with it.

An obvious pairing is the new book Donabe by Naoko Moore and Kyle Connaughton with one of the exquisite Donabe pots she imports from Japan.  I have the smallest double lid rice cooker and I love it.

Don’t want to spend too much money?  What about the book Cheddar and a hunk of great aged Cheddar from a local cheese shop for you fave cheesehead.

If your foodie is also a gardener get them Madhur Jaffrey’s The Vegetarian Table and a curry leaf plant like the one I just bought myself.

You get the picture.  Have fun!