slides: Gift Guide 2012: Great Gifts for Food Lovers

Custom Cake

Sweet
305 Shrewsbury St. Worcester

If you want to give that special foodie in your life a treat good enough to be on the Food Network shows Chopped and Cupcake Wars, head over to Sweet and have chef Alina Eisenhaur's group create a custom dessert for them. Eisenhaur is one of the most accomplished dessert innovators in the country, as her appearances on the aforementioned shows proves, but her team is always ready to create something totally unique for their customers in Central Mass.

Steak Brand

Williams-Sonoma
1245 Worcester St. Natick

This steak brand is the perfect gift for the grill master on your list! The iron brand is a miniature version of cattle brands used to identify livestock and distinguish ranch families, and is hand-forged by a Texas cattle rancher. It comes with a wall-mounting storage rack, and of course, personalize it with your grill master's single, double, or triple initials!

Custom Recipe Box

MalcolmStudioShop
Order Online

Create a one-of-a-kind recipe box, courtesy of MalcolmStudioShop! Start with a size, a color scheme, or a general theme and go from there. Add found objects, hand-painting, stenciling, and more to make your foodie's recipe box as unique as they are. Eco-friendly artist Karen Malcolm up-cycles, recycles, and creatively restores each box, which are all made of solid wood and carefully crafted to last. Boxes accommodate 3x5" cards.

Knife Sharpening

Kitchen Outfitters
342 Great Rd. Acton

Every great foodie or home chef has an equally great set of cooking knives. Well, you have to properly maintain those fine knives, and Kitchen Outfitters out in Acton will sharpen that special someone's knives for just three dollars a piece. While there, look around for the many other cooking supplies you can buy.

Egg Poacher

Bed Bath and Beyond
571 Boston Turnpike. Shrewsbury

This fine egg poacher, made by gourmet cookware designer Calphalon, is totally non-stick and available at Bed Bath and Beyond in Shrewsbury. While there, why not check out other fine Calphalon items, like different griddles and skillets.

Chocolates

Green Mountain Chocolates
1 Rosenfeld Dr. Hopedale

Green Mountain Swiss Chocolatier offers more varieties of chocolates than you can imagine, but specializes in delicious chocolate truffles. Got a foodie friend with a sweet tooth? There is no better, or easier way to satisfy their tastes this holiday season than with a chocolate variety pack.

Organic Gift Basket

Living Earth
232 Chandler St. Worcester

Living Earth is know for its organic and gluten-free food options, along with just having some of the flat-out freshest ingredients in Worcester. Head to their website to begin constructing a custom food basket with just about anything you can find in the store.

Wine Tasting

Nashoba Valley Winery
92 Wattaquadock Hill Rd. Bolton

If you've got a wine snob in your group of friends, you can let them know that they don't need to head to California or abroad for some fantastic wine tasting. The Nashoba Vally Winery offers a wide variety of their own wines and beers, and you can tour the facility to see just how all these intoxicating- in more than one way- beverages come together.

Tap Handle

Wachusett Brewing Company
175 State Road East. Westminster

If you have a home-brewer in your life, they will surely need a tap for all the beer they've been brewing the past few months. Obviously, the Wachusett Brewing Company has some of the best varietal beers in the region, but snag this tap for a gift that will last beyond Christmas dinner.

Candy Bag

Candy Hop
1000 Boston Turnpike. Shrewsbury

Candy Hop is one of the rare old fashioned candy shops still around. Come in and grab handfuls of all your favorite candies, and pack them up for that person in your life that has an odd obsession with Jelly Bellies. With an extensive selection of chocolates and fudge as well, you really can't go wrong at the Candy Hop.