By Candace Byington and Chris Watson

Hidden amongst the shelves of green and navy beans, eggs and egg noodles, tomato ketchup and tomato sauce, there is a world of interesting and thoughtful gifts lurking at our local markets.  They stand ready for the foodie, chocolate lover, dedicated snicker, or beer connoisseur in your life.  

Although all of these places will probably build a gift basket for you why give them all the fun?  A dollar store holiday bag, some wrapping paper, and a little imagination can create a movie night bag, a wine and cheese night, or an Italian themed dinner for one or for several.  This week we take a look, with these types of gifts in mind, at Kazmaiers, Sofo’s, Walt Churchill’s Market, and Sautter’s.

Creating a gift basket can be a daunting task. Look to Pinterest for thousands of ideas but seek the ingredients at the local markets. This week Candace explored Kazmaier’s in Perrysburg, and Walt Churchill’s Market in Maumee to find perfect partners for gift baskets. She chose three themes, Pasta, chocolate, and wine and cheese.

Pasta lovers will find a tasty variety of locally made linguine and wide noodles at Kazmaiers. They have locally made sauces and organic ones in traditional flavors. The bakery features garlic and French bread, ideal for a pasta themed basket. You can find several chiantis and locally produced cheeses. No Italian inspired basket would be complete without cake. Kazmaier’s features a festive red and green fruit cake from Italy. Buon Natale!

Chris visited Sofos In Toledo for more Italian themed gifts with a special look at oils and vinagers for the serious cook.  Sofos also has premade gift baskets and one of the best specialty bakeries in town.  A final stop at Sautter’s in Sylvania revealed a wide and well stocked selection of local and regional beers plus candies and confections.

Kazmaier’s

Sofos

Walt Churchill’s Market

Sautter’s