The 2024 Eater New Orleans Holiday Gift Guide

As one of the best food cities in the world, you probably know more than a few New Orleans food and restaurant obsessives. Luckily, New Orleans chefs, restaurants, bakers, and makers are creating endlessly giftable — and often edible — pieces of the city to share with loved ones. Going beyond ever-reliable gift certificates, the products below span the spectrum of gift-giving, including a foolproof wooden roux spoon, an artisan chocolate advent calendar, and a naked chef calendar featuring some of the city’s favorite stars (that benefits WeHelp NOLA, a nonprofit providing therapy to members of the city’s service industry). Here is Eater New Orleans’s curated list of local gifts to make your days merry and bright, from an inexpensive oyster-shucking knife to the ultimate splurge, a trip to Senegal.

Ayu Bakehouse Hot Mallow Box

Frenchmen Street’s Ayu Bakehouse is one of the best bakeries to open in New Orleans in the last few years — it has concocted one of the city’s favorite new king cakes, as well as savory croissants, fruit tarts, chocolate babka, and more. The bakery goes all out with gift-giving options around the holidays (including an adorable gingerbread house kit sold in-store), but our pick is for this festive 12-pack of handcrafted marshmallows. Available in classic chocolate, pecan praline, and red velvet flavors, giftees need only pour boiled milk over one hot mallow for the most delicious cup of hot chocolate ever.

Big Freedia “Wobble” Sparkling THC Energy Drink

Big Freedia’s “Wobble” sparkling THC energy drink.

The Queen Diva herself Big Freedia has partnered with local THC brand Crescent Canna for her very own sparkling THC energy drink, and we can attest to the fact that this is one tasty seltzer. One can contains 10 milligrams of THC and 100 milligrams of caffeine blended with sweet strawberries and tropical pineapple for a federally legal drink — meaning you can order it for your favorite Freedia fan anywhere.

Commander’s Palace Wood Roux Spoon

Commander’s Palace handcrafted cherry wood roux spoon.

All expert gumbo-makers have their preferred roux-stirring utensil, whether it’s a tried-and-true wooden spoon or trusty metal roux whisk. But we all know someone who could use some extra help getting their roux a bit smoother, darker, and nuttier — or who simply needs a replacement after years of use. Commander’s Palace has you covered with this handcrafted cherry wood roux spoon made by South Louisiana artisan Mike Bonin; both left and right-handed options available.

Đặc Biệt: An Extra-Special Vietnamese Cookbook

The importance of Vietnamese cuisine to the identity of New Orleans food is undeniable. That’s why we love hometown hero and Top Chef alum Nini Nguyen’s recently released Đặc Biệt: An Extra-Special Vietnamese Cookbook, which contains a “recipe for every occasion,” says Nguyen. All of those recipes include a touch of đặc biệt, or something special — a way to elevate, to make a dish more distinguished. For instance, steam eggs to a jammy consistency instead of hard-boiling them for her version of bắp cải luộc chấm nước mắm trứng (steamed cabbage with fish sauce egg), or top pork-stuffed squid with a dollop of caviar. Check out Nguyen’s guide to dining and drinking in New Orleans.

Hubig’s Pies Mix and Match Pie Box

The return of New Orleans’s favorite local sweet treat in late 2022 was some of the best news to hit the city since Benny and Clovis Martin invented the po’ boy in 1929. A box of a dozen mix-and-match Hubig’s Pies — now including the option of blueberry and sweet potato, the two flavors to most recently make a return — is an excellent gift for New Orleanians who’ve moved away, or friends who are still right here in town but don’t want to go hunt down their favorite flavors.

Jiggly Bits: The New Orleans Naked Chefs Calendar

Top New Orleans chefs like Nina Compton, Mason Hereford, and Dan Stein bared it all for a good cause for local food photographer Kat Kimball’s Jiggly Bits: The New Orleans Naked Chefs Calendar, released in October. The restaurant lover in your life is sure to appreciate the collection of ’70s-inspired photographs of some of their favorite chefs, and a portion of proceeds supports WeHelp NOLA, a nonprofit that offers completely free mental health services to service industry workers.

Lagniappe Bakehouse Tote Bag

Kaitlin Guerin’s Lagniappe Bakehouse is making waves: The pastry chef approaches her viennoiserie with an artistry and deliberation honed by decades of training in professional ballet. Everything about Lagniappe is superb, from the decadently flaky croissants to the savory pastries to warmly spiced lattes. The canvas tote bag, only sold in-house, is not only adorable — it has great utility. It’s a keepsake to gift the Lagniappe lover in your life so they can carry a little piece of the bakehouse with them wherever they go.

NOLA Boards Trinity Cutting Board

If you want to go all out to help a loved one punch up their gumbo-making abilities, pair the Commander’s Palace roux spoon with this stunner of a cutting board from NOLA Boards. The company has been nationally acclaimed for its handcrafted cutting boards for years, and this option is a fan favorite. A mix of cherry, maple, and walnut, the board is nine inches tall, 13 inches wide, and one and a half inches wide — the brand claims it’s the perfect size and shape for chopping the trinity (celery, onion, and green bell pepper).

Pêche Oyster Knife

Donald Link restaurant Pêche, helmed by chef Ryan Prewitt, is one of the city’s quintessential modern seafood restaurants with a classic standup oyster bar and fans far and wide. So for anyone who dares shuck oysters at home, this is a great gift — it’s a classic shucking knife with a wood handle and simple Pêche branding. The Link group has loads of great gifts, from wallet-friendly Butcher bread and butter pickles to splurge-worthy cutting boards made by the father of Claire Cook, Cochon’s general manager.

Piety and Desire Chocolate Advent Calendar

Piety and Desire’s chocolate advent calendar.

New Orleans’s artisan bean-to-bar shop Piety and Desire is known for its boxes of carefully crafted bonbons. This year, for the first time ever, Chris Nobles has created an Advent Calendar featuring a cheerful mix of seasonal and classic bonbons alongside a few bites made especially for this box. These will likely sell out quickly, but rest assured there are plenty of excellent Piety and Desire gifts to choose from: four, six, and 12-piece bonbon boxes, chocolate and peppermint drinking chocolate, peppermint bark, and much more that can be found on its website.

Turkey and the Wolf Grinder

Thanks to the kooky and creative minds behind this nationally renowned sandwich shop, Turkey and the Wolf is well-known for its merch, including its signature corduroy hats, Mardi Gras socks, and some extremely fly basketball shorts. Gift the 4/20-lover in your life this high-quality grinder with classic Turkey and the Wolf branding; it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

The Ultimate Splurge: Dakar NOLA’s Taste of Senegal Trip

In the market for the ultimate splurge? Gift your closest loved one a six-day trip to Dakar, Senegal alongside James Beard award-winning chef Serigne Mbaye, January 18, 2025, to January 23, 2025. Dakar NOLA says it will be an immersive experience in the heart of Senegal, including intimate gatherings with local artisans and chefs; explorations of the city’s art, architecture, and youth culture; and visits to historic UNESCO World Heritage sites (like Goree Island). Check out the complete itinerary and decide whether you make a special someone (or yourself) very happy.

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