Non-Perishable Gifts for the Foodie in Your Life

Scented candle: I was always a fan of the Rice Krispies Treats commercial where the mother would pretend she’d spent the day making the sticky treat, which was really as easy as snap, crackle, pop. Well, a food-scented candle can fool house guests into thinking you spent the day baking too. My freshman year of college I used a plug-in air fresheners in a scent called “Kitchen Spice” by the now-defunct White Barn Candle Company and people were always asking where the smell of baking was coming from. For those of you who think a candle isn’t enough of a gift, please reference the “No-Ho-Ho” episode of Happy Endings.

Gourmand fragrance: Remember that Taco Bell commercial where the woman brings a Bacon Club Chalupa to the bar in her clutch because “guys love bacon” and, sure enough, they come a-runnin’ and ask her what “intoxicating” fragrance she’s wearing? Well gourmand fragrances are sort of the real world equivalent to that; composed of notes with edible or dessert-like qualities (think vanilla, cocoa, coffee bean, etc.) they often have a warm and comforting quality to them. Angel by Thierry Mugler, which is said to be the first gourmand fragrance, offers both men's and women's versions of the famous fragrance.

Foodie movie: There is a large back catalog of films that fit this bill; Julie & Julia, Big Night, Chocolat, Waitress — even Bridesmaids could work for the cupcake-enthusiast in your life. Drinking Buddies is one of the more recent releases in this category. Craft beers are big right now and the movie, which stars Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson and Anna Kendrick, is about co-workers at a Chicago brewery who walk the line between friendship and something more. It’s definitely not a holiday film, but it could be the perfect flick for those cold nights in January when venturing outside is too much of an ordeal.