Five gifts for the foodie who loves to eat, drink and cook
Kansas City tea towel
About $24 at Nelson-Atkins Museum Store and Shop Beautiful locations in Brookside and Hawthorne Plaza
Former Hallmark designer Tammy Smith of Westwood created wire sculptures of Kansas City landmarks, then digitized them to create a print that she applied to pillows, tablecloths and tea towels. The limited color palette of mustard, turquoise and gray evokes the 1950s, and fits nicely in traditional and modern kitchens.
Fruit wood
$1 per stick, or $18 and $35 for small and large bag, respectively, of chunk wood at Woodyard Bar-B-Que, 3001 Merriam Lane, Kansas City, Kan.
A bundle of sticks might sound like a lump of coal to some, but die-hard smokers and barbecuers will delight in specialty woods such as hickory, cherry, apple and mesquite that add aromatics to a pit fire. Frank Schloegel, whose grandfather started selling wood in 1913, says his favorite is pecan. “It’s lighter and smoother than hickory,” he said.
‘Edible French’
$20 at Rainy Day Books, 2706 W. 53rd St., Fairway. rainydaybooks.com.
This charming pint-size book by Clotilde Dusoulier contains 50 French idioms that revolve, like most of French life, around food. Explanations and sample usage are given for descriptions such as “having the heart of an artichoke” for someone who falls in love easily, and “pedaling in sauerkraut” for being in over your head. The fun phrases are accompanied by lovely illustrations.
Peter May kielbasa
$5.85 per pound at Peter May’s House of Kielbasa, 1654 Bristol Ave. Facebook.
Nothing is as welcome or easy to serve at impromptu holiday get-togethers than savory Old World-style smoked sausage. Peter May’s is a sixth-generation operation, making all-natural link kielbasa in a 1929 storefront in the Northeast neighborhood of Centropolis.
Adam Puchta Vintner’s Reserve Norton
$18 at Underdog, 319 E. 55th St. underdogwinekc.com.
Many wine experts consider Norton to be a king among grapes, perhaps Missouri’s finest red. It is inky dark with dark fruit flavors underlaced with high acidity. It pairs well with lamb, duck and roasted meats.
Adam Puchta started making wine near Hermann, Mo., in 1855. Today his great-great-grandson runs the business, which is the oldest continuously owned family winery in the United States.
This story was originally published November 2, 2014 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Five gifts for the foodie who loves to eat, drink and cook."