Gift baskets: A taste of the South Coast

By Ron Jackimowicz
Cuisine editor

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 | No comments posted.

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Whether you’re looking for a present that tells people a little bit about where you live, or you need something at the last minute, a gift basket of locally-made products can do the trick.

In many places, this might not be possible. But, here on the South Coast there are a number of places that produce food items perfect for making gift baskets.

Many of the places we visited already have their own gift baskets for sale, but we were looking for a sampling of the entire region.

And it doesn’t have to be expensive. The entire basket pictured with this story costs around $50.

If you are looking for a gift for wine lovers, there are four local wineries in the Bay Area: SeaMist (Bandon), HV Cellars (Gaylord), Old Bridge (Remote) and Old Coyote (Myrtle Point) and there are four more wineries in Elkton.

Chocolate and candy fans have a couple of options as well. Cranberry Sweets in Empire makes something for everyone, including a line of sugar-free chocolates. My wife and I have been taking relatives there for years and this year found a new item, a mix for cranberry pecan brownies.

There’s also a new chocolate-maker in the area, Coastal Mist, out of Bandon. Their artisan chocolates can be ordered off their Web site: http://www.coastalmist.com.

There are a number of local canneries from Bandon to Winchester Bay. At Chuck’s Seafood in Charleston they have pre-made baskets, but they also have plenty of single items if you want to custom make your own seafood gift basket. We picked up a couple cans of solid white albacore tuna. At $4.40 a can, they were a nice way to add seafood to our basket.

Chef Jardin Kazaar makes a line of rubs, sauces and barbecue sauces that he sells at Black Market Gourmet in downtown Coos Bay. My parents liked the Pili Pili Chile Pepper relish that arrived with their gifts last year.

One of my favorite places, especially when putting together gift baskets is the Village Roastery in Winchester Bay. Owner Nancy Faubel makes almost every food item available in the store — and there are hundreds of them. Her Windy Bay Gourmet line includes jams and jellies, sauces, soup mixes, glazes, oils and vinegars, chocolates and vinaigrettes. She also has a bakery that includes pastries and desserts. And you never know what flavor fudge she’ll have on hand.

If you’re putting a basket together for a foodie, this is a place you should put on your list. If you want to preview some of the items at her store, you can visit the Web site at http://www.villageroastery.com.

There are a lot of other shops in our area that would be perfect for this type of basket, but these are a few of my favorites.
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