You likely have a person in your life who won’t stop talking about the latest food trends, their passion for hosting, their love of cocktails or their obsession with celebrity chefs. Basically they talk about anything and everything that is food and beverage related. I know because these are my kind of people!  So, if you need to shop for a foodie this holiday season, I’ve made it simple with some of favourite stores on island.  They are perfect shopping destinations whether you are looking for an inexpensive Secret Santa gift to a splurge worthy gift for a loved one.   

Next Chapter is more than just a bookstore, and is a must visit stop for me whenever I’m buying gifts. In the past I have found cheese boards, drinking jenga and wine glass tokens at this location.  Of course, buying a cookbook or one discussing wine and cocktails can be an easy choice if you know what they’re into.  Personally, I love chef autobiographies with some of my favourites over the years being Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain, Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson and 32 Yolks by Eric Ripert. 

GOODNESS will always be on my list for gift buying because it is a locally owned business that promotes and supports other locally owned businesses.  Visit this quaint store in George Town for handcrafted charcuterie boards, inspiring coffee mugs, resin tile coasters and colourful dish towels.  They even offer food products from some of Cayman’s most popular vendors including Tea Time Cayman’s loose leaf teas, Tomfoodery’s FIYAH hot sauces, Laurel’s sweet & spicy pepper jellies, Paradise Coffee’s selection of roasted coffees and Cayman Sea Salt’s seasonings, almonds and chocolate chunk cookies.  Want to have all this as one gift?  GOODNESS offers a curated gift basket dubbed the ‘Local Foodie Package’ if you want to gift a smorgasbord of local products. I also love that you can easily browse and place your orders online if you can’t get to their George Town location. 

FIYAH hot sauces by Tom Foodery.

Bon Vivant is perfect if you are looking for time-saving kitchen gadgets, quality glassware or high-end cookware by brands like Le Creuset.  I personally find myself drawn to the kitschy, inexpensive gadgets and have in the past purchased an herb saver, a cauliflower ricer and a seesaw-esque garlic crusher.  Some of their other items that are great gifts for the holidays include a selection of grilling equipment, pizza ovens and the Aarke carbonator.  They also have a wide selection of Christmas themed baking pans, platters, napkins and more to make the actual day even more special. 

Want to do something more interactive as your gift?  There are a few options that you could consider.  If they are wine snobs you can get them tickets to the next Somm Standoff at Aguaor sign them up for a course at WineSchool 3.  If they are more into cocktails then look into doing UNION’s Cocktail Masterclass or a tour of Cayman Spirits.  If you really love them, then you’ll even consider buying tickets for a Cayman Cookout event in January 2023 where they can interact with some of the world’s most talented chefs, sommeliers, wine makers and mixologists. 

Cayman Cookout at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.

Foodies are some of the easiest people to buy for and hopefully this list makes shopping on island easy this Christmas.