The Eat Alberta First  2022 Ultimate Holiday Shopping Guide

Here is our 2022 Eat Alberta First ultimate holiday shopping guide.  We have put together a comprehensive list of great gifts for the foodies in your life that will support small Alberta businesses too.

1. Wildlife Distillery’s first batch of craft whisky is ready.  100% made from local grains, it’s milled, mashed, fermented, and distilled right in Canmore.  Reserve yours through their website.  It’ll sell out quickly.
2. Shop from the Lannie Rae Gourmet 2022 Festive Collection for the best pancake and waffle mixes made in Cochrane.  Gingerbread, Rum and Eggnog, and Cherry Amaretto are the flavours you’ll be craving.
3. A spice set from The Silk Road Spice Merchants (in Edmonton and Calgary) will be appreciated by all the cooks on your list.  Gift the Ultimate Grilling set for that BBQ master in your family, or the Baker’s Delight spice kit for the holiday baker or maybe the Popcorn Spice kit for family movie night?
4. The “Cut Like a Chef” classes from Knifewear will help the foodie in your life hone their knife skills.  Available in Calgary or Edmonton, participants also get a discount on a knife purchase.
5. A Calgary and Edmonton Urban Map Glassware. The website Uncommon Goods sells these city maps etched on really cool bar glass. 
6. Andrew Glazebrook from Innisfail makes handcrafted kitchenware from French rolling pins to his one of a kind spatulas. Perfect for the baker and cook in your life.
7. Gift a local meat box from Bessie Box including producers like Brant Wagyu and Lone Pine Farms.
8. A chef’s apron from Medium Rare Chef is something a cook of any ability will appreciate.  Designed in Calgary by one of our favourite local chefs, Cam Dobranski, they are worn by Top Chef Canada and MasterChef Canada chefs. Stylish but functional, they come in a wide array of colour combinations  Check their website.
9. When you give a cheese club membership from Calgary’s Peasant Cheese, the recipient will get three different small batch cheeses with crackers and accompaniments on the first Friday of each month.
10. For the coffee lover in your life, Ace Coffee Roasters in Edmonton has a coffee subscription that’s packaged and shipped the same day you order. Pro tip: supplement your gift with their online classes.
11. How about starting the Holiday Season with a food experience?  Our friends at Pasu Farms in Carstairs are hosting a Victorian Christmas Dinner on four different dates.  The 8 course meal is served by the team dressed in Victorian dress and it ends with a spectacular flamed plum pudding.  The whole experience is only $97.50 and that includes a gratuity.
12. For fun cooking classes, in Edmonton, visit Awn Kitchen for a comprehensive list of cooking and baking options.  We love the Sourdough starter class.  In Calgary, see the Cookbook Co. Cooks for classes for all ages.
13. Mighty Pines Cocktail Co. from Millarville has a line of five craft cocktail mixes for alcohol based cocktails or mocktails.  Their website has a long list of cocktail recipes you can make and enjoy with friends through the holiday season.  Try the Blueberry Basil with a glass of prosecco.
14. Custom made cutting boards made by Westside Woodworks in Calgary specializes  in end grain cutting boards in maple and walnut.   They will accommodate custom sizes and also work well as charcuterie boards
15. Calgarians know that Steeling Home is a great spot to find unique gifts like hand printed dish towels with the Calgary skyline from local textile designer Natalie Gerber.
16. Made in Alberta award winner GroundUp Eco-ventures upcycles coffee and beer ingredients to make their product lines.  The Born Again protein brownie mix will satisfy your sweet tooth and give your body extra fuel. They’re available around the province or through their website.
17. How about a Cake Club membership for the hard to buy for foodie?  Edmonton’s Sugared and Spiced will deliver three cakes of the subscriber’s choosing annually.
18. Calgary’s UnCommon Cider has a vertical flight gift pack of three YYC Community Ciders.  These ciders come from donated apples from the area so the recipient gets a true taste of Calgary.
19. Edmonton’s Little Mallow Co.’s mint chocolate marshmallows are great for a hot cup of cocoa and make a fantastic stocking stuffer.
20. A handmade olive oil dispenser will be a great addition to any food lover’s kitchen counter. Each piece is hand blown by Calgary glass artist Mandy Patchin at Glass House Xperience.
21. For the tea drinker in your life, Jolene’s Tea House in Banff has launched a limited edition tea trio infused with Canadian maple syrup and aptly named the Maple Collection.  Black, Green and Rooibos teas are included.
22. Recent Taste of Canada Gold Award winner Dee Hobsbawn-Smith’s Bread and Water is at the top of our culinary book must-read list.  Formerly of Calgary, Dee’s collection of essays revolve around the pleasures and frustrations of her chef’s career from Vancouver to Fernie, and from Calgary to Saskatoon.
23. Give your food lover the ultimate foodie experience with a Foraging Walk and Field Cookery Class in Edmonton’s River Valley hosted by From the Wild’s Kevin Kossowan. They’ll not only learn about Alberta’s wild edible plants and fungi, they’ll also cook them up in the great outdoors with this master of the wild.
24. Why try one restaurant at the world-famous Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel when you can try four?  Treat someone to Alberta Food Tours’ Eat the Castle Canadian Signature Experience and together we will enjoy a three hour culinary tour featuring luxurious food and beverage pairings, while also learning about the rich history of this iconic national historic site.
25. Have the best of Alberta’s food artisan’s products delivered to the door of someone you care about with an Alberta Cares Package.  This year the Alberta Food Tour’s Eat Alberta First store has two packages to choose from: The Alberta Chocolate Artisans box features hand-crafted bars from 10 of Alberta’s best chocolatiers.  The Holiday Morning Breakfast box is filled with ingredients needed for a cozy stay-in holiday breakfast morning.  And, both care packages support the Food Water Wellness Foundation in their efforts to increase the health of Alberta’ soil and food.