Tag Archives: local food

Triadfoodies Favorite Things & Holiday Gift Guide

Leave a reply

Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays, foodies. It’s our absolute favorite time of year and we are back once again to share with you so many of our favorite things and drop them all into our annual Holiday Gift Guide of Glorious Deliciousness. I forget how many years we’ve done this, but we are thrilled to be back with our favorites of 2022. We hope this guide inspires you to grab a an item or two for a loved one’s stocking or re-create this guide and be more popular than Santa himself. Everything you see here is available at local markets and of course, online. And we are happy to be giving away this basket to a lucky winner. Keep reading to find out how to win.

sippin SNAX

Our newest discovery! When it comes to noshing, a little snack mix can’t be beat. Have you ever sat at the bar, drink in hand and found yourself munching away at the salty bar snack? Melissa Wallace definitely had her eureka moment when she thought of sippin SNAX, a selection of crunchable goodies that specifically pair with wine, beer, and cocktails. With seasoned pretzels or peanuts for beer and red wine, the choices are quite fun. sippin SNAX, like all of our gift guide items, make great stocking stuffers, but they are the perfect housewarming gift. If you know a realtor, tell them about these treats for their client baskets, or you can be the star of the gift giving when you arrive with your bountiful selection. We highly encourage the sampler pack which can be delivered right to your door. We find ours at Deep Roots Market in Greensboro and sippinsnax.com

Whole Hive Honey

Your breakfast biscuit just leveled up…literally. From up here in the High Country, Whole Hive Honey has enjoyed several years of popularity and if you’re a visitor to the Boone area, you’ll see their honey on many shelves. The Hive recently released “Sweet Heat,” a hot honey that is incredible. Enjoy it on toast or biscuits, but I highly encourage you to add it to homemade dressings and sauces to add the slightest kick. Its side kicks are the maple flavored honey that is spectacular in its own right and great in a glaze for roasted chicken or your holiday ham or on a biscuit with a little sprinkling of salt, and the Better than Butter biscuit honey is a newbie as well. You’ll be reaching for these sweeties again and again. wholehivehoney.com 

Gorilla Grains

My love for the Gorilla runs long and strong. We are rarely without our favorite granola in our home. I’m pretty sure that a long, long time ago, Gorilla Grains was one of our first published “favorite things,” and so he makes his return for 2022. This year’s holiday spice tastes like a Moravian Sugar Spice cookie so we encourage you to seek that out online or in stores like Buie’s Market and the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, Saxapahaw General Store, or buy online. I am telling you, this granola…it’s righteous…Its crispy, buttery goodness is unforgettable. There is absolutely no other granola like it. gorillagrains.com

Spicewalla Spice Blend Buxton Chicken Rub

If you’ve been to Asheville’s Buxton Hall, you know the flavors of smoking and grilling and Southern goodness abound. If you’ve been to Meherwan Irani’s Chai Pani then you know why it’s a James Beard Award winner. Irani’s spice company, Spicewalla, has created Buxton’s Chicken Rub and let me tell you, you will use it on all the things. Yes, chicken, but also roasted potatoes, veggies, pork chops, steak, next year’s turkey. It is wonderful. You can order Spicewalla online or you can find it in some local stores but do not deny yourself a trip to the spicewallabrand.com where the choices and flavors are seemingly endless. 

Fisher’s Christmas Whiskey

I feel like I’d be remiss if I didn’t add a spirit to our holiday gift guide. Fainting Goat Spirits Christmas whiskey can be a bit hard to find once it’s released. This infusion of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and orange peel is bottled in limited quantities at the distillery for a short time. And if by the time you read this, the ship has sailed, let not your heart be troubled. Look for it again next year. It’s best to get on their email list. The winner gets a bottle of this incredibly popular spirit. Check out FaintingGoatSpirits.com for more information or visit the distillery in downtown Greensboro.

Batistini Farms Vanishing Grape Balsamic

From dressings on salad (ahem, toss some pickles in it…ahem) to drizzles on risotto, this white grape balsamic from Clemmons’ Batistini Farms is liquid gold in my house. It is tangy and sweet and will forever have a place in our pantry and in our gift guide. Find it b-farms.com.  

Black Mountain Chocolate Fruit Cake

She’s the living Queen of our Favorite Things. Take her to a party and be the “popular one.” Pair it with some sipping SNAX for a salty sweet treat. Pick up more than one as she freezes great. Enjoy her all season long and find her at Black Mountain Chocolate in Winston-Salem. blackmountainchocolate.com

Now you have your list, no need to check twice. So go out and support local small businesses. We will be giving the entire contents of the holiday gift guide to a lucky winner. Follow YES! Weekly on Facebook leave a comment on the gift guide post about what you’re most excited to try. We will announce the winner on Friday, December 9, and the winner can collect their basket on or after December 14. 

Advertisement

A Chef’s Table is Back! Meridian Restaurant w/ Mark Grohman

Leave a reply

It’s been a loooooonnng 16 months since our last Chef’s Table. We had a great launch in 2020, but things went downhill fast after everything was shut down in March last year due to the pandemic. Staying open with takeout was one thing. Reopening to dine-in was another. From staffing issues to supply problems, we weren’t quite sure when we might be able to offer events again.

But one day, mr. foodie traveled for business in the beautiful city of Winston-Salem, stayed at the Brookstown Inn and walked over to his favorite, Meridian Restaurant, for dinner and cocktails and my Mark and Chef Mark resurrected the Chef’s Table.

Meridian Restaurant is located at 411 Marshall Street SW, in the beautiful Brookstown area of downtown Winston-Salem. To say Meridian is one of our top restaurants in the Triad is an understatement. From tapas to a delicious steak, excellent wine pairings and cocktails, Meridian has never disappointed. It’s modern, beautiful and elegant but unpretentious. You can have dinner in your jeans and still feel comfortable. And Chef Mark Grohman knows how to treat his guests.

Chef & owner of Meridan, Mark Grohman, always brings his best game.

Once the ticket sales for the Chef’s Table went live, it sold out in about six hours. In keeping with the spirit of distancing, we kept the event as close to 30 as we could. And on June 15, 36 happy faces greeted one another with hugs and excitement. This is meaningful because after 5 years of Chef’s Tables and it’s evolution over the years, many of our returning patrons have become friends with me and with each other! Each month, it’s like a reunion with veterans and newbies. It was so great to see everyone again. We are back!

Before I show you the courses, I’d like to invite you to take a listen to my podcast, “At The Table With Triadfoodies” on Triad Podcast Network on Apple and here on the web. I talked with Chef Mark about navigating the last 16 months, particularly at the beginning of the pandemic, and what that was like as a business owner. What he had to say was really insightful from a business owner and employer’s perspective and I think you’d enjoy it.

Chef Mark wanted to simply give us a “Taste of Meridian,” five courses that represent the flavors of the restaurant. A little something different along with traditional fare we might be accustomed to seeing at this gleaming restaurant. Let’s take a look at the courses.

The menu

Course 1:
Tete de Porc with ruby port shallot marmalata & strong mustard

Course 2:
House made gnudi w/lemon cream & herbs 

Course 3
Seared yellow fin tuna with Shore Farms spring onion red pepper couscous & Gnomestead Hollow mushroom relish

Course 4
Steak au poivre garlic mashed potatoes fire roasted vegetables wild mushroom cognac sauce

Dessert course
Corsican style lemon cheesecake with caramel sauce

Beautiful Meridian Restaurant
Guests arriving and enjoying cocktails and fellowship

Stay tuned for a new Chef’s Table announcement, coming soon! You’re going to love it!

Triadfoodies Holiday Gift Guide

1 Reply

Happy Holidays, foodies! Christmas is my favorite time of year. As we sit here on a mountain still under a mountain of snow (23 inches over the weekend), I am so excited to share my favorite finds from 2018. I was doing a gift guide before it got popular, ha! Or…at least I didn’t realize other bloggers were doing it.  This guide of glorious deliciousness is ALL LOCAL and easy to get. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you’ve probably seen many of these items before.  These are products I use in my home. I buy them all year. And they are the perfect gift giving items too. It’s NC …right there in your stocking!

You can read the whole story and find out how to win over at YES! Weekly. You’ll need to comment on their Facebook page to win.

Abby’s Better Nut Butter (Date Pecan Butter):

IMG_4298

To say that Abby’s Better Date Pecan is a top fave would be an understatement.  Abby was 15-years-old when she started making her own nut butter, which turned into a business. Now three years later, you’ll find her nut butters on the shelves of most main grocery stores regionally. Abby’s Better also has a a website where you can purchase nut butter, bars and merchandise to your nutty delight. abbysbetter.com

Y’all Sauce

YSC_SAUCES_ON-WHITE

As seen in YES! Weekly a few weeks back, Y’all was born Baptist in Louisville, KY and moved to Winston-Salem where it’s made with passion. We love Y’all sauce because it really goes with everything.  Y’all became a fave when we tried the Come Back sauce in late summer. Then the Jezebel sauce went on the Thanksgiving turkey and man, oh man was that good! Guess what? The winner gets a gift set of all three Y’all Sauces: Henry Bain, Come Back and Jezebel.  You can find Y’all Sauce at Southern Home & Kitchen and Canteen Market & Bistro in Winston-Salem. Check out their website, yallsauce.com for retailers or to have it shipped to you.

As Good As It Gets Salsa

IMG_4083

I love a good salsa, especially a local one. Andrea Cardwell makes the Triad’s newest salsa by hand, pours it and distributes it…all by hand. This salsa is super fresh tasting with a small chunks of veggies you can see and taste. The black bean and corn salsa is just as good and both types of salsa come in mild, medium, hot. Another flavor…get this…called Butt Burner is available in regular chunky salsa only and is made with jalapenos, habaneros and Carolina Reaper peppers.I tried it and lived! You can find As Good As It Gets at many local Lowes Foods, Colony Urban Farm Store and small grocers. Check out asgoodasitgets-nc.com for a complete list of locations. By the way the winner is getting Medium Salsa and Butt Burner. Two delicious salsas! 

Bee Pollen at Colony Urban Farm Store

IMG_4736

Bee pollen? You mean you can actually eat that stuff? Why, yes! It’s fruity, floral and nutty. It tastes to me like a honey infused grape nut cereal. It’s superb on smoothies, smoothie bowls and yogurt.  It’s suitable for ice cream and even salads and other recipes that might require a touch of street and crunch. The possibilities are endless. Bee Pollen is considered one of nature’s most complex foods as it is a complete protein and is stocked with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and anti-oxidants. A spoonful before a workout can give you a bit of energy without it being heavy on your stomach.  A little goes a long way. This bee pollen is produced locally and is supported by Bee Our Future, a local bee conservation initiative that delivers, installs and maintains beehives for businesses and residences throughout the Triad.  Colony Urban Farm Store is located at 492 West End Blvd., Winston-Salem colonyurbanfarm.com 

14-Degrees Coffee

IMG_4702 2

Joey Burdette and Terry Miller, owners of Twin City Hive Coffee Lounge in Winston-Salem, have endeared themselves to many with their cozy coffee shop with desserts and confections, pastries and teas. And this fall they launched their very own specially roasted coffee. And coffee great coffee must go on the guide, foodies.  You know it’s fresh and wonderful when there’s a roast date on it. Note to yourself: All coffee should have a roast date on it.  TCH is located at 301 Brookstown Ave Ste 300, Winston-Salem.

Fainting Goat Spirits Tiny Cat Vodka

Tiny Cat cropped

A triadfoodies Holiday Gift Guide would not be the same without some local booze. And we think Fainting Goat Spirits Tiny Cat Vodka is the local staple spirit for your bar and your party.  Tiny Cat starts with organic grain and finishes clean in your glass. Distiller Andrew Norman is even throwing in a recipe for his famous Slightly ImPEARed Cocktail for you here. Check it out at the end of the list. And get the Cat at ABC stores.  faintinggoatspirits.com

Batistini Farms Extra Virgin Olive Oil

IMG_4662Cooking and condiments in my kitchen have been elevated to new heights thanks to Batistini Farms olive oils and vinegars. It’s hard to choose a favorite but you pretty much can’t go wrong with their truly impressive and earthy and fruity Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Organic notes. This EVOO is meant to be savored as a condiment, not to be cooked with. A balsamic drizzled into this oil for a salad or even better, to dip your bread in, is not to be outdone. You’ll see why this combo is a staple at renowned restaurants, like Blackberry Farm.  We also love Tom and Cindy Sephton’s commitment to bringing quality olive oil and vinegar to the area and so much knowledge along with them.  You can find Batistini Farms at Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Wine Merchants & Vin 205 Bistro, just to name a few.  Visit b-farms.com for a full list of locations or to order.

Shady Creek Farm Facial Scrubs

IMG_3995

You know how sometimes we like to mix it up and throw in something that’s not food? Well, this is one of those times. And our favorite non-food this year is a reusable facial scrub from Dallas, NC. How cute is this??  Use these scrubs to get the grime off your pretty face or put on some toner. When you’re finished you toss them in the wash and let them dry. Reuse for another day and feel great  that you’re not adding more trash to the world. Shady Creek Farm also sells “swiffer” type wipes, washcloths, soaps and a whole host of sustainable goodness. Check shadycreekfarmandnursery.com to order or for retailers.

Gorilla Grains

IMG_2918

A perennial fave in my house and was featured in 2015 in our original gift guide. We felt the need to bring Alicia Rehburg’s amazing 100% granola back into the lineup. Mainly because since I’ve moved and I’m farther away from easy access to this crunchy goodness….well, let’s just say absence has made the heart and tummy grow fonder. What makes Gorilla Grains stand out is that it is buttery…you can taste the butter. Other granola has oil as their fat, but the Gorilla’s is butter and once you’ve tasted it, you’ll understand.  You can find this amazing granola at Musten & Crutchfield, Elon College and various markets or order at gorillagrains.com 

Black Mountain Chocolate Fruit Cake

IMG_2602

The quintessential reigning alumnus that’s never been off the list and never shall it be, unless they stop baking it. The boozy chocolatey concoction with Broad Branch Distillery’s Night Lab is for adults only and oh so good. Great with wine. Decadent with coffee or tea. Naughty with a bit more bourbon on the side (in a good way). It’s a Black Mountain delight made at 732 NW Trade Street, Winston-Salem.  blackmountainchocolate.com

Slightly ImPEARed Created by: Distiller & Mixologist Andrew Norman, Fainting Goat Spirits

 1.5 oz Tiny Cat Vodka

.75 oz Winter spiced simple syrup*

.75 oz Fresh lemon juice

2 oz Pear juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake over ice. Strain into a coupe or martini glass.

 *To make the winter spiced simple syrup combine 1 cup brown sugar with 1 cup warm water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add 1 clove, 2 star anise pods, 3 cinnamon sticks, ¾ inch of peeled ginger and sit for 10 minutes. Strain out the solids and keep refrigerated up to a month.

Deck yourself. Deck your friends with these local goodie! Shop local and enjoy.

 

Y’all Is For Everyone

Leave a reply

You can find the YES! Weekly version of this story here.

Y’all: /yahl/ : Contraction of you and all that some say is not a real word (but we all know that it is).

Y’all is also a sauce.  Three to be exact (for now) and it’s made locally in Winston-Salem. Now, y’all foodies know that when I tell you about a new product, I really love it and I use it and I find the story behind the product and its maker interesting enough to bring it to you. And y’all…this sauce is definitely for me and you …because it’s trip to yumtown.  And no this is not sponsored. I bought it. I love it. And so will you! 

YSC_SAUCES_ON-WHITE

And I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. These sauces are so great that they are definitely a triadfoodies Favorite Thing and will be a part of our Holiday Gift Guide giveaway  next month!  (link is last year’s guide)

Y’all Sauce Co. started a year ago with the love of the Lord, bourbon, community and food.  Josh McGee and Paige Harlow originally met six years ago at church in Kentucky where Josh’s wife was a pastor. “We loved to eat, but hated our jobs and were looking for an awesome way to work together and came up with the idea of doing something with food over the course of drinking some bourbon, which always gives you the best ideas,” Paige joked.

static1.squarespace

Josh and his wife eventually moved to Winston-Salem so that she could take a pastoral position at First Baptist.  Josh comes from a culinary background and says, “I worked in the industry for 15 years, was a sous chef in Charleston, where I cut my culinary chops. I thought, wouldn’t it be great to pair my culinary background and her marketing background.” Around the time of the move, Josh and Paige decided to become business partners and settled on the idea of a sauce company. 

But then, what in the world were they going to name their new company?

Josh remembers, “We started with some southern names, a spin on the southern culture…we kicked around all kinds of ideas….Southern Plated is the name of our company, but the name of the sauce? Nothing really rolled off the tongue. We were talking about community and our identity and Paige blurts ‘y’all!’ And that was it.”

Paige says their tag line, Eat Up Y’all is the perfect slogan.  “It just made sense because y’all is such an inclusive word. Y’all goes beyond gender, race, religion. We wanted to create a company that included everyone. It’s a divisive time and it’s important to bring people together to the table and have conversation and bridge gaps.”

 

And in true Baptist tradition, pair it with community and make the conversation happen  around food.

The sauce team says the move, the sauce and the city of Winston-Salem are a perfect match. “What we love about Winston-Salem is what Louisville was 10 years ago. The upswing of honing in on local restaurants, local ingredients and all these farmers doing great things. We want to tell the story and heritage of the sauce and how it brings community together.” 

For now, there are three sauces telling those stories, with many more stories to come. The first is the iconic Henry Bain, which Paige and Josh both discovered in Kentucky. It’s a bit of a sweet and tangy version of a barbecue sauce, that Josh tweaked and modernized with a hint of bourbon.  By the way, Henry Bain was a waiter and created his namesake sauce at the Pendennis Club in 1881. How’s that for a legacy?

The second sauce is the sweet and spicy Jezebel, which Josh says he became obsessed with in his native Tennessee. Jezebel is like apple butter and marmalade meets horseradish, and though no one can really agree where Jezebel sauce comes from, Josh says, “I wanted to make it more East Tennessee with sorghum and Volunteer Orange. And I love that you can use Jezebel in different ways. Back in the day you’d throw it on cream cheese, but now we use it to glaze hams. I like it on fried chicken, salmon and as a finishing sauce on veggies.”  I plan on putting Jezebel on my Thanksgiving turkey. Josh tells me it will be “ah-mazing.” 

I became a fan of Y’all Sauce when I scooped up the Mississippi Come Back sauce, which is a staple in the deep south and used so many ways including as a burger topping or as a dip for fries or tater tots. It’s like a white barbecue sauce that will have you come back for more, hence the name. My tip, give it a try as the dressing on a warm potato salad. It’s so yummy. 

In the south, every sauce has a story and the team wants to tell all of them. Paige says, “The plan going forward is to have a different sauce for each southern state, such as Trinity Sauce for Louisiana and of course a sauce that would be cool for North Carolina.” Whatever will it be? I’m told it may be a bit more than just Eastern BBQ.

YALL-SHELF

She adds, “We’re both history buffs and we love the culture here. The south is a real mix of cultures…we want to tell the story of the different sauces. It’s exciting to keep these stories alive.”

Y’all Sauce is catching on in the area, particularly in Winston-Salem where it can now be found at Southern Home & Kitchen, Canteen Market and Bistro, Washington Perk, City Beverage, Mast General Store and Lowes Foods. 

YALL-TEAM

Josh says they plan to be in front of the community as he continues to put down roots here. Josh says, “The community is something so unique to Winston-Salem. It’s a hub for a lot of cool things happening…from the restaurants and the farms to the craft beer scene and wineries. There’s so much great energy here and we want to be on the forefront of that and embrace the localness.”

Look for Josh with the Y’alls at the Angelo’s Artisan Market at Wiseman Brewing in Winston-Salem on November 11 from 12-5pm and at Southern Home & Kitchen with some cooking classes early next year.

If y’all want some enjoyable reading on the stories of the sauces. or if y’all want to find out where to buy or to order online visit them here. 

Triadfoodies Favorite Things: A Gift Guide to Glorious Deliciousness

1 Reply

Below is the annual triadfoodies Favorite Things, aka Triadfoodies Gift Guide of Glorious Deliciousness. For your chance to win, visit YES! Weekly…

Foodie fans and locavores…you know I look forward to this every year. For years, my family has created gift baskets full of our favorite things that we’ve discovered throughout the year. I dare say that at YES! Weekly, we might be making a tradition of it, as long as they’ll have me. So here’s the 2nd Annual Triadfoodies Gift Guide of Glorious Deliciousness. And once again we’re going to give our basket (or bag) full of goodies to a lucky winner (for details, click here, as the giveaway is by YES!).

These “favorite things” make perfect stocking stuffers or gifts on their own. My criteria…It must be fabulous and it must be local. We have such talented makers in our area that they deserve to be supported and loved. Another important aspect of these faves are that they are relatively easy to find. We can’t have you going all over town looking for these items. And in most cases you’ll be able find these items at a locally owned shop near you.

Shall we begin the Holiday Magic?

Brewmaster’s Malt Mustard

IMG_5323 (1)

We loved Al Wolf’s mustard when we featured its whole crunchy mustard seed, grainy goodness for our Super Bowl spread feature last January. And since then, we have not been without it. It’s the perfect German mustard made by a German brewmaster, with simple ingredients. The mustard, made with malted barley, is robust and thick and perfect on brats, hotdogs, smoked sausage, sandwiches, pork, you name it.  We like that Al, who came to his new country searching for the American dream, found it right here in the Triad of North Carolina as the brewmaster for Red Oak Brewing.  You get bonus local supporter points if you pair Malt Mustard with a Red Oak Lager and/or Lowe’s Foods SausageWorks Sausage, particularly anything with Texas Pete in it. You can find Malt Mustard at Lowe’s Foods and Whole Foods or buy online at brewmastersmalt.com   

Sutler’s Spirits Gin

IMG_7211

True to form, we must always include a NC spirit when it comes to our gift guide. And we’ve never been without Sutler’s Gin since discovering it a few years ago. As a matter of fact, the bottle is so good looking that we just keep it out on display on our bar cart. The science that goes into distilling a quality spirit is one thing, but the art that goes into Sutler’s is on another level altogether. Owner Scot Sanborn has introduced flavors into his award-winning gin that set it apart from any other. It’s really great on the rocks, where you can really appreciate the botanicals. But I also love it with lemonade and a splash of soda. Plan a visit in the near future to Sutler’s distillery in Winston-Salem. You’ll get a lesson in flavor profiles and appreciation that you never expected.  Sutler’s is always holding super fun workshops and tours are available.  Find your Sutler’s at any North Carolina ABC store or your limited bottle amount on site at Sutlers. sutlersspiritco.com 

Little Black Dressing Company It Takes 3 to Tango

IMG_1791 2

I know you know that quandary when you can’t decide which salad dressing you want. Do I want ranch? Thousand island? Bleu cheese? What if you could have all three dressings whipped into one? That’s LBD’s It Takes Three to Tango for you. You get a little of all three of these popular salad toppings. It’s just an amazing marriage of flavors and perfect for the indecisive type. The only thing is, I’ve decided that it’s one of the few salad dressings I actually want anymore. It is magic on a wedge salad or a Cobb or as a veggie dip. LBD Company is based in High Point and has a number of other interesting looking dressings but honestly I can’t stay away from 3 to Tango. You can find it in the refrigerated dressings section all along the east coast at local grocery markets as well as Lowe’s Foods and Harris Teeter. littleblackdressingco.com 

Fool’s Gold Honey (Colony Urban Farm Store)

IMG_7530

If you love honey, you’ll love Colony Urban Farm’s Honey Bar. A honey bar! Honey on tap. Honey in jars. Honey! Honey! Honey! It’s paradise for honey-lovers and Winnie the Pooh too.

Just a few days before press time, Colony announced that they’re branding their honey as Fool’s Gold Honey Co. My favorite in the Colony line-up is the Bourbon-infused honey. You get a little essence of bourbon with their wonderful local honey, from bees they raise right here. Colony threw in a Southern Wildflower and Lavender-infused because …well, because Christmas! Really the choices for honey at Colony are endless. “Because eating honey is a very good thing to do.”—Pooh. There are some exciting things about to happen in the West End in Winston-Salem and these little bees at Colony are in the mix of it, so stay tuned for some fun buzz from these folks. You can find Colony Urban Farm and Fool’s Gold Honey at their new location (opening soon) at 492 West End Blvd, Winston-Salem. foolsgoldhoneyco.com

Batistini Farms Vanishing Grape White Balsamic 

IMG_2977

Okay, okay, we know we’re not growing local olives or Modena grapes here. But Clemmons couple, Cindy and Tom Sephton, are getting us as close to the local experience as possible. About three years ago, the Sephtons began importing 100% Toscano extra virgin organic olive oil and balsamic vinegars from the heritage La Batistina farm in Tuscany.  So you get the real thing and you’re supporting a local business at the same time. We love the pure, clean taste, look and finish of the Vanishing Grape. Paired with a little olive oil on a spinach salad or drizzled on cheese, or you can go wrong with crusty bread. You can find Batistini Farms Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars at Whole Foods, Wine Merchants in Winston-Salem, and online at b-farms.com.

Lily Leaf Soap-Handmade Soap and Spa Products

IMG_9174

No, it’s not food. It is made with food-like, organic ingredients by Tara Kercheval, who puts so much pride and hard work into her soaps, lotions, serums, scrubs and balms and they’ve been a favorite for several years now. Tara has been so devoted that she was able to leave behind her job and focus on her soap business full-time.  We love her soaps to use of course, but they make a great hostess gift or stocking stuffer. And they come in all kinds of fragrances but I like anything that reminds me of the spa, like the lime mint, eucalyptus, or grapefruit lavender. We also love the shave bar. Winner gets two soaps. You can find out more about Lily Leaf soaps, lotions, serums and balms by visiting their Facebook page.

The Traveling Bean Coffee

IMG_6290

Words cannot express the heartbreak over here when our beloved Beans Boro Coffeeshop announced its closing in Greensboro earlier this year. But, let not your (or our) heart be troubled. Roast Master, Kyle Burge, is back in his hometown on Kernersville, right downtown, under a new name. The Traveling Bean is located on Main Street with plenty of roasting action and a family-friendly environment to enjoy your pick-me-up. Winner gets a pound of whole bean Colombian, known for its full, rich flavor with chocolate notes. The Traveling Bean is located at 126-A South Main Street, Kernersville. thetravelingbean.com 

Cackalacky Beer-B-Q Nuts

IMG_5942

Also making a return appearance from our “Super Bowl” special, Cackalacky’s BeerBQ peanuts are the perfect party snack, late night snack, car snack…well, you get it. Our absolute fave of all the nuts out there. And we’ve tried a ton. They’re just  big and special. Trust us. You can find Cackalacky nuts and their other products at retailers across the state, including Lowe’s Foods and Harris Teeter. cackalacky.com 

Black Mountain Chocolate Fruit Cake

IMG_2602

And the Triadfoodies Gift Guide of Glorious Deliciousness (and Giveaway) just wouldn’t be the same without the Queen of Fruitcakes. Like I’ve said before, it’s boozy and so chocolatey and will make you completely forget about that heavy, stumpy thing you once called fruit “cake.” BMC’s fruitcake is made with next door neighbor’s Broad Branch Distilling Company’s Nightlab 1.0. And you can taste to too. Consider this your grown-up dessert and enjoy!  blackmountainchocolate.com 

So there you have it, my gift guide of favorite things.  And you can win this treasure! Find this post on the YES! Weekly Facebook page where you’ll find out how you can win it. Winner will be announced on December. 18. And I’ll be showing this collection of awesomeness …er…glorious deliciousness on Thursdsay, December 14 on WFMY 2’s Good Morning Show. So set your DVR for 6:45am if you aren’t up and going at that crazy hour.