Gifts with Taste: Matt Armendariz, Blogger at Matt Bites

With the holidays just around the corner, we asked some top tastemakers in the food community to curate their own gift guides from our collection. Check back for more Gifts with Taste and start making your own gift list!

 

Veteran food blogger Matt Armendariz is known for the gorgeous photography, engaging design and standout recipes featured on his blog, Matt Bites. When he’s not in his studio shooting food, he’s on the road or in his backyard having a love affair with his wood-fired pizza oven. Read on for his top holiday gift picks, and get to know him better in our exclusive Q&A.

 

1. Platine Frozen Drop Cookies: I love Platine, and I love cookies. And having these handy and ready-to-bake cookies make life worth living. They arrive frozen; all you do is heat and serve. The smell of freshly baked cookies with minimum work? Yes, please.

 

2. Riedel Vinum Pinot Noir Wine Glasses: While I do my best to live the very easy, casual California lifestyle with minimum fuss, nothing can replace proper stemware at the table. These Riedel glasses are my favorite, and considering Pinot Noir is always on our holiday table from November through December (it’s so food friendly!), I just might need to give myself a gift of these, too.

 

3. The Meadow Murray Darling Sea Salt: Some say you’re only supposed to give the gifts you’d want yourself. If that’s the case, I am definitely walking the talk with this sea salt from The Meadow. Flaky and crunchy crystals lend a clean, salty finish to all sorts of dishes, and I literally travel with small jars of this stuff. As with all finishing salts, it’s too precious to cook with and is best sprinkled on food before eating.

 

4. Ad Hoc Fried Chicken Kit: Do you love fried chicken? Do you love Thomas Keller? Of course you do. I do, too. Which is why this Ad Hoc Fried Chicken Kit by Chef Keller’s Yountville restaurant makes the perfect gift. And can I say the packaging makes it so truly gift-worthy?

 

5. Washed Linen Napkins: There is a casual elegance about washed linen, and owning every color of these napkins from Williams-Sonoma, I can tell you they’re beautiful, so unfussy, and look great pressed or wrinkled. Bundle them up with a gorgeous notecard and you’ve got yourself a great gift to give.