A Santa Cruz County foodie holiday gift guide

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and Christmas and Hanukkah will be here before you know it. Have you started your holiday shopping? Have any foodies on your list? We’re here to help with a few local suggestions.

Gifts in Watsonville

The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and the El Pajaro Community Development Corporation have partnered to produce a holiday shopping extravaganza. Entitled the Watsonville Holiday Factory Sale, it takes place in multiple locations Dec. 6. The El Pajaro Community Development Corporation’s commercial kitchen incubator at 412 E. Riverside Drive is the site of the Winter Holiday Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. About 20 local independent entrepreneurs will be selling goods including ready-to-eat food (like pastries and pupusas), packaged foods and items from food trucks. There will be free hot chocolate and kids’ activities. Also, the Community Development Corporation has customizable holiday gift boxes with various products; visit the online store at epcdc.square.site to place advance orders and pick up your box at the incubator.

Event organizers encourage people to visit the winter market first, then travel to several other Watsonville businesses participating in the Holiday Factory Sale. These include Fruition Brewing, El Vaquero Winery, Martinelli’s Company Store, Freedom Meat Lockers, Santa Cruz Cider and Litos Community Café and Market. Visit watsonvilleholidayfactorysale.com for a map and list of locations.

Recently released cookbooks at Bookshop Santa Cruz

With long hours and a huge cookbook selection (not to mention large inventories of many different genres), Bookshop Santa Cruz (1520 Pacific Ave.) is perfect to browse for cookbook gifts. The store’s cookbook buyer, Stefanie Berntson, has two new titles in particular to recommend, both published in September and both by female chefs who live in the Bay Area. First, “Good Things” by Samin Nosrat, who resides in Oakland. “The beloved author of ‘Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat’ returns with a wonderful collection of recipes — from pancakes to roast chicken — designed to bring people together,” said Berntson. “It’s warm, accessible and perfect for home cooks.”

"Cook Like a King" cookbook by by Melissa King is part of Bookshop Santa Cruz's “Best cookbooks of 2025” list. (Courtesy Bookshop Santa Cruz)

Sustainable shopping

Live Oak Refillery (1135 17th Ave., Suite 103) specializes in two things: goods made from sustainable materials and bulk items such as laundry detergent, body wash, cleaners, lotions, etc., that are sold by the ounce. Here we’re focusing on the first, because these are the ones that are food or kitchen related. Some highlights of what they stock: coconut bowls (with matching spoons) — that you can use for smoothies, cereal or something else entirely — bamboo cups and plates, chopsticks, bamboo straws, bamboo butter dishes, cutting boards, cloth napkins, kitchen towels, reusable Stasher silicone containers and beautiful fabric wine bottle bags created by HopeSTUDIO.

As described on their website hopeservices.org/hopestudio, HopeSTUDIO “offers individuals with disabilities the opportunity to master the art of weaving while building self-confidence” and “a minimum of 50% of sales goes directly toward their commissions.” Live Oak Refillery also carries products from nonprofit Common Roots Farm (which supports people with and without disabilities): bloody mary mix and shrub, jam, syrup and hot sauce.

Maine lobster shipped to you

Cousins Maine Lobster lobster rolls. (Courtesy)

Know any lobster fans? Cousins Maine Lobster — which you’re probably familiar with as the food truck regularly appears at Santa Cruz County wineries — ships lobster and other products directly from Maine. For the holiday season, they have a special Maine Holiday Gift Pack which includes an at-home lobster roll kit (fresh, tender lobster meat plus rolls and butter) plus four whoopie pies and your choice of lobster bisque or New England clam chowder. It ships frozen and comes with easy to follow instructions.

The company has other enticing options including mini lobster grilled cheese sandwiches, lobster ravioli and Maine dayboat scallops. If you want to let your gift recipient choose their favorites, you can opt to buy an online gift card (only redeemable at the online shop, not valid at food trucks). Learn more at cousinsmainelobster.com.

Vintage kitchen items

Kitchen items at The Multi Shoppe. (Contributed)

Looking for one-of-a-kind vintage salt and pepper shakers, dishes and other kitchen items? The Multi Shoppe is a small but mighty shop in Soquel Village at 2940 S. Main St. Jamie Schultze opened her vintage store, which is open Wednesday through Sunday, in 2022. She specializes in “50s, 60s, and 70s vintage, including mid-century modern items. I love finding unique products for my customers,” said Schultze. There are colorful glassware sets, coffee mugs, platters, pitchers and more, and she adds new items weekly. There is also a fantastic selection of vintage clothing and crystals.

Other shops in town with vintage kitchen inventory worth checking out include Attilia’s Antiques with goods from 40 dealers (2630 Soquel Drive in Santa Cruz) and Trader’s Emporium with 30 dealers (4940 Soquel Drive in Soquel).

Le Creuset cookware in downtown Santa Cruz

Top-rated Le Creuset cookware is a fantastic gift for any chefs on your shopping list, and Toque Blanche (1527 Pacific Ave.) carries a wide array of Le Creuset products. For those who want to splurge, owner Charles Nelson highly recommends the Le Creuset five-piece signature cast-iron cookware set, which features a Dutch oven, signature skillet and more, and comes in multiple colors. Another suggestion: the cast-iron 3.5-quart Sauteuse, described as a cross between a deep sauté pan, fry pan and Dutch oven. The set and the Sauteuse are both currently available at discount prices at Toque Blanche.

If you shop this coming Saturday, it’s Le Creuset day at the shop so all LC products are an additional 10% off, even sale items. Plus, there are bonuses like a free tote bag with purchase and cooking demos and tastings with a LC rep from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (including a big shareable Skillet Cookie in the 2.25-quart braiser with glass lid).

Looking for a gift that’s a little less expensive? Nelson recommends two new products: a shark-shaped ice mold from ZOKU, that is both whimsical and useful — large ice cubes melt more slowly, so drinks don’t get watery as fast; and elegant Fellow double-wall ceramic coffee mugs that have a black or white matte body and a copper-colored stainless-steel bottom.

For those with a sweet tooth

Santa Cruz residents are blessed with a multitude of fabulous chocolate and sweets makers. There are so many that we can’t list them all, but here are four: Mackenzies Chocolates, at 1492 Soquel Ave. in Santa Cruz, closed as a “regular” shop last December but started doing pop-ups once a week earlier this year due to customer demand. It’s open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 3, 9 and 17.

Dubai dark chocolate bars from Spontaneous Confections. (Contributed)

Ashby Confections in Scotts Valley (16C Victor Square Ext.) is known for exquisite artisan chocolates and fruit confections. Pastry and confections business Spontaneous Confections, which makes delicious treats like fudge brownies with gold garnish, Dubai bars and unique tarts, opened a first brick-and-mortar location last month at Capitola Mall — currently open noon to 5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.

The restaurant Chocolat at 1522 Pacific Ave. in Santa Cruz recently added a weekend-only retail chocolate section in the main room of its restaurant. Boxed chocolate truffles, desserts and chocolate-related gifts are available. For extra shopping hours, it will be open daily during the last two weeks of December.

Companion Bakeshop retail shop

Local bakery Companion Bakeshop features The Companion Market at its flagship Santa Cruz location (2341 Mission St.), and it’s overflowing with gift possibilities. Vintage items include Fiestaware mugs and rolling pins. Locally made ceramics include coffee mugs. There are gorgeous cutting boards (maple, walnut, cherry woods) plus tea towels, baking supplies and enamelware baking dishes, wooden utensils, French coffee presses, ceramic pour over coffee cones and ceramic butter dishes. In addition to baking cookbooks, there is a section of Bay Area and local author cookbooks.

Local food items include Big Sur Salts jars, Santa Cruz Bee Co. honey and gummy bears from California’s Thistle Valley Farm. There are also fun items like hair claws (croissants, cupcakes, hot cocoa and more) and cookie cutter gift baskets including one with a dreidel, acorn, snowflake and star of David.

Supporting Seabright businesses

As the Murray Street bridge continues to be closed to traffic for a seismic retrofit project, many Seabright and harbor businesses — including restaurants — have seen significant decreases in revenue. By purchasing gift cards, you’d be creating a win-win benefiting them and your foodie gift recipients. Some suggestions: Café El Palomar, Engfer Pizza Works, Johnny’s Harborside, La Posta, Seabreeze Café, Seabright Deli, Tramonti and The Crow’s Nest.

Feeding those in need

Between the continuously rising food costs and the government shutdown that delayed many people’s SNAP benefits, the vulnerable population of our county has had increased food insecurity this season. Many local organizations work hard to alleviate this, and a donation in your gift recipient’s honor would be very meaningful. These nonprofits include Second Harvest Food Bank (thefoodbank.org), Grey Bears (greybears.org), Community Bridges and Meals on Wheels (communitybridges.org) Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes (pvloavesandfishes.org) and Housing Matters (housingmatterssc.org). Also, the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust (montereybayfisheriestrust.org) provides nutritious local seafood to families experiencing food insecurity through its Community Seafood Program.