Filtering by Tag: Gift Guide,Cookbooks

CTbites 2018 Holiday Gift Guide for CT Food Lovers

Features Best of CT Gift Guide Holiday Homepage

April Guilbault

’Tis the season of holidays, sparkly and bright, there’s baking and partying well into the night 

The children are excited and the adults somewhat stressed, with planning and wrapping and finding the perfect Christmas vest 

What shall we get for Aunt Mo or Uncle Buck, it’s hard to decide, we aren’t having much luck 

But wait, it’s the Guide, the almighty Gift Guide! CTbites to the rescue, we exclaimed, we cried! 

There’s something for everyone, your foodies and friends, we’ve found several classics, along with a few trends

So wrap them up lovingly with great care and great pride, and present these gifts with a gleam in your eye 

How merry, how happy, the recipients will be, and you, the giver, will be brimming with glee!


Cheesemonger Subscription Box Launches From Fairfield & Greenwich Cheese Co.

Ingredients Features Cheese Delivery Service Home Delivery Gift Guide

Stephanie Webster

Fairfield & Greenwich Cheese Company have introduced a subscription cheese box service that curates small batch, artisan and traditional cheeses and delivers them, freshly cut, to the doorsteps of food lovers across the nation.

Cheesemonger Box will curate a selection of small batch and traditional American and European cheeses for monthly home delivery, launched this winter as the first cheese subscription service of its kind.

Founders Laura Downey and Chris Palumbo, co-founders and owners of Connecticut cheese shops Fairfield & Greenwich Cheese Company, are launching the service with the goal of “spreading the cheese love across the country” and empowering customers to “become the expert” on artisan cheese. 


Local Chocolatier, Truffle Shots of Essex CT Named Country’s Best Chocolate Gift By Forbes Magazine

Restaurant Essex Chocolate Dessert Specialty Market Gift Guide

CTbites Team

Forbes magazine recently named local chocolatier, Truffle Shots of Essex, Connecticut among the country’s best chocolates for gift giving this holiday season. Forbes "loved the Fig and Balsamic shot—with aged balsamic and fig ganache as well as the Chipotle Cinnamon—dark chocolate ganache with a whiff of cinnamon and a slight kick from the chipotle."

Truffle Shots® brand chocolate truffles are the Chocolate Award-winning creation of mother-daughter chocolate lovers in Essex, Connecticut. The duo has replaced the chocolate shell of a traditional chocolate truffle with a sealed shot glass to create new levels of truffle indulgence.

The decadent, silky ganache of Truffle Shots® brand chocolate truffles melts on the tongue in sensory bliss in 30+ amazing flavors like Fig Balsamico, Tellicherry Cardamom, Caramel Beurre Noisette, Bumbleberry, Miel Habanero, Castelvetrano Olive, and Ginger, to name a few.


CTbites Holiday Gift Guide For Your Favorite CT Food Lover (2017 Edition)

Features Gift Guide Best of CT Holiday Homepage

April Guilbault

Holiday time and food just plain go hand-in-hand! Whether it is making a time-honored and well-loved recipe, sharing a meal with a group of special someones, or giving a gift of specialty food goods, the holidays…involve…food. Henceforth and ergo, we at CTBites would like to add a few items to your list. No need to check these twice, we can tell you right off that they are worth sharing! From pottery and chocolates to classes and luxury trips, there is something for every person you will be shopping for this season. Our great Nutmeg State is simply brimming with artisans and people who are making delicious, beautiful and fun products or offering experiences that enrich our lives. Enjoy these, enjoy *giving* these, and enjoy the smiles that will result. Have a wonderful holiday season, everyone! May it be delicious!


Beekman Boys Dinner at Terrain: All Hail the Beet Tops!

Features Events Cookbooks

April Guilbault

If there is one word that factors prominently in the Beekman Boys’ lexicon, it is community-knowing and growing with one’s neighbors. To gather around tables together. To support each other’s endeavors or to get to know each other more. Hell, it’s to experience this thing called life. Together.

Although one recent October evening was warmer than usual, the balmy temps only added to the convivial gathering at Terrain in Westport. It was a celebratory gathering to mark the new cookbook by Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, founders of Beekman 1802 lifestyle company. This book, their sixth, sends out the call to “Have a seat!” and enjoy an assortment of dishes that they have created along with their Sicilian neighbor, Rose Marie Trapani. A sampling of these dishes was highlighted this evening. 


Dress Up Your Party with Garelick & Herbs Holiday Platters sponsored post

Ingredients Recipe Gift Guide Holiday

CTbites Team

This holiday gift alert just in from Garelick & Herbs.

Looking for a delicious present that will be joyously received? Check out one of Garelick & Herbs gift platters...or design your own. Take the guess work out of your next hostess gift. These beautifully curated custom gifts are perfect for any occasion.

Stopping by your friend's for brunch? We have fabulous holiday housewarming gifts. Corporate Clients need a holiday gift? Send over one of our sweet-tastic dessert boxes or a signature Office Munchie Snack Basket. We can even send over a surprise lunch to your favorite client. Also, don’t forget your manicurist and hair stylist! Nothing warms the heart and soul more than something delicious from Garelick & Herbs. Having an impromptu celebration? Going away for the weekend? Your hosts will love our snacktastic gifts–customize salty, sweet, crunchy and colorful.

We have everything you need served up on a platter.


2016 Holiday Gift Guide For The CT Food Lover

Restaurant Recipe Gift Guide Holiday Best of CT

April Guilbault

Festive Foodalicious Finds ...and FAAABulous ones, we might add! For friends, family (this alliteration is getting fun isn’t it?), and frenemies alike. We have scouted and compiled a list of great gadgets, unique tableware, fun and memorable experiences, sugary sweets, and superb savories for all of the gift recipients in your life this season. So have fun while shopping! Buy one, buy two, buy with that perfect person in mind and think of the smiles and happiness you are sharing with them. How perfectly fabulous, right?

Here are 20 local CT gift ideas for your favorite food lover.


The New Milks: Dairy-Free Recipes by Local Author Dina Cheney

Cookbooks

CTbites Team

Copyright © 2016 by Dina Cheney from THE NEW MILKS: 100-Plus Dairy-Free Recipes for Making and Cooking with Soy, Nut, Seed, Grain, and Coconut Milks, published by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.The New Milks, a new book just released from local author Dina Cheney, is the first comprehensive resource about plant-based, vegan, or alternative milks. The book includes 113 recipes dairy-free and kosher recipes, and most are wholesome (many are vegan). The New Milks is a great resource for those who are lactose-intolerant, have dairy allergies, or who follow vegan, paleo, kosher, low-cholesterol, hormone-free, or low-sugar diets. From familiar varieties, such as almond, soy, and coconut, to exotic types, like pistachio, millet, and tiger nut, readers will learn about the full range of incredible plant-based milks.

For The Love Of...10 Unique CT Valentine's Day Gift & Events

Ingredients Restaurant Gift Guide Holiday

April Guilbault

Oh, for the love of....! How do you typically finish that sentence? We here at CTBites have a lot of love to share and would like to complete that thought with a whole flurry of creative ways to wooooo your special someone. Show the person you love (like/lust) that they are the peanut butter to your jelly, the mac to your cheese, the frosting to your cupcake. We offer you these delish restaurants and take out spots, seductive surroundings, heavenly drinks, gratifying classes, tasteful gifts...hell, we are making this holiday easy for you. You should send US a Valentine! Take a peek and enjoy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Here are 10 totally unique local CT Valentine's Day Gifts for your loved one...


An Interview with Cookbook Author and Baking Expert Abby Dodge

Interview Author Book Cookbooks

Amy Kundrat

Classically trained pastry chef, baking expert, cookbook author, and baking instructor Abby Dodge is a Fairfield, CT native on a mission to “bake the world a better place one recipe at a time.” She is a long-time contributing editor to Fine Cooking magazine, founding its test kitchen. In addition to her contributions in print, Abby is also leads a baking boot camp called “Cakes and Pies” you can enroll in on Craftsy.com, and an avid blogger where she hosts the online community #baketogether.. 

I had the pleasure of interviewing Abby on the occasion of the release of her tenth and latest cookbook called The Everyday Baker. You won’t want to miss her advice for home cooks on baking during the holiday season (advice I am promising myself to heed this year!), which is transcends baking and is really applicable to all things in life.

If you have questions for Abby, she has graciously agreed to answer your baking questions left in the comments section below.


Lost Restaurants of Fairfield: A History & Cookbook By Patti Woods

Recipe Book Cookbooks

CTbites Team

Looking for a great locally inspired holiday gift? Author, Patti Woods has written a book, featuring stunning images and recipes, outlining the culinary history of Fairfield, Connecticut, Lost Restaurants of Fairfield.

The culinary history of Fairfield, Connecticut, brims with bygone and beloved eateries and watering holes. Discover some of these lost classics, from the Sun Tavern—where George Washington enjoyed a few victuals—to the Scenario, where local celebrities always had a seat reserved at the bar. The best doughnuts in town were at the corner of Post and Beaumont at Devore’s, while Art Green served up his famous chocolate cream pies at the Pie Plate.


2015 CT Food Lover's Holiday Gift Guide

Restaurant Recipe Gift Guide Holiday Kitchen Gear Specialty Market

April Guilbault

“At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” said the incomparable Maya Angelou. Well, we couldn’t agree more! So this holiday season, we know that when you give some of these gifts  that we have found (along with a wide smile, a big hug and happy greetings!), the lucky recipients will surely be feeling the love. Happy them, happy you. Happy holidays, everyone! 

Here are 16 creative and delicious local CT gifts for the food lover in your life. 


CT Foodie Valentine's Day Gift Guide 2015

Restaurant Chocolate Gift Guide

April Guilbault

“Cooking is like love. It should entered into with abandon or not at all.” Such delicious, true words from Harriet Van Horne, who first penned this line for Vogue magazine in 1956. In the spirit of channeling Ms. Harriet, we hope that wild abandon flies out the proverbial window this Valentine’s Day and that you can enjoy some new culinary experiences and delights with your honey. Love is food for the soul and we want your soul overflowing!

Here are 12 gift ideas to entice and treat, from sweets to beers to bling...


Bowls of Love Cookbook by Stamford Resident, Ali Rakowski: Paleo & Gluten Free

Cookbooks Special Dietary Needs healthy

CTbites Team

One of the first Paleo soup cookbooks to hit the stands, Bowls of Love by Ali Rakowski is a seasonal soup cookbook with dozens of fresh, healthy recipes that are 100% Paleo, gluten-free and dairy-free.

Bowls of Love takes the concept of holistic health from the stove to your bowl, combining vegetables, locally sourced meat and homemade stock to create a plethora of soups that are both healthy and delicious. Based on the Paleo Diet, the recipes in this cookbook consist of lean meats, fruits, vegetables, healthy oils, nuts and seeds.

Unlike other Paleo cookbooks on the market, Bowls of Love has one main distinction – it focuses on the fact that every food we eat has a story. Each meal has a memory attached to it, and every plate and bowl holds those stories.

Cookbook Author Terry Walters at Stamford's Deane Inc on January 15

Restaurant Cookbooks Events Stamford

CTbites Team

Deane Inc. & Elm Street Books are hosting an evening with bestselling cookbook author Terry Walters at the Stamford location of DEANE Inc. on January 15th, 2014 at 6pm. Terry Walters will be discussing and preparing recipes from her new book and copies will be available for purchase and signing.

Deane Inc is located at 1267 East Main Street in Stamford, CT. For more information or to RSVP, email staff@imagesanddetails.com or call 203.966.8203.


2014 CT Food Lovers Holiday Gift Guide

Ingredients Features Restaurant Entertaining Gift Guide Holiday Specialty Market Wine Shop Dessert

April Guilbault

Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Gift giving-choosing a gift for another person that is resonant of their personality and interests-is a true art. How do we know this? We know this by the sheer number of Yankee Swap and White Elephant parties that we have all attended. You thought those salt and pepper shakers in the shape of ugly, primitive holiday carolers would be perfect for me...um, why? And thus, yet another odd gift enters the rotation of passed-along, re-gifted gifts. On the flip-side, we all hopefully have experienced the joy that comes when we do find that perfect gift. The thrill of watching the unwrapping and the smiles that follow! This holiday season, we would like to help you in your pursuit of That Perfect One....

We bring you the CTbites 2014 CT Food Lovers Gift Guide. Start shopping!


"Future Chefs," A New Cookbook by Westport Author, Ramin Ganeshram

Features Chef Talk Cookbooks Recipe

Jessica Ryan

This is not a kid cookbook – well, of course it is, but it’s not the type of cookbook you’d expect from a bunch of kids. This is a book to be gifted, passed on and shared, especially among children and teenagers. It’s inspiring and thought-provoking. Future Chefs: Recipes by Tomorrow’s Cooks Across the Nation and the World is the brainchild of chef, food writer and author, Ramin Ganeshram.  Future Chefs is a remarkable collection of stories and recipes from extraordinary children world-wide. Some of the recipes are quite complex, others couldn’t be more simple, but the messages about the food and around the food are what inspires. 

We are introduced to a new generation of chefs, foodies and tastemakers and we see the ever changing world of food through their eyes. Today’s children are smart and savvy. They are aware of all that lies around them. Many of these children are keenly aware of health and nutrition, the importance of fresh, wholesome ingredients, supporting local businesses and farms and using organic ingredients. In Future Chefs you will meet all sorts of children from a wide array of socio-economic backgrounds – some are privileged, others are not, and many have remarkable stories to share. These children, are focused and determined. Collectively they have published recipes, have food blogs, have been invited to the White House as guests of Mrs. Obama, and have made appearances on The Today Show, The Tonight Show, NPR, and Chopped.


Book Signing w/ Amy & Stephanie @ Westport Farmers' Market August 28

Cookbooks

CTbites Team

The Westport Farmers’ Market (WFM) invites you to meet the chefs & authors behind Fairfield County Chefs Table on August 28. They will be signing books and meeting readers from 11 to 1 pm at the Westport Farmers’ Market Thursday location at 50 Imperial Avenue, Westport. The Market runs from 10 am to 2 pm.

Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster, the author and photographer of the book Fairfield County Chef's Table, will be at the August 28 market from 10:00 – 2:00 to sell and sign copies of their new book. The two women behind CTbites.com embarked on this book project with over 50 participating chefs to profile the region's favorite restaurants and share some of its most beloved recipes. They will be joined by several chefs who are profiled in their book, including Bill Taibe of leFarm and Whelk, Matt Storch of Match and Chelsea Restaurant, and Glen Collelo of Catch a Healthy Habit, who will be on hand to sign the book and meet market visitors. More information at www.fairfieldcountychefstable.com.

For more information  www.westportfarmersmarket.com or email director@westportfarmersmarket.com.


Westport Barnes & Noble Book Signing May 17th: Come Meet Amy & Stephanie

Chef Talk Cookbooks Local Artisan

Stephanie Webster

We hate to shamelessly promote ourselves, but we would be remiss if we failed to mention our upcoming book signing at Westport Barnes & Noble on May 17th.

Come meet CTbites Founders, Amy Kundrat and Stephanie Webster @ Barnes & Noble in Westport on Saturday, May 17th @ 1PM. 

If you haven't heard the news, check out our post on our recently published book featuring over 50 of the best restaurants and chefs in Fairfield County.

BONUS: Chef Jon Vaast from Sugar & Olives will be with us serving up their recipe from the book.  


Valentine's Day Roundup: CT Gifts, Eats & Vacations for Your Loved One

Ingredients Features Restaurant Gift Guide Holiday Travel Dessert

April Guilbault

“My love for you is like a red, red rose” said the venerable Robert Burns, but maybe, just maybe it’s like a truffle making class or a sassy, classy Valentine cocktail. Every love is different, right? Valentine’s Day typically bubbles over with all things red, pink and sparkly. Boxed chocolates abound (some left in the box, half-bitten into) and romantic dinners are de rigueur. But, as with everything in life, it’s good to mix it up a bit to keep things fresh-dare to be different! This year, maybe try something new with your Valentine that will create a memory for years to come; take a cooking class together, go to a theme dinner, try a salt cave, stay overnight at a local, romantic hotel. Sometimes, a mini-vacation in your own backyard can be the most fun and deliciously decadent. So start with a red, red rose and branch out from there...