The loved one who moved away but will always be a Daytonian at heart, the family member who is a Cheez-It aficionado or anyone you think might just appreciate a taste of the Gem City — here are some Dayton-centric, food basket ideas that will feel equal parts personal and delicious.
💝For that Daytonian sweet tooth
We’ll start with Esther Price since the holidays are for indulging and embracing the sweeter side of life.
Esther Price is a Dayton institution with a long history of making families in the Miami Valley smile. The shop has an extensive catalog of chocolates and candies online that can all be shipped if desired.
As with many small businesses across the country, Esther Price is encouraging customers to place their holiday orders as soon as possible due to global supply chain concerns, shipping delays and labor shortages.
Shopping at Esther Price for your holiday gifts this season can easily be a one-stop ordeal. Options range from single boxes of assorted chocolates starting at $16.50 to pre-arranged Holiday Gift Baskets.
A large gift basket runs $85.95 and includes a 16oz assorted chocolate box, 8oz Box Almond Butter Toffee, 8oz box Cashew Butter Supreme, 8.5oz Can Cashews, 8oz Hot Chocolate Bag, Four Esther Price Chocolate Bars and a Chocolate Covered Sandwich Cookie.
A small gift basket runs $40.95 and includes an 8oz assorted chocolate box, 8oz Box Cashew Butter Supreme, Two Esther Price Chocolate Bars, Chocolate Covered Sandwich Cookie, Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Log and a Caramel Bar.
Shop Esther Price’s products online at estherprice.com/esther-price-shop/ or shop in-person at one of seven Esther Price locations in the region, including three in Dayton.
💝A Winans basket checks multiple boxes
Putting together a present from Winans is not only an excuse to grab a glass of wine while you shop in their café gift shop area, it’s highly customizable in both size and variety, depending on what you’re looking for.
Winans Chocolates + Coffees is a Dayton original name that’s now expanded outside the Miami Valley. The family that operates Piqua-based Winans Chocolates + Coffees traces the company’s roots back a century or so, and the Winans chain of shops is under the fourth generation of family ownership.
Available online and in-store, though some Winans cafes may not offer everything listed online, Winans is a perfect local option for someone who appreciates a little bit of everything. As a coffee roaster and confectionary, multiple pre-arranged gift baskets are available that would be perfect for someone who loves chocolate and coffee equally.
Gift baskets start at $50, but a $300 option is also available for that extra-special person.
For bonus points, throw-in a box of Winans’ recent collaboration with Columbus-based Watershed Distillery, Bourbon Cherry Cordials with Watershed Bourbon. Boxes come with an assortment of dark and milk chocolates and are available in either a half-pound box (starting at $19.95) or one-pound box ($34.95).
Find a list of the 20-plus Winans locations throughout the region at winanscandies.com/locations or shop for gifts online at winanscandies.com/gifts.
💝The crunchy, savory gift basket
Potato chips might not be top of mind when it comes to choosing a gift for someone. However, it should be if those potato chips are Dayton’s famous Mikesell’s.
The company started in 1910 when D.W. Mikesell and his wife operated a business selling dried beef and sausages from two rooms on South Williams Street in Dayton. According to the Mikesell’s website, the opportunity arose for the couple to buy some potato chip equipment and the Mikesell’s Potato Chip Company was born.
The Mikesell’s line is sold in grocery stores and breweries all across the region and can easily be packaged by-hand into a thoughtful holiday gift basket.
For people who’d rather go straight to the starchy source, the Mikesell’s website sells “Build Your Own Case — The Chipper Shipper.” Starting at $18, the Chipper Shipper includes six bags of chips, and the buyer gets to select the flavor for each bag.
*Local pro-tip: Throw-in some boxes of the iconic Dayton-born snack, the Cheez-It, for a snack gift basket that will impress your Daytonian.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
💝The boozy basket for Daytonians or Ohioans
The name itself makes Buckeye Vodka a spirited gift perfect for family across the state.
Conceived by two Centerville brothers 10 years ago, Buckeye Vodka has been celebrating a milestone year. Most recently, the company introduced a refreshed and “easier to handle” bottle design to commemorate the accomplishment.
Combine a couple bottles of Buckeye Vodka with any of the branded merchandise available online at buckeyevodka.com for a gift that any Buckeye will be proud to receive, including hats, shirts, tank-tops, tin signs, pitchers, vodka flasks and more.
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