Cleveland has SO many fabulous food places so finding the foodie on your list a gift shouldn't be too hard. Obviously, this list is near and dear to my heart. Get ready to drool!
Even people who shop at the West Side Market regularly probably haven't been on a tour. The Market occasionally offers a New Shopper Tour the last Saturday of the month but they are infrequent. Another option is Taste Cleveland Food Tours. They have a popular tour that teaches you some history of the Market while providing samples along the way. The two hour tours take place on Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:30am. They also have weekend tours in Tremont.

If you want to really make your foodie friend or family member squeal, get them tickets to a Earth to Table Dinner at the Culinary Vegetable Institute. It's on my list for sure. If you act quick, you can scoop up tickets for the 12/14 event featuring a preview of Jonathan Sawyer's Trentina Restaurant. There are other monthly dinners throughout the year and special events too.

One of my favorite things to do is take a cooking class. You get to sample delicious food while you learn new recipes or techniques.
The Loretta Paganini School of Cooking is one of my favorites. The instructors are fun and knowledgeable and there's a huge variety of classes available. Specialty classes such as Vegetarian Workshop, Gluten Free Pizza, and Gluten Free - Perfecting Pasta are perfect for people with special dietary needs. Healthy choices like Calorie Friendly Comfort Foods, Super Foods Suppers and The Mediterranean Approach to Healthy Eating teach us how to eat well while keeping fit. Lots of good ethnic eats like Try Some Thai and Latin American Adventure will help you add some zip to your menu. And of course there are Italian classics offered such as Osteria Cooking, Italian Seafood and Pasta Boot Camp. Click here for a full schedule.
Sur la Table in Eton on Chagrin offers cooking classes too. Some tasty choices coming up are Sushi Party, Basics of French Macarons and the Date Night: Chef's Table (that one offers butterscotch pot de creme!!)

The Western Reserve School of Cooking is another favorite. They have fun Friday Night Date Nights, Girls Night, a Crepe Workshop, and even have intense multi-class offerings like the Professional Pastry Program.
The Gatherings Kitchen Supper Club is a great way to brush up on your cooking skills and have a blast! Every Friday they offer a two hour class where you make the food, then get to sit down and enjoy a four course meal. Next up is a Field and Stream Southern Game Dinner. Venison, quail and duck are just some of the featured uniquie meats you'll be trying.

Tri-C also offers classes for folks not registered for their culinary school too. 
A drool worthy gift is a gift certificate for a Dinner in the Dark. It's a surprise feast hosted by local chefs where they prepare six creative courses paired with drinks and all the proceeds go to charity. The location and charity changes each month. Truly one of the most unique and fun dining experiences in Cleveland!
For the foodie that likes to dine out, The Deck from Cleveland Independents features almost 50 locally owned restaurants. Each card offers a discount at a participating restaurant. They also offer gift certificates too.
For the chocolate lover, Lily's chocolates are delicious works of art - almost too pretty to eat! The unique flavor combos will change your idea of chocolate forever. 
Malley's is a Cleveland classic. The Greetings from Cleveland box of chocolates and nuts is the perfect gift to send loved ones in far flung places. My all time favorite thing they make is the hot fudge. Get someone a gift card for a local ice cream store and a jar of this chocolate bliss and you'll make someone's day for sure. I love to heat it up and use it as fondue too. 

Gift certificates to local restaurants are always a welcome gift. One of my favorites is Spice Kitchen and Bar. You can also get a gift certificate for the fabulous Planted Landscape Dinner at Spice. You can get romantic with dinner at Amp 150 and spend the night at the Marriott with the Ultimate Dining Experience package. The gift certificate from Dante is good at all of his restaurants and can even be printed at home for a perfect last minute gift. One card to rule them all is the Zack Bruell Restaurant card. They can be purchased and used at Chinato, Cowell and Hubbard, L'Albatros and Parallax. 
Another great gift from Zack Bruell his coffee and olive oil available at Heinen's grocery stores. 

But the best of all things Zack is the gift of cheese. If you've had the privilege of ordering cheese at L'albatros, you know what I mean. If not, what are you waiting for?? For the cheese lover, it's pure bliss. You can special order the gift of cheese for your loved one and they will be forever grateful. Call 216-791-7880 and ask for Tesa. She will help you custom order seasonal and properly aged cheese that will be sure to delight.

Or you can get them this cheese making kit from Leener's and let them create their own masterpieces.

Maybe your favorite foodie would like to grown their own oyster mushrooms? Check out this kit from Back to the Roots. 
Fool-proof organic gardening with delicious results!



And last but certainly not least, check out all the great offerings from Fresh Fork. Ceramic butter crocks, macarons, hot sauces, jams and more. All locally made with great ingredients. My favorites are their bad ass boards:









The Antipasti is pretty darn good too! Click here to see the complete list and order. They also offer gift certificates.

Check out my other Shop Local, Shop America gift guides too:
Local Stores and Pop Ups
Ornaments
For the Gardener
Fashion and Beauty
The Made Collection

Dinner in the Dark   is a unique dining experience founded by Brian Okin of  Luxe Kitchen and Lounge  and Jeffrey Jarrett of  Amp 150  at ...

Hi everybody! I'm back from a fabulous vacation - Vegas was a blast! I want to thank all my awesome guest bloggers for holding down the...

I am originally from Portage County and have always loved visiting our neighbor to the north Chardon. Their downtown area and gazebo, the ...

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done,cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to...

Christmas is right around the corner.  Are you done with all your shopping?  If not, here's some last minute ideas that will fill yo...