Winter 2025 | Cover Story

Globally Inspired Gift Baskets

Shop local purveyors to DIY your own thematic basket.

written by Nora Heston Tarte

illustration by Carrie Lapolla

If you know a foodie who’s hard to shop for, we have a holiday gift recommendation perfect for almost anyone on your list. Whether you’re looking for a hostess gift; a present for your neighbor, great aunt, or grandmother; or a white-elephant surprise, an international gift basket is a great choice. While mixing and matching cuisines is an option, we live for a theme, and selecting items based on the recipient’s country of origin, family heritage, a recent or upcoming trip, or just a dream destination will make your basket stand out. Plus, it offers the gift-giver an opportunity to add a personal touch to the basket — a favorite treat you discovered together or insights to offer a new bride who has married into a family from a different culture.

Here, we have provided some suggestions of curated delicacies that will take the guesswork out of your holiday shopping without feeling impersonal. Use them as is, mix them up for a global gift, or add in some of your own selections to make it personal.

La Dolce Vita: Italian Feast
Transport your friends from the frosty Sierra Nevada to a sun-drenched summer in Tuscany. This Italian basket combines imported goods from all over Italy, so guests can soak in scents and flavors of Italy at home. The key is to start with a couple of staples without skimping on the fun extras. Consider an Italian meal as your starting point. We recommend selecting assorted Rustichella d’Abruzzo pastas from Armando & Sons Butcher Shop in the Village at Rancharrah in South Reno ($10.35 – $11.50). And don’t forget fresh meats. Top your pasta with flavorful sausage ropes, such as Basque chorizo and mild Italian, from Flocchini Family Provisions in Carson City (also available from Sierra Meat & Seafood in Reno; prices vary widely). Then, throw in extras such as Armando & Sons’ Foustman’s Salami in beef, lamb, and turkey ($15 – $17); McEvoy Ranch bruschetta and tapenade ($15 – $16 each); balsamic and Champagne vinegar ($24 each); and assorted olives ($10 – $15 per jar).

Paolo’s Deli in Reno also imports items direct from Italy to guarantee your basket is both delicious and authentic. Here, purchase sauces to adorn that pasta, including Alfredo pesto, arrabbiata, cacio e pepe, puttanesca, Alfredo roasted garlic, and pesto alla Genoese. Each jar runs $8 – $10. Don’t forget the Calabrian chili oil ($12), capers in salt ($8), and assorted cookies (Amaretti, Cantuccini, Savoiardi, or Traditional Taralli, $6 – $8 each). Pick up fresh pastries from Dolce Caffé, or try a cookie tray, with an assortment of items such as fig, heart, ricotta, and gluten-free almond and pistachio cookies ($33 for small, $39 for large). Cuccidati are made for the season with green, red, and white sprinkles. Perhaps the most popular Italian delicacy, panettone, is imported directly from Italy in lemon, pistachio, and chocolate ($25 – $45). For hostess gifts, a fresh lasagna ($45 – $75) or ricotta pie ($30) adds panache.

Finish the basket with a couple of festive prosecco and Pizzolato wine splits ($10 each) with sparkly labels to help it feel merrier, available at Paolo’s. The final touch? Dorinda’s sells small bags of chocolate-covered coffee beans ($8).

Bon Appétit: Flavors of France
If you’ve ever traveled to France, you know the French prefer to indulge in light bites rather than large, carb-heavy meals. For that reason, a French-themed basket should include all the best French snacks and delicacies. We suggest starting with a couple of bottles of wine. Belleville Wine Bar in Downtown Reno imports vino from France, and Nico Gourdon, a Parisian transplant and the bar’s owner, possesses extensive wine knowledge. After you select your wines (perhaps with his expertise), choose complementary cheeses from its shop, The Belleville Boutique, and be sure to inform the recipient of anything that needs to be transported to a refrigerator. During the holidays, the boutique provides seasonal offerings such as Christmas tins filled with imported chocolates ($15.50 – $21) and glazed chestnuts ($27.50). The shop also sells gorgeously wrapped Comptoir du Cacao chocolate bars ($8.50). Slip in a box of aromatic Provence d’Antan teas ($19.50) as well as a selection of sauces — poivre, béarnaise, mayonnaise, and bourguignonne ($7.25 each).

Head to Armando’s for a few finishing touches. A hot-pink box of Flouwer Co. artisanal crackers are sure to impress, with vibrant, pressed, edible florals in each bite, plus rosemary, dill, and chives ($12.99). Then, select a Tempesta pâté in black truffle, brandy, and sage, or pâté di casa ($15.99). Finish the basket with a molten chocolate soy candle from Dorinda’s ($20), a selection of French pastries from Cleo’s Coffee & Cocktails at Caesars Republic in South Lake Tahoe, and a gift card to Beaujolais Bistro in Downtown Reno. While Dolce Caffé is best known for its Italian goods, the business carries a couple of homemade French-style treats as well, such as seasonal petit fours decorated for the holidays ($3.95 each) or macarons ($3.85 each).

The Spice Route: Middle Eastern Delights
Stop by Silk Road International Market in Reno for halal Middle Eastern, Afghan, and Turkish groceries. Anchor your basket with an ornate red and gold tea set ($34.99), then add a few Sadaf specialty teas to serve with it (prices vary). Next, rely on a mixture of staples from the region, such as Ariana liquid saffron ($7.99), assorted spices (starting at $2.70), and Sadaf hummus mix ($3.99), as well as sweets to enjoy with your teas: Indika Jeera cookies ($3.99), saffron rock candy ($6.99), and Lajawab almond cookies. At Silk Road, you’ll also find a bulk snack section where you can purchase candies and other treats by the ounce.

want to skip homemade baklava, sold behind the deli counter at the back of the store (price varies). The fresh case also carries an assortment of dips: garlic sauce, tabouli salad, hummus, and baba ghanoush. Purchase a pack of Greta crackers with flavors of olive and oregano ($2.99) to go with them. A Mediterranean spread is not complete without dolmas, or stuffed grape leaves, served canned for $6.99, or falafel (mix to make your own, $4.90 – $7.99).

Finish with some small treats. While there are many options, Mr. Nut nut mixes, including yellow chickpeas ($4.99), Turkish Delight gift boxes in a variety of flavors ($9.99), and Dubai chocolate ($18.99) provide a range of regional favorites.

Far East Flavors: Asian Sampler
You’ll find so many options at Asian markets you almost need a theme within a theme to rein in your gift-basket shopping. For example, Asian Mart in Reno sells both sushi nori (starting at $3.79) and bamboo sushi mats ($1.99 – 2.99). From there, you can add a selection of sauces such as assorted flavors of ponzu ($4.99 – 5.49) and Nikishi rice vinegar ($5.99). If you want to add a fun noodle, select dried soba noodles, ramen noodles (both $6.39), or green tea noodles ($4.79). A set of decorative bamboo chopsticks from Yim’s Market in Sparks will balance out this part of the basket nicely. Next, consider adding a bottle of sake ($12.59 – $22.99) and a porcelain sake set (prices vary), both from Asian Mart.

If the basket recipients include children, throw in fun and colorful items as well. Asian Mart sells boba mix in a variety of flavors such as honeydew, taro, lychee, and Thai tea ($19.99 each) and tapioca pearls ($3.99). The store sells sweets from all over Asia, including Jin Jin jellies and jelly strips ($10.99 and $2.79, respectively). A set of child-friendly chopsticks available at Yim’s ($3.99) also can be included. Finish with White Rabbit creamy candies ($4.45 – $5.75), Hi-Chew ($9.99), and Hello Panda or Yan Yan snacks, all sold at Yim’s. Japanese sodas with bright anime characters, from Asian Mart, should be displayed prominently ($2.99 each).

Happy Shopping!

Shopping the local markets is sure to jump-start your own imagination. Be sure to browse and select items that speak to you. While we’ve offered quite a few suggestions for well-rounded baskets, all of the locations on this list have robust inventories, sometimes spanning multiple regions in one store, and staff members can help select the best items for your gift-giving needs.

RESOURCES

Aladdin’s Market & Kitchen
Aladdinsmarketreno.com

Armando & Sons Butcher Shop\
Armandoandsons.com

Asian Mart
775-622-8641

Beaujolais Bistro
Beaujolaisbistro.com

Belleville Wine Bar & The Belleville Boutique
Find Belleville Wine Bar Reno on Facebook

Cleo’s Coffee & Cocktails
Caesars.com/caesars-republic-lake-tahoe/restaurants/cleos-coffee-and-cocktails

Dolce Caffé
Dolcecaffereno.com

Dorinda’s Chocolates
Dorindaschocolates.com

Flocchini Family Provisions
Flocchinisausage.com

Paolo’s Deli
Find Paolo’s Deli Reno on Facebook

Sierra Meat & Seafood
Sierrameat.com