Pop quiz:
- Is your mom an enthusiast of all things food and drink?
- Does she tend to know about the cool new restaurant openings before you?
- Would a traditional bouquet of flowers or box of mass-produced candy leave her feeling a touch disappointed this Mother’s Day?
If you answered “yes” to any — or all — of the above, then you’ve come to the right place. We polled our staff to find the best locally made food- and drink-type gifts to help you show mom how much she means to you. Just do yourself a favor, and don’t ask her to share, okay? She should get a few things in life that are solely for her, and her alone.
Small Batch Olive Oil
For moms who love to cook, help take her pantry up a notch with the artisan-quality olive oils, vinegars and other specialty products from A Taste of Olive. You just know these are the kinds of gourmet ingredients she wants but will likely never splurge on: Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar, Key Lime Macadamia Mustard and Tuscan Herb Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Shop at its brick-and-mortar locations in West Chester, or peruse A Taste of Olive’s wide selection online — nationwide shipping is available. 26 S. High St., West Chester; (610) 429-0292; 8505 Germantown Ave., Chestnut Hill.
Women-owned Laurel Highlands Olive Oil in lovely Ligonier offers a delectable array of olive oils covering the whole palette. There’s the Olive Wood Smoked, hot-sweet Cayenne, Greek Leek and Persian Lime olive oils, among so many more, and unique balsamic vinegars like Lychee Fruit and Cara Cara Orange Vanilla. Can’t decide? Let mom pick her own flavors with a gift card. Ship or shop in-person! 140 East Main St., Ligonier; (724) 441-4243.
A Spot of Tea
Coco Love Teas are artfully blended, beautifully packaged teas are handcrafted by a former pastry chef in Philadelphia who knows how to make flavors sing. Whether you choose to give mom a few extra moments of zen with the Emma Genmaicha Green Tea, a glamorous midday break with the Juliet Shimmer Chai, or a bit of floral wakeup with the Lily Golden Oolong tea, each box looks like it came straight from a boutique. We love how the teas are feminine, thoughtful, singular and strong — just like the woman who brought you into this world!
For more tealightful local tea sources, check out our Pennsylvania Tea Grower and Artisan list. If you’d like to gift mom with a tea experience, check out our Afternoon Tea Bucket List for amazing tea houses and shops across the state. From Victorian-inspired cottages to bohemian-styled tea rooms, there’s no shortage of cute, cozy spots for mom to unwind.
A Cheese Share
A heady hunk of cheese would make a fabulous gift for your mom, but why stop there? With Collective Creamery’s Cheese Share, mom gets to be part of a club of other cheese-lovers, and will receive four luscious, local wedges of artisan cheeses from Birchrun Hills Farm and Valley Milkhouse. This women-led “CSA” (cheese supported agriculture) runs April through September, with four pick-ups in queue. The cheese shared can be picked up at 17 locations throughout Philadelphia, SEPA and New Jersey. With an incredible variety of spreadables, bloomy rinds, aged, nutty and brined styles, sharp cheddars and flavorful blues, this is the ultimate gift that keeps on giving.
Chaddsford Winery Wine Club
Speaking of awesome clubs, if your mom is into wine, we beg you: Do not just go into a state store and grab some random bottle off the shelf. Stick local and gift her the curated, small-batch selections in the Chaddsford Winery Wine Club: For as little as $80 per quarter for a Reserve Club membership, she’ll get exclusive access to Chaddsford’s Artisan batch vintages; If she prefers sweeter and off-dry wines, sign her up for the Traditional Club which includes a sweet vidal blanc, a dry rosé, white sangria, and a bubbly Pinkette, starting at $50 per quarter. Other club perks include an extra 10% off all in-store and online wine purchases, opportunities during the year to taste limited and unreleased wines, access to members-only sales, and a complimentary flight for members (plus one guest each) any time tastings are offered. Wines can be picked up or delivered, there’s no annual commitment, and you can enroll and terminate at any time. 632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford; (610) 388-6221.
Gluten-Free and Vegan Cupcakes
Just because mom is vegan or gluten-free doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be able to indulge like a queen on Mother’s Day! For sweet, gluten-free treats across PA, check out these 14 gluten-free bakeries that are sure to delight. Thanks to the dairy-free and wheat-free options from West Chester bakery, Dia Doce, you can treat her to cupcakes in deluxe flavors, like Black Magic (chocolate cake with a vanilla center and fudge buttercream) and Vanilla Salted Caramel. Wild Rise Gluten Free Bakery in the Pittsburgh area offers packs of customizable Butterdream Cupcakes in lemon, vanilla, chocolate, coconut and orange cake with sprinkles, coconut flakes or chocolate shards to top it off! Dolce Vita Desserts in State College has gluten-free, made-to-order cupcakes like classic yellow with salted caramel, chocolate lovers and red velvet with vanilla frosting.
Rosé Cider
Of course we’re not suggesting a rosé cider because it’s pink! Give us a little credit. We’re suggesting it because rosé ciders are one of the most refreshing, delightful and on-trend things to be drinking this summer. Especially perfect for mom who loves a cold one on a warm afternoon but isn’t a beer fan or must avoid gluten, we’ll place bets that rosé ciders will be one of her new favorite adult beverages. Pittsburgh’s Threadbare Cider & Mead offers a lovely semi-dry Bouquet De Rosè made with rose hips and hibiscus and infused with local apples while East End Brewing Company recently released a limited whiskey barrel-aged version of its popular Along Came a Cider. Bella Terra Vineyards’ Rosé Cider, Shacksbury’s Rosé Cider and Levante Brewing Co.’s Honeyfire Brut Rosé Cider can all be found in packs of four or six.
Fresh Flower Subscription
If your mom loves fresh flowers, do one better than a one-time bouquet, and sign her up for a CSA-style Flower Subscription from Love ‘n Fresh Flowers, an incredible urban flower farm in the Upper Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia. Choose to start mom’s bi-weekly share every other Thursday from May through July. Then, she’ll get an amazingly beautiful and incredibly fresh bouquet of premium, organically-grown flowers every week. All of Love ‘n Fresh Flowers’ blooms are grown without any synthetic chemicals and with the use of biodiversity and sustainable practices. To be honest, even at high-end florists, most flowers are shipped in from other regions or countries and bouquets are half-dead by the time they are gifted. This option is so much better, and the flowers are just so stunning.
Flower CSAs abound in PA, and you can look to your local farms for gift subscription options. Willow Haven Flowers in New Tripoli. offers a flower CSA delivery service, Bee Well Blooms with summer or fall shares and five pick-up locations and Terra Luna Herbals offers three seasons of flower and herb (two-for!) CSA shares. Or, take mom flower-picking or grab her a lovely bouquet from one of these 13 beautiful places to purchase and pick blooms in PA!
Artisanal Chocolates
Yet another scenario where quality always trumps quantity: chocolates. With cream and butter sourced from Lancaster County and fruits, herbs and honey from local farms, the confections from Philadelphia-based Marcie Blaine Artisan Chocolates are some of the best of the best. You may recognize the name: Chef Marcie Blaine Turney is the co-owner of some of the most popular restaurants in the city, including Barbuzzo, Little Nonna’s and Bud & Marilyn’s. She brings her wealth of culinary experience to her chocolate creations, and the resulting flavors, like Moroccan (with cardamom, sesame and fig), blood orange and French Farmer (with elderflower and champagne) are seriously next-level. Order them online or in person through Verde. 108 S. 13th St., Philadelphia; (215) 546-8700
Coffee Subscription
This is especially pertinent if you’re celebrating Mother’s Day with a new mom, or a mom who has small kids: Coffee is a survival tool. But that doesn’t have to mean it’s squeezed out of a stale K-cup! Make sure the hard-working moms in your life are never out of delicious, responsibly sourced coffee with KLVN Coffee Lab’s Pleasure Cruise subscription service. Each week for as long as you choose, the team from this Pittsburgh-based roastery will send a 12-ounce bags of whole bean coffee that they’re feeling particularly stoked about. 6901 Lynn Way, Pittsburgh; (412) 339-0994.
Cookbook from a Local Chef
If your mama loves food, chances are she loves to cook. Why not treat her with a “must-have” cook book by a local chef or writer? We’ve done the work and rounded up 10 cookbooks by Pennsylvania authors that every home cook should own; from low-proof cocktails to artisan pizza to masterful Japanese food, there is something for every taste!
- Feature photo: Collective Creamery
- Tea box photo: Coco Love Teas
- Chaddsford Winery photo: Ed Williams for Dish Works
- Dia Doce cupcake photo: Nina Lea Photography
- Rosé Cider: Dish Works
- Love 'n Fresh Flowers photo: Regina Miller for Origin Photography
- Chocolates photo: Marcy Blaine Artisanal Chocolates
- Pizza Camp cookbook photo: Abrams Books
