6 Unique Valentine’s Day Gifts for the Food Lover in Your Life

The Pasta “Guitar” (a.k.a, the Gift of Date Night)
Meet the Chitarra. Handcrafted from beechwood in Pretoro, a medieval village in the hills of Abruzzo, this tool is Italy’s secret for fresh, rustic pasta strands that hold on to sauce. It’s a sturdy, rectangular box wrapped with parallel wires similar to guitar strings—chitarra means “guitar” in Italian—that span from edge to edge. There are two sides, one narrow and one wide, so you can make thin spaghetti or ribbons of tagliatelle and fettuccine.

The best part, though, is that it’s an experience and an objet rolled into one—a date night you can enjoy again and again. For extra credit, expand your pasta-making repertoire with a digital class you can access any time, like Meryl Feinstein’s Hand-Formed Homemade Pastas. (She’s the genius behind @pastasocialclub on Instagram and the new cookbook, “Pasta Every Day: Make It, Shape It, Sauce It, Eat It.”)

The Homemade Gift
If you like giving something homemade, may I suggest a duo of chocolates? Our Chocolate Biscotti with Pistachios, Almonds and Dried Cherries are chocolatey and rich—they get a flavor boost from espresso powder—with a hit of butteriness from the nuts and tang from the dried cherries. Pair the crunchy biscuit with a box of Brigadeiros, or Brazilian chocolate fudge. They’re dead simple: just sweetened condensed milk, cocoa and butter, with a touch of cinnamon and espresso for depth.

Upscale Barware, Including a Next-Level Wine Opener
There’s a reason Milk Streeters call the L’Atelier du Vin wine keythe best bottle opener they’ve ever used. Made in France, it’s designed to open a wine bottle and expel the cork with a single, smooth pull. The vertical lever corkscrew is larger than other models we’ve tried and sturdily built, but what it lacks in compactness, it makes up for in style—made from graceful lines of chrome and solid walnut, the key will blend in with classic and modern bar tools. The key comes with a spare steel spiral worm and a ready-to-gift box (so less wrapping for you to do).

And for something really special, snag our very last Vintage Glass Ice Bucket from France. Found at a flea markets in the French the countryside, this vintage, one-of-a-kind glass ice bucket features a unique cut glass design. Use as a centerpiece to hold ice on your bar, chill wine or champagne or fill with flowers. Gift it with a bottle of bubbly.

Hot Chocolate That Will Kick Powdered Mix to the Curb
Try this for another riff on the chocolate-for-Valentine’s-Day tradition. It’s almost unfair to put this drink in the same category as Swiss Miss: Villa Real’s hot chocolate is creamy, nutty and bittersweet. The addition of ground almonds makes for a silkier, buttery mouthfeel, especially if you whisk the milk constantly while heating it; this allows the nutty aroma of the almonds to permeate the drink for a richer sensation and fullness of flavor. I’m partial to the almond, but we also carry vanilla and dark chocolate versions—both are exceptional. To turn this gift into an experience, pair it with a molinillo, a traditional cocoa whisk, and clay Mexican hot chocolate mugs.

Really, Really Nice Balsamic and EVOO
A simple way to upgrade your cooking is to use better ingredients, and these two elevated Italian staples fit the bill. Start with Italo balsamic vinegar. It’s made by one of the oldest artisan balsamic makers in the world, Acetaia Pedroni, from start to finish in Modena, which earns the bottle the “Protected Designation of Origin” mark. Made only from pure, juicy trebbiano wine grapes, the vinegar is aged for a minimum of 12 years in oak and chestnut wood barrels, moving into smaller and smaller barrels as it ages to concentrate the flavor. The finished result is rich, heady, sweet, earthy and tart with notes of raisins and umami. It’s thick and syrupy from years of evaporation, it’s perfect for finishing the most special dishes or drizzling over strawberries and cheese.

Pair it with a bottle of thisorganic extra virgin olive oil Chris Kimball found when traveling in Calabria. Cold-pressed from the Librandi estate’s hand-harvested, freckled Nocellara del Belice olives, the olive oil smells of tomato vines, artichokes and fresh green herbs; I find it invigorating and peppery. Use it to add a smooth finish to grilled fish, hearty soups and pasta, or drizzle it over toasted bread or aged cheeses. (It also comes in a gift-ready box tied with a ribbon.)

A Signed Cookbook
Milk Street Bakes, our first compendium of baking recipes from around the world, is already a cookbook worth having, but Chris Kimball’s signature makes this edition a collectible. Limited supplies are available—if you or your date like personalized gifts that will become a go-to reference book, this one is not to be missed.