Delicious delights for the foodies in your life

Stumped for holiday present ideas?

- By Betty Hallock, Stephanie Breijo, Jenn Harris and Danielle Dorsey

Food gifts have universal appeal: These are fun and practical at once. And even more meaningful because they're from local small businesses including L.A. restaurants born chef in Pasadena makes her own hot chocolate mix from Venezuelan Criollo cacao. Coffee fan? East L.A.'s Picaresca Barra de Cafe roasts coffee beans and bottles its cinnamon-scented cafe de olla syrup. Tea aficionado? A Chinatown tea shop offers subscription boxes of thoughtful blends from China and Taiwan; some are rare finds. And any farmers market regular would want to sport the Weiser Family Farm collab T-shirt emblazoned with a pink radish or Bonnie melon.

Amara Gran Criollo Hot Chocolate When chef Amara Barroeta left Venezuela, she couldn't find a hot chocolate as rich and smooth as the ones she'd sipped in Caracas. She created her own drinking chocolate made from Criollo cacao beans, organic cocoa powder and just the right amount of cane sugar. It's aggressively bitter with a wonderfully deep chocolate flavor. She serves the hot chocolate at her Old Pasadena restaurant Amara Cafe, and you can purchase 12-ounce bags of her hot chocolate mix to make at home.-J.H.

$18 at Amara Cafe

Altadena Beverage & Market 'Altadena' Denim Hat Altadena Beverage & Market was forced to close because of significant smoke damage during the Eaton fire.

It took five months to reopen, but the market is back and once again serving as a vital community hub. The store is selling Altadena merch in the form of hats, T-shirts and sweatshirts. The denim Altadena hat is a favorite, and profits from every hat purchased online will be donated to support victims of the Altadena fire.-J.H.

$38 at Altadena Beverage & Market