Holiday Food Gift Guide

By: Rachel DuQuette

Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. It’s the Holiday season! It is the time for Holiday parties and celebration. Whether you are hosting your own get together or attending a work, family, or school party, it is always nice to provide a treat! In the chaos of the Holidays, there is not always time to cook or prepare the contributions we would like to bring. Luckily, there are businesses and individuals that have prepared treats, savory and sweet, to make it easy for us to bring life to the party. There are pick-up options, or even mail-delivered options.

Local and afar, there are ways to purchase already made and ready desserts and snacks to share with your loved ones.

If you are looking to walk in with a surprise and a party favor different from everyone else, an extremely unique and easy way to be party ready is to have the “Universal Yums” box delivered straight to you! Universal Yums provides a box, box full of surprises-savory and sweet from a different country, delivered to your door month. The box is different every month, providing a wide variety of snacks that, more than likely, you have never tried!

Not only is the box full of salty and sweet treats, it also includes a booklet of twelve pages or more that explains what is in your box, travel tips, and recipes from the country chosen for that month. This is a different and entertaining way to get a taste of the world! This box is also a great source of education for anyone, but especially families. Spending quality time and learning about different countries all around the world is a nice way to spend quality time as well. Universal Yums is highly recommended and enjoyed by families and friends all over the world.

You can subscribe to Universal Yums on their website, and easily unsubscribe at any time, if needed.

Desserts by Katrina, owned and ran by Katrina Newton, is a dessert shop located in Kannapolis and serving surrounding areas. Homemade cakes and cupcakes are sold here, as well as specialty desserts and flavors made to order upon request.

Just a few of many flavors available are Caramel Apple, Carrot Cake, German Chocolate, Pineapple Supreme, Pumpkin, Banana Pudding Cake, to name a few.

The professional and artistic touch to these desserts is what makes them perfect to bring to parties or provide for your own guests! Not to mention, it is locally owned, which provides the opportunity to support local small businesses.

Free quotes and estimates are available and Katrina says she is always happy to help any baked good needs or questions. Her shop is located at 2210 Roxie Street, in Kannapolis. You may also contact the shop at 704-795-0012.

With a catchy name like that, it’s not difficult to figure out their specialty. Nothing Bundt Cakes is located in Concord, at Christenbury Corners, near Concord Mills Mall.

While you are completing your early Christmas shopping (that you promised yourself you would do last year), stop over at Nothing Bundt Cakes and choose from their ten different flavors of cakes. Not only is there a wide variety of cakes, but there are forty unique cake designs to choose from as well. You will be sure to have one of the most unique desserts at this year’s holiday party!

A few flavors to choose from are Confetti, Marble, Pecan Praline, Carrot Cake, White Chocolate Raspberry and several others. Nothing Bundt Cake’s exclusive wide stripes of cream cheese icing on the top of the cake makes for a beautiful display.

You may order your cake online or in store. There are different designs, like mini bundts and bundt towers, to choose from. These cakes are truly perfect for any occasion! Even taking one home to the family as a nice treat will put a smile on everyone’s faces. If you stop in the bakery you can explore the wide variety of unique gifts and cards, as well as decorations around the shop.

The local shop is located at 8905 Christenbury Pkwy in Concord.

The S&D logo is a familiar one seen on coffee pots in local restaurants, as well as those across the country. A ride past the S&D headquarters in Concord offers the priceless smell of freshly roasted coffee beans. However, your access to S&D coffee is not limited to patronizing area restaurants. Just down the road from its headquarters, you can visit the S&D Retail Center. There you can find a variety of coffees and gifts, as well as accessories. You can also find different teas available-hot or cold.

Perfect for the Holiday season, S&D offers already made gift baskets for multiple occasions. There is hot chocolate and other hot drinks to choose from that will keep you, your family, and friends warm this holiday season!

An insulated coffee cup always makes a great gift this time of year, to take on a daily commute or travel adventures. There are also single-serve cups available for Keurig and other single serve coffee machines. You can choose from holiday-themed gift baskets, or customize your own. The S&D Retail Center is located in the Village Shopping Center at 280 Concord Pkwy. North, Suite #119, in Concord.

A relatively new bakery in downtown Concord, Downtown Donuts, will fulfill all your donut dreams! You cannot go wrong bringing dozens of donuts to any occasion. And yes, dozen is plural because just one will not be enough!

You can custom make your donuts or choose from the bakery’s options, but the donuts will always be made to order. These cake-made donuts are hot and fresh all the time, no need to wait on a “Hot-and-Ready” sign to light up! Some of the original favorites are: Fruity Pebbles, Maple Icing and Bacon, Vanilla Icing and Oreo, Chocolate Icing/ Caramel Drizzle/Sea salt, and there is a “downtown” option, which is a different donut every week! There are so many different combinations to create, you will have to take a look for yourself.

Since coffee and donuts go together like, well, coffee and donuts, there is freshly brewed coffee available and hot teas as well. The setting of the bakery is cozy and inviting so stop in for a hot donut and relax in the comforting atmosphere.

You can visit Downtown Donuts in Downtown Concord, close to the Concord library, at 21 Union Street, North.

No matter the party or person, these already made and pre-packaged goodies will not disappoint. The convenience locations. make life a little less stressful so you can get that early Christmas shopping done, or spend the extra time with family and loved-ones.

Kick back, relax, and enjoy the treats for a change!