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IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A CONDOLENCE GIFT, FOOD IS ALWAYS A GREAT OPTION
When someone we’re close to experiences the loss of a loved one, giving them a call or sending them a condolence card sometimes simply doesn’t feel like enough. We want to let them know that we’re thinking about them and that we’re here for them, and sending them a thoughtful sympathy gift can help them just a little during this difficult time.
What is a Good Sympathy Gift to Send?
The best sympathy gifts are ones that make it clear that you care about them and are thinking about them. A thoughtful sympathy card, written from the heart, always goes a long way.
Food may be the best sympathy gift of all, however, for several reasons. One, feeding someone is in many ways the ultimate way to show someone that you care. And two, when someone is grieving, eating will oftentimes be an afterthought (if thought about at all). A delicious meal that can easily be prepared, or a sweet indulgence that will help them take their mind off of their loss, can bring a little happiness to their day and allow them to not worry about finding a way to feed themselves.
What is a Unique Bereavement Gift Other Than Flowers?
Flowers may be the obvious choice for a condolence gift, but they’re short-lived and don’t serve much of a function besides looking pretty for a short while. Sympathy gift baskets and gift boxes filled with a variety of foods are always a good idea, and there’s no shortage of great sweet and savory sympathy food gift options. They’re all delicious, comforting, easy to prepare, and they’re all shipping straight to their doorstep.
Best Sympathy and Condolence Gifts for Anyone
Martha Stewart’s Banana Pudding & Cookie Combo
Nothing says “home” quite like Martha Stewart, and this is a collection of signature desserts developed in collaboration with Goldbelly. The Banana Pudding & Cookie Combo includes two sharable servings of Martha’s favorite banana pudding, made with plenty of bananas, cream, and Nilla Wafers, plus 12 delicious cookies. Martha calls these “one a day” cookies, because they’re large enough to nibble all day long.
Zucker’s Bagel & Smoked Fish Brunch
A New York City staple for nearly 20 years, Zucker’s makes bagels the old-fashioned way using natural flours and ingredients. They hand-roll the dough, kettle-boil the bagels, and then bake them to perfection. Coffee, a dozen bagels, housemade granola, smoked fish, and all the fixings are included in this New York brunch kit.
Celi-Cela Patisserie’s Breakfast Basket
What started in 1991 as a boutique bakeshop in Manhattan has become the gourmet go-to for connoisseurs seeking authentic French pastries. From French pastry chef Laurent Dupal, Celi-Cela Patisserie’s Breakfast Basket is an assortment of freshly baked breakfast pastries including a variety of croissants, muffins, danishes, and brioche buns.
New Skete Monastery’s Sampler Cheesecake
This small monastery in upstate New York is producing what many believe to be the finest cheesecakes in the country, all made by hand by the sisters. In between daily prayers, the nuns make a limited number of cheesecakes each day, just as they’ve done for nearly four decades. This Sampler Cheesecake combines their best-selling cheesecake flavors: Classic, Kahlua, Raspberry Ripple, and Chocolate.
Ideal Cheese Shop’s “Around the World” Gift Basket
What began as a mom-and-pop butter and egg company in 1954 has evolved into a gourmet New York City cheese shop that’s been named the World’s Best Cheese Shop by Forbes. Ideal Cheese Shop’s “Around the World” Gift Basket includes five cheeses from five countries – Manchego, Comte, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Jersey Girl, and Prima Donna – along with crackers and jam.
Melissa’s Produce’s Variety Fruit Basket
From its founding in a small rented room to its current standing as the U.S.‘s largest distributor of specialty produce, Melissa’s Produce has remained family-run since the beginning. This fruit basket includes everything from apples and bananas to tropical fruits such as mango, papaya, gold pineapple, and coconut to exotic gems like asian pear, kiwi, pepino melon, baby bananas, seasonal tangerines, and kumquats.
Kings BBQ’s Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Kings BBQ was founded more than 75 years ago in Kinston, NC, when Wilbur King started serving food using family recipes and traditional Southern cooking methods. Three generations later, Kings is now renowned for its signature hand-chopped pork — slow-smoked, pulled, and doused with a mild vinegar sauce, as only true North Carolina ’cue is prepared. Kings BBQ’s Pulled Pork Sandwiches includes enough pulled pork, buns, and coleslaw to make 12 sandwiches, along with hush puppies.
Cake Chicago’s Gluten-Free Gift Box
When owner Mary Winslow left her publishing sales job and started baking in 2000, she never imagined she would end up becoming one of Chicago’s top resources for spectacular sweets. This assortment of chocolate truffles, brownies, and cookies is completely gluten-free.
Eli Zabar’s Build-a-Sandwich Basket
One of New York’s leading food impresarios since 1973, Eli Zabar is synonymous with the city’s best baked goods, smoked fish, and Jewish deli specialties. This Build-a-Sandwich Basket takes all the guesswork out of lunch with fresh-baked rye & brioche along with spicy and sweet salami, cheeses, and mustard.
Oasis Cafe’s Greek Pastry Bite Sampler
Mike Amvros emigrated from Greece to the borough of Queens, New York, in 1975, and 11 years later he opened his first business, Oasis Cafe. Since then, the bakery has become a cornerstone of the community. This Greek pastry sampler pack of classic Oasis treats includes bite-size Coconut Baklava, Chocolate Pistachio Baklava, Kataifi, and Tulumbakia.
Shirley Chung’s Ms. Chi’s Chicken Jiaozi Dumplings
Opened by “Top Chef” runner-up Shirley Chung in 2018, Los Angeles hotspot Ms. Chi makes everything in-house, including their dumpling wrappers, sauces, and more. These super-comforting chicken jiaozi dumplings are handmade with all-natural chicken thighs that are ground in house and mixed with Chinese five-spice, minced ginger, and scallions. They quickly cook from frozen, straight out of the freezer.
Carol’s Cookies’ Mini Cookie Gift Box
Over the course of 20 years, Carol Goldman perfected her recipes for her signature chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies. In 1983 her cookies were named America’s fourth-best by People Magazine, putting Carol and her cookies on the map, and her recipes haven’t changed since. Delivered in a signature gift box, this mini cookie collection comes in flavors including chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and sugar.
Pat’s Steaks’ Original Philly Cheesesteaks
Back in the 1930s, brothers Pat and Harry Oliveri opened a hot dog stand in South Philly. One day, as the legend goes, Pat slapped some thin-sliced beef and onions on a roll instead of a hot dog, and a legend was born. Pat’s remains a Phily must-visit, and their cheesesteaks – with your choice of Cheese Whiz, American, and Provolone, “wit” or “wit-out” onions – arrive fully prepared and ready to be reheated in the oven.
Explore more perfect sympathy food gifts ready to be delivered straight to your friends and family’s door!
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