There’s nothing like the familiar taste of a favorite food to evoke happy memories. We’ve put together a list of delicious options for every meal that can be mailed directly to your house, thanks to the miracle of dry ice and overnight shipping. Whether you or your lucky recipient is craving an authentic New York breakfast spread, North Carolina ribs, the freshest Hawaiian nigiri, or some cult favorite ice cream — you can send a taste of home with these gifts from Corcoran markets around the country.
NEW YORK CITY
Ess-a-Bagel and Russ & Daughters
It’s true that the bagel scene has improved around the country, with many decent bagels now available in former bagel deserts. Still, there’s nothing quite like the real New York deal. You can order by the dozen, with or without lox, from Ess-a-Bagel or Russ and Daughters, with the possibility of adding on a babka or American caviar from the latter.
Ess-a-Bagel: 13 bagels of your choice, plus 12 free additional bagels, 1 pound Nova lox, 1 pound cream cheese, $139.
Russ & Daughters: 1 dozen bagels, ½ pound of three different types of smoked salmon, 1 pound cream cheese, and capers, $189.
Katz’s Pastrami
Everyone knows “I’ll have what she’s having,” but Sally was actually eating a turkey (!) sandwich at Katz’s during the famous When Harry Met Sally scene. Instead, we’ll have Harry’s pastrami sandwich, please.
Katz’s Holiday Box: 1 pound hand-carved juicy pastrami, 1 pound hand-carved corned beef, ½ loaf deli rye bread, plus all the fixings to make plenty of pastrami and corned beef Rueben sandwiches, $130.
Murray’s Cheese
The famous Murray’s Cheese claims that this box of its greatest hits, with 1.5 pounds of cheese, will serve 6 to 10 hungry people, but really, it could serve one hungry person over several nights. But how you choose to gift or share this cheese is up to you—we won’t tell if it becomes a personal stash.
Murray’s Greatest Hits: Crackers, cherry preserves, almonds, and 1.5 pounds of the store’s four best-selling cheeses: English cheddar, mini Brie, cave-aged Gruyère, and young manchego, $95.
CHICAGO
Lou Malnati’s Pizza
There’s no deep dish like Chicago deep dish and Lou Malnati’s is the perfect gift for those who are enjoying the winter elsewhere than in the Chicago cold. Orders come with two, four or six frozen pizzas (each serves two), in choice of cheese, sausage, pepperoni, veggie, spinach, or crustless.
Lou Malnati’s Pizza, $67.99 for two, $96.99 for four, or $119.99 for six.
Girl and the Goat
Whip up a meal kit from award-winning Chicago’s Girl and the Goat, helmed by Stephanie Izard, Top Chef winner, and amaze your guests with your own rendition of the restaurant’s menu. Choose from Korean steak lettuce wraps, sautéed shrimp and broccoli, citrus-spiced split chicken, or Yucatán marinated pork shank kits.
Girl and the Goal meal kits, from $89 to $129.
FLORIDA
Miami Fruit
The contents of this tropical fruit box from Miami Fruit will vary from week to week, depending on what’s fresh and available, but you can expect a selection of eight to ten pounds of unusual tropical fruits like black sapote, dragon fruit, mamey, rambutan, sugar apple, star fruit, sprouted coconut, and turmeric.
The Holiday Box, $117 for a large box.
Ridge Island Groves
Honeybells are rare citrus fruits—generally only harvested once a year in January—and a Florida specialty now available to everyone. They’re a hybrid cross between a Dancy tangerine and a Duncan grapefruit, resulting in a tangelo (tangerine plus pomelo, get it?) that’s shaped like a bell and juicier than any orange you’ve ever tasted.
Ridge Island Groves, $54.90 for one tray of honeybells.
CALIFORNIA
Cowgirl Creamery
One of the pioneers in local cheese making, Cowgirl Creamery partners with dairies in Marin and Sonoma counties to source organic, pasture-based cow’s milk for their cheeses. This set of four of their most popular cheeses—Mt. Tam, Red Hawk, Devil’s Gulch, and Wagon Wheel—is accompanied by crackers from Rustic Bakery.
Cowgirl Creamery Deluxe, $120 for approximately 1.75 pounds of four cheeses and crackers.
It’s-It
It’s the San Francisco treat that you can now store in your freezer for year-round enjoyment. A scoop of ice cream smushed between two oatmeal cookies and then dipped in dark chocolate has been enjoyed by San Franciscans since 1928. This set of 36 individually wrapped ice cream sandwiches in vanilla, mint, cappuccino, strawberry, and pumpkin also includes three containers of It’s-It ice cream nuggets.
Ice Cream Sandwich Sampler, 36 ice cream sandwiches and 3 containers of ice cream nuggets, $129.
Phil’s Fish Market
Located in Monterey Bay, Phil’s Fish Market’s rendition of cioppino, a tomato-based seafood stew invented in San Francisco in the late 1800s, beat out Bobby Flay’s version on Throwdown! on the Food Network. One gallon of cioppino, packed with crab, scallops, prawns, calamari, mussels, fish, and clams, should serve four.
Cioppino for four, $159.
HAWAII
Honolulu Fish Company
Honolulu Fish Company’s founder Wayne Samiere is a marine biologist committed to protecting Pacific ecosystems and promoting sustainability in fishing practices. Samiere and his team personally inspect each day’s catch to select the best eco-friendly, exclusively hook-caught Hawaiian fish to ship to the mainland.
Sushi kit, includes 1 pound sashimi-cut Hawaiian Ultra Ahi, 1 pound sashimi-cut King Salmon, premium Hokkaido sushi rice, and all the fixings you need to make a dinner party’s worth of nigiri, $185.
DENVER
Elevation Meats
This Denver purveyor of gourmet cured meats starts with humanely raised heritage-breed pigs and then transforms the pork into the tastiest charcuterie around. Elevation is known for their many types of salami, including their black truffle sea salt salami and nduja, a smoky, spreadable salami.
Black truffle sea salt salami, $10.99 and nduja, $9.99.
NORTH CAROLINA
King’s BBQ
North Carolina barbeque reigns supreme for many barbeque lovers and you can sample all of King’s BBQ’s porky favorites with this combination package that includes hand-chopped pork, ribs, Brunswick stew, coleslaw, potato salad, and hush puppies.
King’s Carolina Oink Sampler, $59.95
OHIO
Jeni’s
Ice cream connoisseurs often alert each other to the appearance of rare flavors of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream at local markets, but thanks to shipping you can avoid the hunt around town and order a multi-pack to hoard at home. The Top Sellers collection includes five separate pints of Jeni’s most popular flavors: brambleberry crisp, brown butter almond brittle, darkest chocolate, salted peanut butter with chocolate flecks, and salty caramel.
Top Sellers Collection, $58.