Quick: You’ve been invited to a dinner party and need to bring a gift for the host. Your initial impulses may include a charcuterie board, dessert, dip or bottle of wine. Your friend would likely appreciate the gesture no matter which you chose, but if you ask Ina Garten…you can do better than all of the above.
These Are the 5 Host Gifts Ina Garten Brings to a Dinner Party (Hint: Wine Isn’t One of Them)
Has she ever steered you wrong?
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Updated May 8, 2025
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“I don’t bring something that the hostess feels…that they need to serve,” the Barefoot Contessa says in an Instagram video posted by @pastrywithjenn in November 2024. “So, I don’t bring wine, because they feel like they should serve it with the meal. I don’t bring a particular course, like I wouldn’t bring cheese, because they feel like they need to serve the cheese with the dinner. I bring things like homemade granola. I’ll bring good coffee. I’ll bring maybe chocolates, like Fran’s caramels, that everybody likes. I love Fran’s caramels. I’ll bring good tea; you know, something they’ll enjoy another time.”
It seems like a no-brainer when she says it, but I’d genuinely never thought that bringing an unsolicited food item to a dinner party that’s meant to be eaten immediately could be considered sort of…rude? Unless it’s a potluck situation, odds are the host curated a specific menu for the occasion. Why throw a wrench (albeit a tasty one) into their plan and compromise people’s appetites when you weren’t asked to?
To help you remain everyone’s favorite guest (well, second to Ina), I rounded up five host gifts that are Barefoot Contessa-approved. Read on for her predictably sophisticated suggestions.
5 Ina Garten-Approved Host Gifts
1. Good Coffee: Dallis Bros. New York Espresso Blend
Dallis Brothers Coffee
In a 2014 interview with Bon Appetit, Garten revealed that she favors small-batch coffee from Dallis Bros., a NYC roaster that's been around for more than a century. Not only are the specialty-grade beans high quality and available in dozens of varieties, but the beans are also directly purchased from farmers without the help of middlemen. To start, I recommend the New York espresso blend, a medium-roast pick that boasts notes of chocolate, nougat and caramel.
2. Chocolates: Lindt Gourmet Chocolate Truffles Gift Box
Lindt
Garten calls for "good chocolate" in a number of her baking recipes, and according to Tasting Table, Lindt, Callebaut and Valrhona all qualify. Since we're talking host gifts, an assortment of truffles better fits the bill than baking bars. I recommend this 26-piece set from Lindt, which runs the gamut from white chocolate to caramel dark chocolate to fudge swirl milk chocolate. If you're eager to splurge, consider the six-bar tasting set from Valrhona ($58) or the Belgian dark semisweet callets from Callebaut ($67).
3. Fran's Smoked Salt Caramels
Fran's
When Ina name-drops a brand, you know it's the real deal. For the uninitiated, Fran's Chocolate is an American artisanal brand that's been slinging drool-worthy confections for more than 40 years. There's no shortage of deliciousness to peruse in the online shop, but I'd recommend following Ina's lead with these smoked salt caramels, enrobed in milk chocolate and finished with sea salt smoked over Welsh oak.
4. Good Tea: Ladurée Mixed Tea
Ladurée
Garten's fiercely popular herbal iced tea recipe is made with two types of Celestial Seasonings brews, Lemon Zinger and Red Zinger. (P.S.: It's spiked with apple juice for a sweet-tart twist.) While you can easily purchase those for a beloved host, I wouldn't blame you for fancying things up a bit with a different brand. My pick? A gorgeous assortment by Ladurée. This mixed box includes black teas from China and Sri Lanka with notes of orange, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, bergamot and blackcurrant. Add a box of macarons to make it extra special.
5. Granola: BOLA Granola Sampler
BOLA
Garten suggests gifting the host a batch of homemade granola in the video, but she also confessed in a 2017 interview with Bon Appetit that she prefers store-bought granola. ("I buy granola because unless you can make something that's better than what you'd buy, there's no point in spending the time!" she said.) For a premade pick, Garten recommends BOLA granola, which she usually enjoys with yogurt and fresh fruit. Cover your bases with this crunchy assortment, which includes three bags of loose granola and six bars.
