Sue Bicksler-Taub, Holbrook Cottage, Briarcliff Manor, NY
We promote a lot of popular New York products in Chelsea Market Baskets’ retro New York-themed boxes. Drink mixers are also great gift basket items. My picks include:
• Hampton Popcorn
• William Poll Rosemary Potato Thins
• Tate’s Bake Shop’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Stirrings drink mixes
• Bella Cucina Lemon Artichoke Pesto

Lisa Santos, Southport Grocery, Chicago

Our customers love to read; a great food-related book is perfect for any gift basket. Pasta sauces coupled with handmade regional pastas also work well. And Vosges Haute Chocolat has a well-known pretty purple box that stands out in baskets. My picks include:
• Field Guide to Cocktails, by Rob Chirico
• Chef’s Secrets: Insider Techniques from Today’s Culinary Masters, by Francine Maroukian
• Vosges Haute Chocolat Truffles
• Scarpetta pasta sauces
• Eduardo’s pasta

Sue Mohle, Ted’s Butcherblock, Charleston, SC

We do not do themed-baskets—instead we always try to pair wines with cheeses or crackers and flatbreads. Many domestic cheeses are perfect in a basket with a bold red wine or Champagne. We also include a free corkscrew in every basket. My picks include:
• Wine: Bold reds or Champagne
• Capriole Farmstead Cheese
• Le Lingue Crackers
• Harvest Song Artisanal Preserves

Ivy Slattery, Gourmetgiftbaskets.com, Manchester, NH

We try to use products in our baskets that have won NASFT Product Awards. We strive not to use a lot of items that customers can find in supermarkets—it helps keep the baskets special. My picks include:
• Monastero pasta
• Immaculate Baking Co. cookies
• Mrs. Little’s Cookie Brittle
• Fastachi nut mixes
• Lake Champlain chocolate truffles and bars

Hope Borsato & Candace Hulbert, Provision, Port Townsend, WA

We like to use some of our best sellers in baskets along with local fare. We are also conscious to pair items that complement one another, like house-made lemon curd with house-made gingerbread. Our picks include:
• Port Townsend Creamery Cheese
• Anjou Bakery Fruit Nut Crostini
• La Panzanella Croccantini
• House-made lemon curd
• House-made gingerbread

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