10 Delectable Last Minute Gifts for Home Chefs

For some of us, cooking is just something we have to do to survive.

But for others, cooking is far more than just a means of getting some nutrition into the body – it’s an art. Whether he makes the best pastries you’ve ever tasted and choux that Mary Berry would be proud of or she smokes the most flavorful, tender ribs you’ve ever had the pleasure of putting on your plate, we’d consider them the same thing – a home chef.

Whether you’re a cook yourself or not, it can be tricky to find the perfect gift for a home chef. But if you find yourself shopping here at the last minute, don’t worry – there are plenty of presents they’ll be happy to unwrap, even if you’re shopping the day of the event.

Forget the kitchen gizmos and gadgets – these chef-approved gift cards put the power in their more than capable hands.

What home chef wants a gift card??

Turns out, probably a lot of them! According to a survey of American adults completed by the National Retail Association (NRA), a whopping 54% of people put gift cards at the very top of their list. So you don’t have to worry about it coming off as insincere – they’ll be happy to have some spending cash at their favorite establishments!

So rather than trying to guess whether or not they have the particular kitchen gadget you picked out for them already, you’ll get them a gift they can use on things they actually want like: 

• High end grocery delivery services to restock their kitchen
• Their favorite places to find an egg topper or a new attachment for their mandoline
• Cook books to fuel their mind that’s always putting together ideas for new recipes

Get to Know GiftYa

Why bother giving a physical gift when you can ditch the plastic? With GiftYa, you can simply text or email them one instead. Read: this one won’t get lost in their kitchen junk drawer.

Choose from thousands of local and national brands. Then, customize your gift with a photo or short video clip – maybe that last mouthwatering dinner snapshot they sent your way, or a video you have of them flipping some food, flambéing their signature crème brûlée, or burning the alcohol of some chicken marsala? Finish the gift with a personalized message, then send it off to be delivered immediately or schedule it for any date and time you choose.

But GiftYa isn’t just easy to send, it’s easy to use, too. Your favorite home chef can redeem their gift right from their phone like any other e-gift code, or they can link it to a card they carry with them everyday for easy use. When they make a purchase at the qualifying brand, their gift balance will automatically be applied until it’s gone. And if for any reason they don’t totally love the gift you send them (ridiculous though it may seem!) they can re-gift or exchange their balance for another brand in just a few clicks.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few of our favorite options in the catalog for home chefs to get you started.

1 - Omaha Steaks

Nebraska Beef Delivered Right to Their Door

Buy an Omaha Steaks gift card

After the age of 18, let’s be honest – mail just doesn’t have the charm that it once did. Instead of cards from Grandma and gifts from your Uncle on the other side of the state, it’s mostly just bills. When you get your home chef a gift card to Omaha Steaks, you’ll put a little bit of magic back into mail time.

Why, you ask? Because not only will your favorite home chef have their choice of high-quality cuts of beef – from filet mignon to sirloin and everything in between – they will also have their choice of plenty of other delicious foods, too. You may not be able to tell from the name, but Omaha Steaks actually serves mouthwatering chicken, pork, franks, turkey, ham, and seafood, not to mention sides, wine, and dessert. 

Buy a digital Omaha Steaks gift card

2 - Blue Apron

Even Home Chefs Need a Break Every Once and a While

Buy a Blue Apron gift card

Being a home chef is anything but easy. It’s a creative endeavor, which means just like writers can have writer’s block and artists can have artist's block, chefs can have a creative block, too. And when their well of inspiration for flavor combinations and unique techniques runs dry, what better way to fill it than a meal box from Blue Apron? 

Sure, someone else picks out the recipe and ingredients, sending it right to their door – that’s the point! But they’ll still make each meal with their own two hands, and a meal kit like this one might expose them to some new ideas to supercharge their creativity again.

After all, the Blue Apron menu has classic options like cheesy tomato gnocchi and seared steaks, but there are also plenty of seasonal and year-round choices that are a little more creative, like:

• Teriyaki salmon
• Mushroom farrotto
• Pork chops and pear pan sauce
• Avocado and poblano tortas
• Shawarma chicken and saffron-current rice

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Lettuce also consider that Blue Apron has meal plans for different dietary restrictions – wellness-centered, family-friendly, meat-free, and more.

Buy a digital Blue Apron gift card

3 - HomeGoods

Stock Their Kitchen with Some New Accessories

Grab a HomeGoods gift card 

For a home chef, their kitchen is their kingdom. And that means they’re always tweaking things to get them just the way they like them. Finding just the right wooden spoon, making sure the sugar is within easy reach of the coffee pot, putting the spices in their cabinet on risers so they can see every label.

HomeGoods has, well, home goods, but the one’s we’re interested in are the ones for the kitchen. From decorative plates to cloth napkins and napkin rings, glass beverage dispensers for their famous sweet tea to storage solutions, a home chef is sure to find something they’d be happy to have in their cabinet.

Grab a digital HomeGoods gift card 

4 - Sur La Table

Exclusive and Premium Gifts for the Kitchen and Table

Sur La Table is a great place for kitchen utensils and decor. From high-end espresso machines to sparkling glass stemware, you’ll find it on their shelves. That means your favorite home chef can treat themself to a new cast iron skill or silpat mat for baking, peppery Tuscan olive oil or a stunning Le Creuset that will serve their family for generations.

Not to mention, Sur La Table is dedicated to helping people learn new kitchen skills and recipes. Their website has an extensive collection of articles, recipes, and videos – and they can even sign up for a cooking class. Sure, they might not need to take most of them. But if they’ve never learned how to laminate pastry dough but love croissants, or want to take their usually Italian-inspired cuisine adventuring into Asian flavors and techniques, they might just be interested in taking a class after all.

5 - Williams Sonoma

Housewares and Kitchen Wares and Home Chef Will Enjoy

Where else can a home chef go and be greeted by the warm aroma of a simmer pot bubbling softly on the stove than Williams Sonoma? The last but certainly not least stop on our tour of the biggest dedicated kitchen stores we’ll discuss in this article, Williams Sonoma has everything from mixology kits to prepared dinners to stainless steel cookware to $2,000 espresso machines (there are also less expensive models).

Plus if it’s Christmastime, they’ll appreciate the chance to snag some of Williams Sonoma's crave-worthy peppermint bark.

6 - Target

For Groceries and Home Essentials

Text a Target gift card 

Looking for a last minute gift for your favorite home chef that’s a little more practical? Target is your answer. With affordable kitchenware like pots and pans, spatulas, apple peelers, pyrex, and more, they’re sure to find that gadget that’s been on their list forever. Not to mention, many Targets have a grocery section, so they can pick up the ingredients for their next culinary creation as well.

Text a digital Target gift card 

7 - A Few Great Places to Find A Great Grill

Get a Lowe’s gift card, or ACE Hardware gift card, or Home Depot gift card

Cooking doesn’t stop at the kitchen door – grill masters also fall into the home chef category! If they love firing up their charcoal grill or feeding wood pellets into their Yoder, then a hardware store gift card is definitely going to be a hit. 

No matter which hardware store you choose – Lowe’s, Home Depot, ACE – they’ll have their pick of grills and grilling accessories.

Get a digital Lowe’s gift card, or digital ACE Hardware gift card, or digital Home Depot gift card

8 - Barnes & Noble

A Great Place to Find Them A Cookbook

Buy a Barnes & Noble gift card 

Once you get to a certain level in the culinary arts, recipes become unnecessary… but that doesn’t mean cookbooks do too. In fact, cook books are a great source of inspiration for home chefs at every level. Whether they can glance at a recipe and know how they’d adjust it to fit their kitchen or they follow it step-by-step the first time to see how it turns out, it’s sure to get them cooking things they might not have thought to cook before

Barnes & Noble is the largest bookseller in the world, and as such they have plenty of cookbooks to choose from. Whether you’re looking for the latest release from Magnolia Home or you know their favorite Iron Chef, there’s sure to be something they love. Plus, Barnes & Noble is a business worth supporting.

Buy a digital Barnes & Noble gift card 

9 - Amazon

A Little Bit of Everything They Could Need for Their Kitchen

Get an Amazon gift card 

Okay, so Amazon probably isn’t the best place to get any of the kitchen essentials or specialty items on their list. However, if they need something in a pinch, Amazon can deliver. With Prime 2-Day shipping, they can have that potato masher they need for Christmas dinner in their hands before the big day… as long as they order before Festivus.

Get a digital Amazon gift card 

10 - Visa

Give The Gift That’s As Good as Cash

Buy a custom Visa gift card

Accepted anywhere that Visa credit cards are accepted, giving a Visa gift card is like giving cash, only it looks much nicer. That means your favorite home chef can use it to get anything their kitchen might be lacking. They can upgrade their coffee pot or put it towards replacing their stove. Buy some groceries for their next big creation, or chow down on their favorite comfort food ordered in. The choice is totally up to them.

With Gift Card Granny’s build a card feature, you can create a gift any home chef would love in no time. Choose from an expert created design or add your own photo and message – mabe a nice shot of that gorgeously plated meal they sent you? 

Most custom gift cards print the same day and ship out the next, so you’ll have the ultimate last minute gift for a home chef in hand in just a few days.

Buy a custom Visa gift card

And There You Have A List of 10 Great Last MInute Gifts for Home Chefs!!!

I hope you liked the gifts on this list and found one that’s the perfect fit for your home chef. But if not, check out the full GiftYa catalog. From their favorite national cookware brand to the restaurant down the street that really brings out the foodie in them, they’re sure to find something they’re excited to call their own.