There’s no doubt about it - Columbus is a foodie destination. If you’ve got a foodie in your life, there are lots of ways to share the Columbus Food Scene this holiday season.

Columbus Food Adventures - These tours are the perfect introduction into all the flavors and behind-the-scenes info on the city’s food scene. Chose among several options, including a tour of Short North restaurants, more adventurous ethnic fare on the Alt Eats tour, and in warmer months, the Taco Truck tour. A gift certificate lets you pick the tour, and allows the recipient to pick a date that works best for them.

Juergen’s Bakery - Juergen’s, a Bavarian bakery located fittingly in German Village, offers the ultimate in sweet treats exclusively this time of year - the Stollen. Stollen is a traditional fruit-studded sweet bread that’s sure to become a tradition on your holiday table. You can also choose among other German pastries like strudel and linzertorte.

Books - This year, some great Columbus food books were published. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home shows home cooks how to create Jeni’s world renowned ice cream in their own kitchen, and how to play with imaginative flavors. Breakfast with Nick is a book written by Columbus’ premier breakfast blogger, Nick Dekker . It’s perfect for the person on your list who loves bacon, eggs, donuts and coffee.

Distillery Tours - Columbus’ spirits scene is taking off and gaining national attention. Treat the cocktail maven on your list to a tour and tasting at Watershed Distillery (outstanding vodka and gin) and Middle West Spirits (flavorful vodka and whiskey.) If you’re really nice, a bottle from each would be the perfect foundation to for a Columbus-based home-bar.

North Market School of Cooking - The North Market is arguably the hub of the Columbus Food Scene, with vendors selling locally grown ingredients and a whole range of prepared foods. The top floor of the market holds a treasure: the Dispatch Kitchen, where cooking classes with the city’s best chefs are offered. It’s dinner, wine and a show for the foodies on your list.

Dine Originals Gift Certificates - If you want to treat someone to a special night out, Dine Originals gift certificates are a perfect choice. Choose from almost 50 locally owned, independent restaurants, ranging from DeepWood between the Short North and Downtown, Alana’s Food and Wine in Clintonville, Black Creek Bistro in Old Town East, and Luce in Powell.

What else would you recommend for folks shopping for foodies? As always, you can keep up with the Columbus Food Scene on Facebook .

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! If you don’t have your bird yet, there are plenty in stock at North Market Poultry and Game . If you’re lucky, you might even be able to snag a turducken . Even if you’ve got your turkey already, the market is definitely worth a stop for seasonal flowers from Market Blooms or local herbs, veggies and mushrooms from The Greener Grocer .

There’s no question – August is the best month to eat in Central Ohio. All the bounty of the farmland in and around Columbus is at its peak. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, peaches, sweet corn – the list goes on and on. While I do have a respectable garden plot at home, two or three times a week, I head to one of the dozen or so farmers markets in Columbus to stock up on the stuff I don’t grow at home.

The granddaddy of all farm celebrations is taking place tomorrow at the North Market. In addition to the great farmers market that’s there throughout the growing season, you can enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of the 20th Annual North Market Farmers Festival . It’s a casual way to meet the farmers and vendors at the market, taste the finest produce of the season, and pick up some cooking tips.

The Jam and Jelly contest (Humble Brag Disclosure: my wife and I are competitors – she’s entering peach-lemon verbena, and I’m entering juneberry-mulberry - we’re pretty pumped!) kicks off the day at 9 a.m., and musical entertainment runs until 5 p.m. There’s an ugly tomato contest, cooking demonstrations by market vendors and local chefs, and of course, all the summer bounty of Central Ohio’s farms.

What’s your favorite thing about August in Columbus?

Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or a novice sipper, the North Market’s Food & Wine Festival give you a great opportunity not only to taste great wines from around Ohio, but to get to know the people who grow and create them. It’s grown to be a very popular event, so I’m going to give you some tips on how to get the most from the experience:

• First of all, the basics: It’s July - it’s going to be hot. Wear sunscreen, and bring a hat. Take breaks from the sun to explore the North Market, and cool off with a scoop of Jeni’s ice cream from the booth inside. Don’t forget the food part of the festival, either! Curds and Whey offers a huge selection of wine’s perfect match: cheese.
• To get the most out of the festival, visit the Ohio Grape Industries Council ’s great website to learn the history of wine-making in Ohio (it goes back almost 200 years!) and to get tasting notes for the wine varietals that grow best in Ohio.
• Because Ohio has a cooler climate than more popular wine regions like California and Italy, you might not see the types of wine you’re used to finding at the store. Never fear! If you like Cabernet Sauvignon, you can try its cousin - Cabernet Franc. Gewurztraminer is a light, aromatic white wine with just a touch of sweetness. Chambourcin is a full-flavored red wine that is surprisingly light on the palate.  More common varieties that do great in the state in include Riesling (Ferrante regularly takes home national awards for its Golden Bunches Riesling,) and Pinot Noir (St. Joseph Vineyard’s Pinot is outstanding.)
• Do a little research before you go to seek out the wineries that make wines you like. For instance, if you like sweeter wines or wine made from fruit other than grapes, try Maize Valley Winery. If you like drier wines, seek out Meranda-Nixon Winery. And if you’ve never tried honey wine, don’t miss Columbus’ own Brothers Drake Meadery !
• If you really like a sample, buy a bottle right away and ask if there are any retailers in your area that carry the product. That way, you won’t have to wait in a tasting line again, and you won’t risk the vintner being sold out by the time you return. Bring a reusable wine tote to cut down on unneeded bags, and to keep your bottles safe from breaking.
• Of course, drink responsibly, and enjoy yourself!

Have you ever bit into a peach and tasted peach buttercream, raspberry preserves and pastry perfection? Have you ever experienced a true tea party in Columbus? Have you ever listened to live classical piano while savoring heavenly pastries from a pastry chef that trained in Europe?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, then you need to stop what you’re doing right now (Well, finish reading this first.) and make plans to visit Mozart’s Bakery and Piano Café located in Clintonville. Mozart’s offers European pastries and authentic Austrian cuisine and features live piano music daily. There are more than 120 items on the menu, but the Miniature Marzipan Peach described above is their most popular item (After tasting it, I can see why!!) and it can be shipped all over. Not only is it a taste to-die-for, but it’s a work of art. It looks like a glistening peach ornament. Almost too beautiful to eat. Almost. (more…)

It’s February and we’re getting a bit antsy to end our winter hibernation and start getting out again. I’m here with just the remedy to warm you up - the North Market Fiery Foods Festival , Feb. 19-20.

This family-friendly weekend features a little of everything spicy. On the first day of the festival, things kick off with an amateur guacamole contest and face painting. Things really heat up from there with the Chef Chili Challenge, followed by the amateur chili contest and fiery cornbread and jalapeno eating contests.

Day two will continue the spiciness with a Fiery Foods Brunch, Chili Pepper Art Contest judging, hot sauce competition, salsa competition, hot sundaes and hot wing eating contests.

Also available throughout the weekend will be the usual fare from your favorite North Market merchants . And you can come see what I’ll personally be serving up on Saturday at the guacamole and Chef Chili Challenge contests.

Check out the full schedule and other details here .

Today’s post is written by Bethia Woolf , owner of Columbus Food Adventures . A UK native, Bethia has long been a prolific chronicler of the Columbus food scene. She began Columbus Food Adventures with the belief that the quality and diversity of Columbus’s food scene is a story worth sharing.

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Last minute holiday gift ideas for food lovers
by Bethia Woolf, Columbus Food Adventures

If, like me, you are still looking for last minute gift ideas, here are some ideas for the food lovers in your life. These suggestions are Columbus based but might give inspiration to those of you living elsewhere.

Gift certificates

Gift certificates are available for many Columbus restaurants. If you don’t want to pick a restaurant for your giftee- then opt for a Dine Originals gift certificate and your recipient can choose from over 50 restaurants. You can use these at wonderful restaurants such as Tasi Cafe , Rigsby’s and Pistacia Vera .

North Market gift certificates offer similar flexibility as they can be used at any of the 30+ vendors. Jeni’s ice creams gift cards are a fun stocking stuffer, and best of all, of course is a Columbus Food Adventures gift certificate . You can choose a gift certificate for any of our scheduled tours and they are valid for a year. (more…)

Retro reindeer at Sobo Style

This post is part one in a four part series about the holiday season in Columbus. Stay tuned for more in the coming week - we’ll cover where to see holiday lights and places to catch a great performance. We’ll also investigate what’s happening for the holidays at some of Columbus’ favorite attractions.

Looking for unique gifts to surprise the people on your holiday shopping list this year? With an abundance of handcrafted, one-of-a-kind items around town, this is a great time to shop local. And what better way than at a holiday shopping fair? These all-things-handmade extravaganzas bring diverse artisans under the same roof to sell everything from blown glass ornaments and funky kitchen accents, to wheel-thrown pottery and wearable art. Stop by one of several shows taking place over the next few weeks, and who knows, you may even find a thing or two for yourself. (more…)

Ohio State Fair

Festival season continues in Columbus, and so do the giveaways.

Like we mentioned last month , members of the Greater Columbus Events Council are helping us celebrate lots of events by sharing lots of prizes.

This time, we’re featuring July and August happenings, and the ante is definitely upped: FIVE LUCKY READERS will win the following:

• A North Market Food & Ohio Wine Festival package, which includes a $20 North Market gift certificate and 2 entries to the preview party
• A VIP parking pass to Jazz & Rib Fest
• 2 tickets to the Ohio State Fair
• 2 tickets to the Dublin Irish Festival
  

To win is easy:

Simply leave a comment below, and name at least one July or August Columbus festival or special event you plan to attend this year. If you need a few ideas, visit this list of Greater Columbus Events Council members.

One entry per person, please. All entries must be posted by noon on Tuesday, July 6 . After that, we’ll randomly select five winners who are going to have a lot of fun this summer. Good luck!

P.S. Don’t forget the third and final giveaway:

Stay tuned for the last prize package, which we’ll give away in August. Check back or subscribe to this blog via your RSS reader or email to receive updates.

UPDATE (7/6): The winners have been selected and are posted in the comments. Congrats!

Win a Columbus experience!

Do the dates May 8-16 ring a bell? No? Well, I’ll fill you in…it’s National Travel and Tourism Week!

Now, you may be thinking “Why should I care?” Here’s why: Visitors spend $7.23 billion annually in Central Ohio. And 62,000 people are employed in the tourism and hospitality industry. Pretty impressive, huh?

Some of you cynics out there may still be asking “Why should I care?” And I say to you this: You can win some really cool stuff! Experience Columbus is celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week by offering a chance to win one of three amazing packages.

With the first package, you and three others can:

• Cheer on the 2008 MLS Champs at a Columbus Crew game
• Enjoy the May flowers at Franklin Park Conservatory
• View historic motorcycles at AMA’s Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum
• See an Austrian M47 tank driven by Arnold Schwarzenegger at Motts Military Museum

Or you may be more enticed by the second package, where you and three others can:

• Learn through hands-on science interaction at COSI (voted #1 science center in the nation by Parents magazine)
• Cruise through Columbus with SegAway Tours of Columbus
• Watch a timeless film in the beautiful Ohio Theatre with the CAPA Summer Movie Series
• Shop at your favorite local merchant with your $20 North Market gift card.

And last but not least is the third package, which allows you and three others to:

• Eat your peanuts and crackerjacks at a Columbus Clippers game at Huntington Park (named ballpark of the year by Ballpark Digest and BaseballParks.com)
• View the new polar bear exhibit at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (#1 zoo in America by USA Travel Guide)
• Lean back and enjoy a movie at the sophisticated Arena Grand Theatre
• Go on a shopping spree with your $50 gift card for Easton Town Center

You can enter to win by stopping in one of the Experience Columbus Visitor Centers (Easton or Arena District locations) or by visiting this link . The winners will be drawn and notified on May 17.

Best of luck and Happy National Travel and Tourism Week!