8 Gourmet Chef-Approved Hostess Gifts Under $50

“[Chef] Roy [Shvartzapel]'s panettone. I’ve never received a finer food gift in my life.”

“Turrón is a Spanish and Latin American holiday tradition. It's made with honey, sugar, egg whites, almonds, other nuts and is simple and sweet."

"You want to bring something edible that won't be a lot of trouble for your host to put out, so buy an olive wood cheese board with three American cheeses: Point Reyes blue cheese, Coach Farm goat cheese, and American triple cream cheese. Also, a jar of fig or quince jam. This is easy to put out for guests in less than five minutes, and they'll always have the wooden board as a memory!"

"It's a gift that will give all year long. This particular wine subscription program gets to know the individual palates of its members and each box is unique to the subscriber. My mom loved it!"

"I love to bring chocolates from Middlebury Chocolates out of Vermont."

"These lightly sweetened olive oil crackers, that come in several flavors, were a godsend when I discovered them several years ago. My favorites are the anise-flavored ones and I like to bundle them with a soft ripening cheese, fig jam, and some fresh figs."

"I like to bring people chocolate. It's always appreciated and I find it's not something that people buy for themselves. I swing by Jacques Torres or Vosges and find something beautiful to gift a friend."