Chef Moms Share Their Favorite Mother’s Day Food Gifts

This year, mom wants a pizza oven, a champagne subscription, and a bundt pan reminiscent of ‘Bridgerton.’

mothers day gifts 2022 chefs food
Design by Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist
Design by Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist

Moms know that the best way to show love is through food—whether it be sliced fruit with your favorite dip, a bubbling casserole dish that’s as rich as it is comforting, or warm cookies fresh out of the oven.

With Mother’s Day coming up, it’s our turn to show our moms how much we appreciate them: through food (and, okay, maybe a bottle of wine or champagne here and there).

Show your moms how much they mean to us with kid-friendly pancake mixes, a beautiful set of new spices, a tin of fancy salt, and a bucket of ice cream. We turned to the experts—chefs, restaurateurs, and small business owners in the food and drink space (who also all happen to be moms)—for their suggestions.

Courtney Boyd Myers

CEO + Co-Founder AKUA

“As a soon-to-be NEW mother (I’m due with my first child, a baby girl, just a week before Mother's Day!), I am really excited to receive my first box of goodies from Majka, a female-founded CPG company that makes cookies, hydration mixes, and protein powders to support breast milk production! I will also be gifting this to my sister-in-law, who is due with my nephew the same week as me.”
 

Carmel Hagen

Founder of Supernatural

“Mother’s Day is the best holiday for baking with kids. To clarify: This is a job for anyone who is not Mom, after she gets handed a bottle of champagne and the remote. All she really wants today is to not have to tell you where the bowls are, so open a few cabinets!

Take advantage of the very delicious and kid chef-friendly Pancake Mix by Partake Foods, and make mama a stack of flapjacks as high as her love for you (infinite). This is also a good time to let the kids go wild with the zhuzh, like Supernatural’s Starfetti sprinkles.

For your savory course, whisk a few blops of Haven’s Kitchen Herby Chimichurri into scrambled eggs, and serve with buttery, toasted sourdough and a handful of fresh greens (extra credit: toss them in something by Acid League). Then refill her glass, give her a million hugs, and leave the house.”
 

Rachel King

Chief Development Officer at Kaneh Co.

“The big-ticket item I would love is the Lēvo II Oil Infuser. I would be able to recipe test and create more cannabis, hemp, and herbal-infused foods in the comfort of my own home. This machine has many uses and would make a beautiful addition to my kitchen!

I would also like the Nordic Ware Nonstick Cast Aluminum Magnolia Bundt Cake Pan from Williams Sonoma. I love the ease and deliciousness of bundt cakes. I’m also a Bridgerton and Downton Abbey fan, and this cake pan reminds me of the opulence of that time period. Last, the tool I use for everything but lose all the time is a small offset spatula. I use these for many things and I always prefer a wood handle to a plastic one.”
 

Adrienne Borlongan

Founder of Wanderlust Creamery

“I will never be upset at receiving a bucket of fried chicken for Mother’s Day—and even less upset at finding out it’s actually ice cream—so I’d love the ‘Not Fried Chicken’ bucket. There’s also a plethora of chili crisp products out there these days, but I love the smoky and herbaceous undertones in Boon Sauce that makes it stand out from the crowd. The shallots in it go a long way, making it a flavor bomb. It’s one of my absolute favorite pantry staples.”
 

Laura Warren

Pastry Chef for Puffer Malarkey Collective

“I’d love to receive any flavored chocolate from the Valrhona Inspiration collection. The flavors are unique, bright, and so delicious. It’s funny because I’m always baking with Valrhona chocolates at work but I want to be gifted these chocolates for a change!

For the other moms in my life, I’ll be giving them the Miette cookbook by Meg Ray. It was the book that inspired me to pursue baking as a career. Miette caters to home cooks while teaching professional techniques, perfect for anyone interested in baking.”
 

Pam Schwartz

Co-founder and General Manager at Ranch 45

The Ooni Karu Multi Fueled Pizza Oven is so fun to cook on, extremely user friendly, and easy to set up. When the gas is connected, it takes about 15 minutes to heat up and less than 60 seconds to cook a pizza. It’s a fun way for the entire family to make custom pizzas with little effort. I’m gluten free and am always looking for good gluten free pizza crusts. Recently I found that Caputo, the Italian flour company, has a Gluten Free Flour. It performs better in bread than any other brand I’ve tried.

Lastly, I love champagne, so what better to ask for than a champagne subscription? We Drink Bubbles was started by a local San Diegan that has a passion for all things sparkling. You sign up for monthly or quarterly shipments. It comes with one bottle of Champagne and two sparkling from around the world.”
 

Maneet Chauhan

TV personality, chef, author and restaurateur of Morph Hospitality Group

“What I would love this year is a spice kit from Diaspora or Spicewalla. I use spices every single time I cook and I can never have too many options at my fingertips! I also love The Chai Box—I drink tea all the time and the gift sets are always a joy to receive.”
 

Meg Walker

CEO & Executive Chef of Made by Meg Catering

“Being a busy, on-the-go mom with a refined palate, I’d love some finishing salts for my purse. One of my favorite brands is Jacobsen Salt Co. and they have a slide tin of pure flake salt that is available for the price of a day’s milk money! Aroma is also everything.

Lighting a candle and relaxing is something I really treasure, and I love Jo Malone’s Nectarine Blossom and Honey candle.

Finally, I’m a big proponent of high-quality wines and the break that a glass of wine offers to busy moms. One of my absolute favorite wineries is Sanford Winery in the St. Rita Hills of California. Get Mom a wine club membership for the year. The Chardonnay is out of this world!”

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Kat Thompson is a senior staff writer of food & drink at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @katthompsonn.