Foodies appreciate how you present food, as half the experience in eating. Search out serving dishes that feel like works of art, just like the food, as unique gifts for foodies. First, be sure to scope out your foodie’s style — modern, country, colorful, minimal — by checking what dishes are in the cabinets now.

The best gifts for foodies include flavors or foods that they’ve never tried before. But you’d be hard-pressed to find surprising edible gifts in the standard grocery store. Look online and in local provision shops that carry indie brands and unusual collections of foods for your foodie to try.

If you’re considering edible gifts for foodies, look for wording in the packaging and labels that clue into small, gourmet brands. Some words to look out for: artisanal, local, homegrown, and small batch. Then let your belly be the guide in deciding which small-batch locally-grown organic treat sounds best to surprise your food lover.

Some of the best Christmas gifts for foodies include serveware and table accessories for entertaining. After all, foodies love hosting parties at their place with multi-course meals that dazzle. Be sure to first consider where you foodie lives though — small studio apartment or a home with a 6-foot-long dining table? Plan accordingly in terms of size and the practicality of their space at home.

Foodies like to be first in line for what’s new in the food world. That includes big restaurant openings, wine tastings, and hunting down hard-to-find foods available only in select places. Think on birthday gifts for foodies that feel like an exclusive culinary experience.

Choosing cookbooks as gifts for foodies feels like a safe bet. But then there’s the question of whether your foodie already owns it. Do some snooping of your own (or talk to your foodie’s significant other) to ensure the cookbook will be a fresh addition to the shelf. And always choose a cookbook that looks cleverly stylish and modern, just like your foodie.

Edible gifts and well-designed kitchen tools are always on the gift idea list for foodies. To choose one,  it helps to know what types of food they crave most. Does your foodie have a sweet tooth? Or does your foodie talk up pork belly? Check your foodie’s Pinterest or peek in their pantry for clues.

Check out these gifting guides for a perfect pairing:

Your Essential Guide to Wine Gifts for Any Occasion

7 Neat Ways to Find Gifts for a Whiskey Lover

Tap into the Best Ways to Shop for Beer Lovers