Delicious gifts to make, enjoy with dad

Father's Day is June 21, and we know you need some gift inspiration. Nicole Bogas, founder of NC food gift box company, NC MADE, shares her top ideas for celebrating NC food while you celebrate Dad this Father's Day.

Posted 2:40 p.m. Jun 11, 2015 — Updated 3:50 p.m. Jun 15, 2015

Father’s Day is June 21, and we know you need some gift inspiration. Nicole Bogas, founder of NC food gift box company, NC MADE, shares her top ideas for celebrating NC food while you celebrate Dad this Father’s Day.

What better way to bond with Dad than to learn how to make delicious food together? Gift Dad tickets to one of these great culinary classes offered in the Triangle.

Rose’s Meat Market & Sweet Shop Butchery Class

Join Rose’s Meat Market butcher Justin Meddis and team as they show you and Dad how to break down a lamb. Due to its smaller size and tenderness, lamb is a great introduction to the world of butchery, and because of its similarity to goats and venison, it makes a great class for hunters who’d like to butcher his or her own animals. Participants will leave with five pounds of fresh lamb meat. Classes sell out quickly so sign up now!

Rx Wine Lab Wine 101

Give Dad the opportunity to learn about wine from the only Master Sommelier in the Carolinas, Fred Dex. His “Wine 101 - Pinot Gris/Grigio, Syrah & Malbec” class on June 24 at Durham’s Rx Wine Lab will focus on the difference between Old World and New World wines, and participants will get to taste six wines.

Southern Season Food of Mexico Class

Watching a chef demo at Southern Season’s state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen is a must-do for any Triangle-area foodie. On the day before Father’s Day, you can treat Dad to a taco education at Southern Season’s “Food of Mexico: Hip Tacos Part II” class, led by Mexican food expert Marcelo Villasuso. Participants will watch and taste as Villasuso prepares tacos and burritos with steak, pork and shrimp and complementary garnishes.

For dads who enjoy a good drink, we’ve got a few good ideas.

Trophy Brewing Company Growlers

Gift Dad one (or three) of Trophy Brewing Company’s 32-ounce growlers of craft-made beer, brewed right at their three-barrel nano brewery near downtown Raleigh. Since the handsome growlers are counter-pressured when you buy them, they’ll hold up as well as any bottled beer, and Dad won’t feel any pressure to drink right away (or share). As of this writing, Trophy had their Slingshot Coffee Porter on tap, made with Raleigh’s own Slingshot Cold-Brew Coffee.

Fair Game Beverage Tour & Tasting

Whisk Dad away to Pittsboro for a visit to Fair Game Beverage where local libations are all that’s on offer. Fair Game produces fortified wines and spirits from fruit and sorghum grown right in the Haw River Valley. They’re open for tastings every Sunday from 1-5 p.m., and a tour of their distillery begins each Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Call ahead to book your spot.

Central Park Food Truck Rodeo & Fullsteam “Fellowship of the Session”

Or head to Durham for the Central Park Food Truck Rodeo and Fellowship of the Session event at Fullsteam. At Central Park, you can treat Dad to lunch from one of 50 Triangle food trucks, like American Meltdown, Porchetta, Pie Pushers and Only Burger. Then, walk over to Fullsteam for their Fellowship of the Session event where they’re giving their taps over to session beers made in North Carolina. Session beers are lower in alcohol with less than 5% ABV. That means you and Dad can taste more of the malty goodness from across our state.

Want Dad to unwrap something substantial on Father’s Day? Triangle-area food makers make it easy to give gifts of artisan edibles.

NC MADE Gift Boxes

Whether Dad likes beer, barbecue, or everything else, Durham-based company NC MADE curates gift boxes for those who love to eat local. New for Father’s Day is the North Carolina Beer Box featuring pantry items created from NC craft beer, like Gaelic Ale Mustard, Beer & Bacon Barbecue Sauce and Spiced Apple Beer Jam. The North Carolina Barbecue Box features eastern and Piedmont-style sauces, hushpuppy mix and The Great NC BBQ Map. Also available are more broad collections featuring locally made peanut butter, preserves, cheese straws and more. Order online by 11 p.m. on June 16 for delivery before Father’s Day.

Videri Chocolate Factory’s Father’s Day Pack

The perfect gift for Dads with a sweet tooth who also like heat is a jar of Benny T’s Vesta dry hot sauce. Videri pairs their chocolate nib caramel bark and 70 percent classic dark chocolate bar with Vesta to make this must-try Raleigh-made condiment; you’ll be stealing Dad’s jar to sprinkle it on scrambled eggs, pasta and anything else that needs a kick of savory heat. Order now, as this gift pack is only available for a limited time.

Wildcard Grillmaster Barbecue Pack

Wildcard crafts sauces from specialty, locally-sourced ingredients and pairs their two most popular sauces with a rub and apple and pecan wood chips in this gift pack so that Dad is all set to grill out. The Gunslinger sauce highlights an array of peppers like habanero, ancho, chipotle and cayenne and is not for the faint of heart. The Gold Rush sauce is sweeter and inspired by barbecue styles from those other parts of the country. Also on offer (but sold separately) is The Desperado, a mole-style sauce featuring 90 percent cocoa dark chocolate from Raleigh’s Videri Chocolate Factory.

Step out with Dad to one of these Triangle-area food events.

ChickenWireNC’s Glazed & Confused Picnic

Sample small bites from 50 of the Triangle’s most acclaimed chefs, food artisans, farmers and drink makers at the Glazed & Confused Picnic, with proceeds benefiting Slow Money NC and The Abundance Foundation. As with all ChickenWireNC events, the exact location in Pittsboro is secret but it will be outdoors, where you can mix and mingle with representatives from The Eddy Pub, Herons at the Umstead, Fearrington House, Boulted Bread, Hillsborough Cheese Company, Crude Bitters & Soda, Topo Organic Spirits and many more. Gift tickets on Father’s Day, and attend together on July 19 from 3-6 p.m.

Peak City Pig Fest

The 4th Annual Peak City Pig Fest, the Triangle’s only Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned event, takes place the weekend of Father’s Day in Apex. Cook teams from around the state and country will compete in beef brisket, ribs, chicken, and pork categories as they vie for a chance to represent North Carolina at the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue. You may not be an official judge, but the Apex Sunrise Rotary Foundation will sell BBQ so you can taste for yourself. You can also sample sauces, participate in a corn hole competition, listen to live music and more in historic downtown Apex June 19-20.

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