Gifting Downtown LA's Best Eats

Want to give a food gift with a local twist? Look to downtown.

We're all looking for a bit of ka-pow behind our gift giving.

What does "ka-pow" mean, exactly? That our gift has some meaning of some sort and that it benefits not just the giver and the giftee but perhaps a third party. Shopping locally or lending support to an area of town has a way of fulfilling that third part pretty nicely.

And helping fulfill it for downtown is the Downtown Center Business Improvement District. They've put together a site that spotlights where to buy interesting and/or locally made eats around downtown, from sweets to jams and beyond.

Think homemade jams from new restaurant Industriel Urban Farm Cuisine -- the sweet toppers are packed in mason jars and sold for six to eight bucks --  or food-inspired jewelry from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising shop (picture cashew-shaped earrings).

(Seriously, if you haven't visited the FIDM gift shop, it is one of the not-so-hidden gems of downtown and greater LA. Fact.)

Everyone who needs or wants to give a gift to someone should at least pause to think 1) local and 2) edible. Those are two positive things and when they meet up? Holiday gifting magic. Usually for the budget, too, since many food gifts are twenty bucks and under.

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