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I don't think I've mentioned this before, but my fiancee and I are having a destination wedding in Washington, D.C. We both grew up in New Jersey and still live there, and while our travels don't take us too far, all of our family and friends will be traveling for this special occasion.
After reading numerous books and magazines, I've come to the decision that I would like each guest (couple) to receive a welcome basket in their hotel rooms upon arrival. While this sounds easy enough, being a foodie and advocate for using local resources, has made it a difficult task.
After visiting D.C. over the years and eating at some of the best restaurants in the country (my opinion), I never took notice of the local food products the city has to offer. So where do I turn to? I was lucky enough to meet a fantastic contact from Cultural Tourism DC at a "Taste of D.C." event held several months back. I figured if any organization could help me, this would be the one.
Strengthening the image and economy of Washington -- neighborhood by neighborhood -- is something the organization strives for. They quickly pointed me to the Eastern Market in Capitol Hill. I thought to myself, "What a smart idea?" I quickly e-mailed the market manager for suggestions. Walking around the local market or e-mailing vendors will quickly give you a good idea of what the area is known for (Old Bay anyone)?
If you live in the Maryland/Virginia/D.C. area, I would love to hear your suggestions for the best local foods to include in my welcome baskets. There's no better way to greet your guests who have traveled miles than to a have them walk into a room with a basket full of local goodies.
To contact Cultural Tourism DC, call or e-mail them at info@culturaltourismdc.org. Don't forget to check out the Eastern Market if you live in the area!
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3-18-2009 @2:53PM Emily Ann said... UTZ Chips/pretzels.
Berger cookies.
Old Bay! Gift certificates for crab spots?
Rock Creek soda.
I'm really classy.
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3-18-2009 @3:01PM AOL Food Editor said... Thank you Emily. Items like those are exactly what I am looking for!
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3-18-2009 @4:29PM DC365 said... Route 66 potato chips are local. You can get amazing coffee beans from Murky or Peregrin espresso. Baked & Wire Cupcakes -- which won my Cupcake Madness bracket last month (http://dc365.blogspot.com/search/label/Cupcakes) and if you go the dupont circle sunday market, they have lots of cheese/meat/bakery and soup items from local farms that might be fun!
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3-18-2009 @4:29PM DC365 said... Oh, and I almost forgot -- locally made chocolates from ACKC on 14th Street!
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3-18-2009 @5:16PM AOL Food Editor said... Thank you very much DC365! Your cupcake brackets were extremely useful and saved me from going into a sugar coma myself. I look forward to reading more of your content.
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3-18-2009 @10:24PM Grace said... I live in Texas now, but grew up in Northern Virginia about 10 miles from DC. It's a little bit far from DC (closer to Baltimore actually), but this is my favorite restaurant for crab cakes - http://www.gandmrestaurant.com/ Maybe a gift certificate.
I'd also second the Utz recommendation.
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3-19-2009 @1:25AM katie Osborn said... I absolutely agree with the first poster, I live in Baltimore and Berger cookies/UTZ are ubiquitous here (crab chips! salt and vinegar!), but also I'd recommend something crabby just because it's the chesapeake and sort of compulsory around here
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3-19-2009 @8:45PM April said... These are great comments. I have lived in the DC area for 8 years, and I would add that Route 66 chips, mentioned above, makes an awesome Old Bay-flavored chip. You might also offer Virginia peanuts (they're delicious and you can get individual packs at Wegmans) or M&Ms (the global headquarters for Mars, Inc. is in McLean, VA). Happy planning!
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3-20-2009 @8:25AM Skywalker said... Utz is good,
Cupcakes - more DC than berger cookies
recipes for crapcake
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3-20-2009 @4:17PM Sara said... Hi!
I currently live in DC and got married last year in Chicago (where I'm from) and I just wanted to let you know that Hotels have gotten wise to the welcome baskets and will charge you for delivering them. You might want to call the hotels ahead of time to find out if this is still true, it came as a very unwelcome surprise to me when I had to deliver over 100 gift bags and was charged $5 per bag.
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3-22-2009 @7:56PM Marci said... Best cupcakes in town come from Georgetown Cupcake. The owners are fab, work well with deadlines and they have the cutest to-go/gift packaging. I've used them for several area events and they are always a hit.
And unless you go with Crab chips from Utz, Route 66 is BY FAR the better choice. Dill pickle, yum!
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3-22-2009 @10:00PM Emily said... Old Dominion is a local Northern Virginia brewing company. Their Root Beer is excellent..as is the beer.
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3-22-2009 @10:23PM alison said... add a few of the salty oat cookies available at teaism (in dupont circle and two other dc locations)--delicious!!!!
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3-23-2009 @10:42AM Rob said... Do you mean Route 11 chips? I've never heard of Route 66 chips.
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