I don’t know about your chef, but when I ask my chef/husband for gift ideas for a holiday he usually doesn’t have many ideas, if any. He always says he doesn’t need anything and really doesn’t have time for much. But of course we still want to get him something. Unfortunately I usually draw a blank when it comes to gift ideas for him.
If you google, “Gifts for a Chef,” you’ll get a bunch of foodie gifts, most of which, chefs would think are rather stupid. Most of them don’t want kitchen “gadgets” as a gift.
So I’ve done some research, asked some other chef wives and girlfriends and made a list of ideas. While all chefs are different, maybe one of these will at least give you an idea or get you thinking. Good luck!
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Special Date Night
I’ll start off with my favorite gift for a chef. Since my chef/husband always says he doesn’t need or want anything, our favorite gift to give him is individual dates with each of us. (This was actually his idea.) Let’s say it’s Father’s Day. Each child would pick one thing they want to do with Daddy. It can cost or be free. Then they find a way to wrap that up and give it to him.
In the past when we’ve done this, the girls have taken him to ice cream, on a bike ride, out to dinner, rented a movie and had popcorn and went on a hike. Last year for his birthday I took him on an all day date. Since the girls’ time with him is a bit limited during the school year, this ensured one on one time with each of them and they all loved it!
Something for the Kitchen
Even though they live and breathe work, they still want specific things for the kitchen. But SPECIFIC is the key word. I definitely would not suggest buying a kitchen item for a chef unless you know they want it. They are very particular about these things. 
One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that my husband is used to having the best of everything and just everything in general, at his fingertips. When he cooks at home, sometimes he gets frustrated if something doesn’t work as well as he would like because we have a sub-par item (like a stove, oven, blender, etc.)
Here are some ideas:
- Sous Vide Machine
- A new cookbook they have been asking about
- InstantPot (This countertop pressure cooker is AMAZING and my husband and I use it all the time!)
- InstantPot Sous Vide Circulator – Great option for Sous Vide if you own an InstantPot
- Leather knife roll
- Vitamix (This was a great purchase for us as our $35 Oster blender was a big frustration for my husband when he cooked at home!)
- Ninja
- Fizzics Beer System – Make beer at home!
- Herb Garden (My husband loves to use fresh herbs at home and since he has access to so many at work all the time…well you get the picture, right??)
- Leather apron
- New thermometer
- Electric Smoker
- Starbucks Coffee & Tea Refill Tumbler – free coffee for the month of January
- Molecular Gastronomy Kit
- Vacuum Sealer
- Smoking Gun (Handheld food smoker)
Technology Ideas:
- Apple Watch – easy way to see and respond to texts quickly while working
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(Plus more, but this is a great one for us as we sometimes need to communicate with our chefs during the dinner rush!) - Sony SWR50 Smart Watch – similar to the Apple Watch, but for Android users
- Cell phone update – what about one with a stylus like the Samsung Note 5, so they don’t need to carry around a little note pad to take notes?
- A new video game for them to play to relax (bonus if it’s one you like too so you can still spend time together)
- A tripod and a cell phone mount to go on top to help with food photos at the restaurant
- Surface Pro 4 – If your chef does a lot of computer work for the restaurant or if they are in a corporate position, this computer is AMAZING. My husband can’t live without it (and neither can I).
Other Misc. Ideas:
- Tickets to a concert of sporting event
- New pillows and sheets to make the bed more comfortable
- Slippers
- A flip book of family pictures or just pictures of the two of you
- Mount and frame their first embroidered chef coat (or just the embroidered logo)
- A beer cake
- Messenger Bag
- Gift Certificate for a new Tattoo
- Massage Gift Certificate
- Pedicure
- An apron from the kids with all their handprints on it
- 12 Day of Christmas
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For more ideas, follow my “Gifts for a Chef” board on Pinterest.
Follow Jennifer @ Emulsified Family’s board Gifts for a Chef on Pinterest.
I’d love to know other ideas you have! Please leave them in the comments below!
From one chef’s wife to another,
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