I really like a couple of Provencal olive oils: James Plagniol and Hilaire Fabre. Both are rich and flavorful. Quite a luxury, though; wouldn't use them for daily use. Great for a special salad.

CC, my all time favorite is from California, it's called Sciabica's, they do have an on-line site. It's a family owned and operated business and a couple of times a year a very pleasant (and clearly older, LOL) Mr. Sciabica calls to make sure I haven't run out of olive oil.

I love their Marsala variety best, but I got the boss and Elery each a bottle of their habanero infused olive oil and they loved it. They do have variety sample packs too.

Annie

If they live south of the SF Bay, they also have access to great olive oil. Napa Valley has some fantastic olive oils.

Where do you live? What about getting them a gift of foods from your neck of the woods?

I second Sciabica. I buy their oil at the farmer's market here. The elder Mr. Sciabica presides over his stand each Thursday and Saturday wearing his signature crochet cap and vest extolling the virtues and benefits of olive oil and passing out tastes. He is very persuasive. ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: Sciabica

Now I remember, Sciabica was the one mentioned before. I will look at the site.
Arley, James Plagniol was my favorite indulgence years ago. I haven't had it lately, or even seen it for sale. I'll look into it.
Cindy, one of them is from my neck of the woods, and returns here to PA every year. I know they're in foodie paradise, and I'm just thinking of a special indulgence for them.
On the other hand.... how are apples in CA? Might we have better ones here, even at this late date? I have sent apples to a friend in North Carolina, who can't get her favorite variety, Cortland, there. So I know a local orchard that will ship.
Barnmom, tell me about apples in the Bay area. Of course California is close to Washington, a great source of apples......

How about some good old Iowa Blue cheese?

Here is a link that might be useful: cheese.

Well, I thought of cheese, but realized I don't know their cheese tastes at all.

I'm thinking since the Sciabica is at Barnmom's market it may be something they do buy all the time; they're closer to Sciabica's than Barnmom is.

So for those of you in California, especially the Bay Area:
What would you like someone to send you?

Unless they live in Modesto in the neighborhood of Yosemite Ave. and Mitchel Road they can't be closer than I am! I live in Modesto. Where are they? Sciabica olive oil is found in the local markets right around here for sure. I don't know about distribution in the Bay Area.

I always appreciate wine. :) Shipping instate is thankfully easy. Humanitas, the winery I linked to, is a great holiday choice as you can assign a part of the proceeds to a charity of your (or their) choice. I know the owner personally and he is a really wonderful man. He also has a day job as president of Michel Schlumberger Wines in Sonoma.

Here is a link that might be useful: Drink charitably!

Apples. The apples in the stores are awful. I had some from the farmer's market a few months ago and they were great. I haven't been to the markets or local stands in a while.

Here is a link to local apple growers association.

Here is a link that might be useful: Apple Hill Growers

Barnmom, I thought you lived in the wine country north of San Francisco, because you used to talk about working for vineyards there. And I was thinking if Sciabica was in markets there, it would also be in their area. They live in Mountain View (that's near Palo Alto).
We have the same thing you do with apples here -- supermarket apples are no good, farmers markets have good ones from local orchards. So that's one idea.
I thought of wine too, but we're not sure they drink it.
Thank you for the links.

When I lived there, it was like Barnmom says -- apples in the stores were iffy and the ones in the farmers markets were great. A lot of different varieties of apples are grown in Watsonville, Sebastopol, and points north of San Jose.

What about spices? The Spice House has some nice gift boxes. (I guess Penzey's doesn, too. My bias is clearly showing here.) Or maple syrup? Or wine?

I used to live there and still go to Napa for work. Big commute. When Alice leaves for college, I will likely return to permanent residence there.

If they're foodies and like cheese at all, chances are they'd like a wide variety. When I did a search about artisan cheese and pennsylvania, I came up with this...

Here is a link that might be useful: Pennsylvania artisan cheeses.

This is the one I like/use..but I haven't had a lot of olive oils..LOL

I also use their Grapeseed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Napa Valley Naturals

Spacific, wow, I never thought of doing a search for Pennsylvania artisan cheese. A couple of those places are only about an hour away. I'll have to check them out sometime.

Too bad about the wine, I always give Clover Hill Spice Holiday wine or their Apple wine, which is out of this world. But I was told wine is expensive to ship when I went to their store at the farm market, which is why I schlepped it on the plane to MI for Thanksgiving. If they drink at all, they will love the apple wine, what's not to like. That stuff is heavan in a cup if you microwave it too. Some apple wine, apples and artisan cheese, OMG I may have to find someone to give this gift basket too!!

I got a Penzey's gift spice box one year and I loved it. I love their Vanilla Sugar and Mural of Flavor seasoning mix. That and maybe some fru fru salt and one of their other mixes depending on what type of food they like. I like Penzey's Adobo seasoning, which is onion, garlic, oregano, pepper, a pinch of cayenne, and cumin. All the stuff for chili, Tex Mex and Mexican, except the heat! But then again if they are meat eaters they might like some of the grill rubs. I know some people here like the fancy cinnamon too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Clover Hill Wines

CC - Does it have to be food? What about some of those gorgeous Amish wooden spoons or a bowl from a local potter?

One of my favorites is Maussane les Alpilles. It has a very delicate flavor. I know Zingerman's has it.(as well as a lot of other interesting olive oils)

Here is a link that might be useful: Zingerman's

Do Check out the Zingerman's website Seasyde posted... they also have some great write-ups on their olive oils, and even an olive oil club...

My favorite olive oil is Frantoi-Cutrera Segreto from Italy. It has a wonderful peppery flavor absolutely exquisite! The only place I've found that carries it is Salumeria Italiana in the North End of Boston.
http://www.salumeriaitaliana.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: Salumeria Italiana

I just sent an Olive gift to my SIL. Graber is the oldest olive growers in California and are in Ontario, CA. I found them when I was looking for something different to do while DH was at a meeting.

I've tried a lot of olives and olive oils and I think theirs is the best by far. The Olives are extremely good, the oil has a very mild olive flavor.

Here is a link that might be useful: Graber Olive House.

I highly recommend Zingermann's deli as a source for gourmet food. I have been to the real deli in Ann Arbor Michigan and I have sent gifts from their Web site. The stuff is PRICEY but that's because it is the real deal. They have a LOT of gourmet items to choose from. Their bread is to die for. Bread and olive oil mmmmmmmm.

Thanks everybody for all the great suggestions. I decided not to get olive oil after all, but will save all this information, for other gifts and for myself.
Maussane les Alpilles -- isn't that the prettiest-sounding place name ever? I hadn't heard of the place or the olive oil, but I can smell lavender fields when I hear the name, and I want it.

Combining several themes on this thread, I am sending an artisan cheese, supporting a good cause and small agricultural producers. It's a Gouda-type cheese made by Trappist nuns in Virginia. They get their milk from a local Mennonite farmer. I'm thinking that a mild Gouda is probably acceptable to a wide range of cheese tastes. I got one for myself to see what it's like, although I prefer aged Gouda from Holland.
I also like this idea because it's something they won't find in California.

Here is a link that might be useful: Trappist nuns' cheese (click Contact for cheese brochure)

I think you chose a lovely gift.