Seven North Carolina snack makers, two Spicewalla tins, and two recipe cards that turn a box of crackers into the first thing gone at the party!
We stocked this gift basket the way we’d stock a road trip from Asheville. You get something salty, something sweet, a little heat, and a salami for the friend who calls cheese straws a meal.
Every snack comes from a North Carolina business, and most are run by folks we're lucky enough to call friends.
Queen City Crunch Cinnamon Sugar: Charlotte pretzels baked in cinnamon sugar. Katie Cooper started the company in her home kitchen using her mom’s recipe.
Gourmet Chip Co. Italian Modena Herb: Herb-seasoned potato chips from the Asheville chip shop that’s been at it since 2011. Featured as one of Oprah's Favorite Things in 2025!
French Fry Seasoning Salt: Kosher salt, cane sugar, Spanish paprika, garlic, turmeric, onion, and a little cayenne. Use it on fries, popcorn, and roasted potatoes, and in the Firecrackers recipe below.
Shuai Sichuan Hot Chicken Spice: Chef Shuai Wang’s blend from Jackrabbit Filly in North Charleston. Cayenne heat comes first, then the buzz of Sichuan peppercorn, with cinnamon, star anise, and clove underneath. Toss fried chicken in it straight out of the oil.
2 Recipe Cards: Firecrackers: mini saltines, oil, and French Fry Seasoning Salt, with no oven involved. Mix them tonight and eat them tomorrow. And Sichuan Hot Cheese Crackers: a box of your favorite cheese crackers, a quarter cup of oil, and two tablespoons of Sichuan Hot Chicken Spice. Our office finished a batch in one day.
Gifting note
This basket is hand-packed and wrapped (bows included)! It comes exactly as pictured: packed in a gold wire basket and wrapped in cellophane with a bow. We made a limited run for the holidays, and when it’s gone, it’s gone.
Good for the host who has everything, your office gift swap, or anyone who moved away from North Carolina and misses it.
