7 Best Family

Nov 30, 2023

Summer entertaining season is well under way, and whether you’re the host or just a lucky guest, I’ve pulled together a selection of unique sweets, snacks and treats from seven incredible, family-owned, small food businesses to help upgrade your next summertime bash.

Bring these as host gifts, serve them as dessert, add a little extra flavor to your favorite recipes or even skip the cooking altogether and order up a full meal your friends and family will love.

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This NYC-based Scandinavian candy shop was founded by a trio of friends who wanted to introduce their favorite candies from their homeland to the U.S. They started off with a candy store and now ship their imported Swedish candies nationwide. They specialize in DIY Pick & Mix candy assortments of bite-size sweet and sour gummies, licorice, marshmallows and chocolate treats, but also carry other specialty Swedish treats like wrapped candy bars, chips, chewing gum, cookies and even beverages. They even make their own artisan Swedish Fish gummies in flavors like Elderflower, Wild Strawberry and Sour Blackberry, inspired by their childhood summers in Sweden.

This Latina-owned marshmallow shop was a dream made true by Tricia Arce and her wife Hazel who pooled their savings with the goal of starting a marshmallow café. They opened in Gilbert, Arizona in 2014, and have been serving up their creative confections ever since. Their signature sweet is hand-crafted artisan marshmallows in more 30 rotating seasonal and specialty flavors like mango Tajín, cookies & cream, lemon meringue, churro, s’mores and more. They also put their flavorful spin on handmade marshmallow cream (try their edible cookie dough flavor!), oatmeal cream pies, s’mores kits and mallow bars. For those who can't make it to the café in person, all items ship nationwide through their online shop.

Classically trained pastry chef Samantha Zola honed her skills working at the legendary Magnolia Bakery and Daniel Boulud's Epicerie Boulud before striking out on her own to chase her dream of starting her own bakery specializing in her childhood favorite dessert — rainbow cookies. The colorful treats are made with layers of moist almond cake filled with raspberry, apricot jam or hazelnut cream, and topped with white or dark chocolate. Zola offers a variety of color combinations and patterns for holidays, and can even make fully customizable versions for special events and weddings.

Enjoy the flavors of the iconic Italian American family-owned restaurant and pizzeria anywhere in the country with the Rubirosa Sunday Sauce Set. This charming gift box (part of the Rubirosa pantry collection) includes a jar of marinara sauce, a jar of vodka sauce, a bottle of extra virgin olive oil and three boxes of its signature lumache pasta (lumache means "snail" in Italian), a ridged shell-like shape that is pinched at both ends and prized for its ability to hold rich sauces well.

Owner Hector Saldivar started his company to honor his mother, known as "Tia Lupita" by all who love her. His first product was a hot sauce inspired by his mother's recipe, which he first requested permission from her to bottle and sell. After finding success with the sauce, his line expanded to include other hot sauce flavors, Veracruz-style salsa macha (a rich condiment made with a mix of chiles, oil, nuts, seeds and aromatics), and Cactus Tortilla Chips made from sustainable nopales (prickly pear cactus). The chips are light, crispy and airy, and naturally gluten- and grain-free. The chips come in flavors like sea salt, habanero, chipotle, hot sauce and salsa verde, and can be purchased individually or in a sample pack.

Husband-and-wife duo Justin and Rebecca Christiansen started their artisan salt blend company with the goal of helping home cooks learn how salt can enhance all flavors in their dishes. They created a variety of balanced salt blends in different flavor profiles from sweet to spicy to herbal. Try their 3-Pack Classic Gift Box, which features their crowd-favorite Portland Steak Salt, Portland Za'atar and their salty-sweet Portland Toast Sugar, which will take your classic cinnamon toast to the next level.

The Mills Family has been in the barbecue business in Illinois for nearly 100 years. Located in Murphysboro in the southernmost tip of the state, 17th Street BBQ is currently owned by Amy Mills, the self-described "go-to-girl for all things barbecue." Her late father, Mike, was a legendary grilling champion who earned his spot in the Barbecue Hall of Fame, and many of their signature sauces and rubs were inspired by recipes created by Amy's grandmother, Mama Faye, a Depression-era widow who sold sauce from the back door of her kitchen to support her five children. Today, 17th Street sells and ships its entire range of sauces, rubs and seasonings, and for those who would rather someone else do the cooking, you can also order its famous pulled pork, brisket, ribs and sides.