My favorite time of year has always been around Valentines Day when the stress of the holidays is over and there is the promise of spring starting to show through. Last year I did a Chocolate Lovers Guide gift box for Valentines, which included chocolate items from around the bay area such as Mutari Chocolate. I had a Zoom chocolate tasting gathering and hand delivery meet-up at Satura Cakes in downtown Los Altos.
In May I hosted my first walk since 2020, which was a Zen Day Walk in Saratoga Village. The event started at Hakone Gardens and then we walked through Saratoga Village with our goodie bags, which had gift cards and treats included for each stop.
In August I got a part time job in downtown Los Gatos at Banana Republic and decided to take a break from my events to make some extra money. Unfortunately after the holidays we were told that our store was closing on January 24th along with the Gap and Sur La Table since the lease was being taken over. This was sad news for everyone who were losing their jobs and for the customers who had shopped at this location for years. Downtown Los Gatos is changing especially with the economy and recession coming.
Since Valentines was around the corner I decided to support the small businesses in downtown Los Gatos with a I Love Los Gatos gift box for Valentines. The box featured the businesses that I have been connected with in past events, which included Fleur de Cocoa, Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Co., Icing on The Cake, and Butter Paddle.
The I Love Los Gatos Gift Boxes were hand delivered at Fleur de Cocoa in downtown Los Gatos as a morning meet-up. This French Patisserie has amazing pastries, mousse cakes, artisan chocolates, and gourmet coffee. Using French recipes and techniques, Fleur de Cocoa offers a variety of traditional French mousse cakes, tarts and pastries, as well as fine teas and espresso drinks. Their light lunch menu includes uniquely French sandwiches, quiches and salads. The Valentines gift box included a box of their Fleur de Cocoa, coffee, and honey truffles.
Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Co. was also featured in the I Love Los Gatos Box. Los Gatos Coffee Roasting co. is an independent craft roaster pioneering in the specialty coffee industry in downtown Los Gatos. Included in the gift box was a 1/2 pound bag of European Style Sweet Ground Chocolate along with a token for a 12 oz. cup of their award winning coffee.
Another favorite Los Gatos small business featured in the Valentines gift box was Icing on The Cake. Icing on the Cake has been baking premium scratch-made desserts since 1985. Not only do I love their baked goods I also love their housewares, party, and stationery items. Included in the I Love Los Gatos Box were mini ceramic trinket jewelry dishes from Natural Life Brand, which I purchased at Icing on The Cake. The different level of gift boxes were named by the inspirational quotes on each ceramic dish. Natural Life Brand loves to inspire people to give and live happy!
While shopping in downtown Los Gatos I discovered Roxanne’s Biscotti. Roxanne bakes her perfect biscotti fresh every week in her kitchen in Morgan Hill. All the ingredients are sourced locally and her dedication to quality and craft is unmatched. Roxanne’s Biscotti are sold at The Butter Paddle in downtown Los Gatos, as well as at local farmers markets. The biscotti flavors featured in the Valentines gift boxes were Almond, Double Chocolate, and Mocha Biscotti (made with Chromatic Coffee). The Butter Paddle is an upscale gift and home accessories shop benefitting Pacific Clinics, a non-profit organization supporting children in crisis.
I am currently working on a springtime walk event at Filoli Gardens in May 2023 for Mothers Day. The gift bags will be featuring items from small local businesses that are sold at the gift shop. Stay tuned, it will be a beautiful fun filled day with friends!
