Lately we’ve read and heard a lot about the aging boomers, their effects on US society and their needs as they age.  USA Today said that almost 3.0 million boomers have passed over to the other side….”the other side of 60 that is”. Then there are the 75 million boomers still in their 40’s and 50’s. Many of us have a mother, father, aunt, uncle or friend in this age group. Or we might just be there ourselves!

These boomers are not ordinary people. They are post World War II children of privilege. Many are well educated, well traveled and have acquired significant material possessions in their life time. Which brings us to the point of this article. When it comes time for an occasion gift for these boomers…what do you give have someone who has it all?

Enter the era of experiential gifts. These gifts are exactly what they imply – an experience. For those gift recipients who have received every trinket imaginable over the years, consider an experiential gift. It might be a day at the spa, a day riding horse-back or even a ride in a hot air balloon. If your gift recipient has a taste for the gourmet side of life, consider a food gift.

Gourmet food gifts, specifically dinner gifts, can satisfy many gifting occasions, especially for those recipients who do not live nearby. If you want to say thank you with a dinner delivered, if you want to say congratulations with a gourmet meal, or if you want to let them know you are thinking of them, a gourmet dinner gift may suit your needs, and theirs.  There are several companies that specialize in this type of food gift including Atlanta based GourmetStation. Most companies deliver nationally and provide a wide variety of cuisine with a minimum of preparation time. The idea is provide your gift recipient with an evening of restaurant quality food delivered right to their home. An experience they will long remember.

Small town USA was not a particularly exciting place to grow up. But something special was going on in the midst of the consistent low-key life…the establishment of values. Everyone knew everyone while weddings, births and funerals were the big events. The families were not particularly wealthy in the ways of the material world. But in the ways that count, they were very rich. Tight knit families valued each other, relationships with neighbors and friends, and good cookin’.

And I do mean good cooking. I remember my mother and aunt sending me to neighbors with one of their delicious three layer cakes for one event or another. I would walk into the neighbor’s kitchen and food was everywhere. That’s the way these small town people expressed love.

The world has moved on since those days, but I assure you, small town or big town, people still express love through food gifts. We see it every day at GourmetStation. Our gourmet dinners are shipped all over the US for wedding gifts, welcome new baby gifts, and sympathy gifts. Oh I forgot get-well gifts, and simply thinking of you gifts. Food gifts say it all, but I’m partial to GourmetStation meals delivered. New customers ask every day, what’s your most popular food gift for this occasion or that occasion. To help you make your decision, below are my recommendations. You may not be able to walk down the street to your neighbors with your Mom’s best layered cake, but you can let GourmetStation do the good deed for you.

Congratulations Food Gifts for weddings, new baby gifts, promotions, or job well done.

Parisian Four-Curse Dinner For Two.

Thinking Of You Food Gifts for a sympathy gift, get well gift, or to let them know you care. Tuscan Four-Course Dinner For Two.

Thank You Food Gifts for a heart-warming way to say, “thanks for all you do”. Cajun Four-Course Dinner For Two.

Welcome back guest writer Mark Stine! In this post Mark shares how says Congratulations and makes that special connection with experiential gourmet meal gifts. Enjoy

We all like to feel special and one way you can really feel special is to do something special for someone else. It’s gratifying and lets that special person know you’re thinking about them and their accomplishments. Whether it’s friend, family or co-worker sending a gift to recognize someone’s accomplishment or achievement is a wonderful way to keep in touch. And GourmetStation can make the gift giving so easy to do. Imagine how wonderful you feel when someone sends you something to acknowledge your achievement… pretty special right? You can be top of mind with all your friends and family by making simple gestures of caring and gifting.

I like the notion of gifting food for many occasions, including saying congratulations with gourmet food gifts. Of course we’ve all sent and received gift baskets, and some of them are quite nice. But if you want to give something that exceeds the ordinary, give an experience – a four course dinner for two from GourmetStation’s Parisian, Tuscan, Cajun or Fusion menus. Think how appropriate an easy to prepare, elegant gourmet meal for two would be for a new baby gift, a housewarming gift, a promotion gift, or even a retirement gift.

When you start to think about it, the opportunities are so varied and can be a fun addition to your life. At my age I’ve begun to look at things differently and realize the focus is not about material things but about family, friends and celebrating their lives. Food makes that connection, the gourmet meals gifts do it best!

Congrats! is a little word that sings happy toasts and good wishes. Celebrations are life's happy moments, sometimes grand and sometimes small, when you stop for a second or two to acknowledge a dream that came true. I like to think of these life's victories as special holidays.

What can you celebrate? Think new: New baby, new job, new home, new pet. Think milestones and accomplishments: birthday, anniversary, graduation, team win. Think work: project completed, new client, promotion, innovative ideas. Think firsts: first rose in your garden, first kiss, first best friend, first car.

Of course, celebrations are more fun when you share the joy. There is no better way to let friends and loved ones know that you're excited about their special holiday than with a celebration gourmet food gift. If you're not feeling creative GourmetStation can help ensure the day is extra special.

Technorati Tags: Food_and_Drink, Entertainment, Gourmet_Food, Celebration, Gourmet_Food_Gift

It’s rare that I hard sell GourmetStation’s products. Oh sure, I drop a hint and a link from time to time. Now I can’t help but share with you a real life experience on how our gourmet dinners came to the rescue of new parents. I’ve used our four course dinners as a Welcome New Baby Gift in the past and the feedback has been….well see for yourself.

We’ll call Mom Cathy for privacy, and we’ll call Dad John. Eric was their third child, and each time a new baby came into the house, Cathy and John thought the experience would be easier. Wrong again. Even though their routines were down pat, the responsibilities of the other two children exponentially increased the daily tasks.

No romance. Not enough sleep. No dining out.  This couple, like most new parents, was experience deprived. So I came to the rescue. No, GourmetStation's congratulations gifts came to the rescue. The deep-chilled dinner for two arrived on Friday and Cathy was ready. She pulled down her wedding china including a cloth tablecloth and lace napkins. The dinners were from our Parisian menu line, so Cathy went with a French theme including a CD form Edith Piaf and Bordeaux table wine – a perfect choice with the Chicken Montrachet.   Cathy had the children fed & in bed by 7:00 PM and actually had time to dress up with some Parisian style costume jewelry in the 30 minutes that the dinners were heating. John came home from work to a beautiful wife, French cuisine, and a little Heaven on earth.  End of story. Sweet success.

When in Rome do as the Romans..... for the best place to celebrate or say congratulations try Checchino dal 1887 (Via di Monte Testaccio 30; tel +39 5746318). In Nero's day the location was once a pile of broken amphoras and terra-cotta roof tiles. Today it is a local legend, a party every night, filled with excellent Italian cuisine and a grand selection of wine. Traditional Italian dishes include Rigatoni with Pajata, sweetbreads and the trolley provides a wide choice of local cheeses. Desserts include spuma di ricotta with cocoa powder. Devilish!

If you want to say congratulations to a friend, loved one or business associate and you can't take them to Checchino dal, do the next best thing. Send a congratulations gourmet gift from GourmetStation.