How to Choose a Graduation Gift

We're all about collections over at Provisions -- and we don't want you to miss out on the fun.

Today: Find the perfect graduation gift.

As a graduate, you’re tired and happy, proud and probably sleep-deprived. We remember being excited about a new chapter ahead, but it still felt like the distant future. After weeks of final exams, graduation ceremonies, and packing, the last thing we wanted to do was plan for a new apartment and buy practical, grown-up items like an actual laundry hamper.

Most graduates are ready to shed the trappings of college living (read: plastic cutlery and microwave pasta). The ideal grad gift helps them do this, but doesn’t feel overly functional or dull. Our collection today in our Provisions shop is full of the gifts we wished we’d gotten at graduation. They’re all practical and eminently useful for the years ahead, but also a little fancier, prettier, or higher quality than we would have gotten ourselves at that stage. 

For a graduate who likes to cook (or can’t make anything but eggs and needs a little push in the right direction), basics like very good knives or a polished walnut cutting board are the best bet. We also believe that not skimping on quality when it comes to spices can make all the difference when learning to cook, so we worked with Oaktown Spice Shop to design the ultimate basic spice starter set and specialty spice start set. If we learned anything from early years of cooking, it’s that you don’t want to discover you’re out of cinnamon halfway through a cake recipe.

We also found a set of vintage menu prints, perfect for the transition from college posters to real art. We're also a little obsessed with these petite porcelain and stoneware bowls from Clam Lab, a small pottery studio in Brooklyn. Each handmade bowl has its own character, and they're the perfect size for cereal or salad (or ice cream) for one. Even adults need to eat breakfast!

Choose something that feels celebratory, but won't just gather dust in their cabinets. Caps off!