Amanda Reveals The Food52 Shop's Sleeper Hits

Welcome to the latest edition of Food52 Founder Amanda Hesser’s weekly newsletter, Hey There, It’s Amanda, packed with food, travel, and shopping tips, Food52 doings, and other matters that catch her eye. Get inspired—sign up here for her emails.

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When you’re in kitchen and home e-commerce, the holiday season is Game Time. We’re now in the fourth quarter, and the clock is winding down, and the team is summoning its energies for one last push! Tomorrow is the last day of orders for guaranteed Christmas delivery—and, btw, today and tomorrow we’re offering 20% off! This is when we start assessing our performance—whether or not we found an assortment of products that resonated with you. Some results are obvious: which bets paid off (this pan), and which didn’t (enameled cast iron cookware)? But the ones I’m always most interested in are: What were the sleeper hits and what sentiment trends did we see?

This week, I’m sharing the sleeper hits, with some stats and observations from Jackson, who heads up our Shop team:

1. 3-Piece Primary Kitchen Towel Kit: 374 units sold in Q4. They've been a sleeper all year long, and I think it's the specialized function of each towel (cleaning, cooking, and multitasking) that makes them so exciting. Also an underrated gift—I personally would love new kitchen towels, but never buy them for myself.

2. Denida LED Lamp: 136 units sold in Q4. Wireless LED lamps have been the consistent winners in lighting since we did our big relaunch in September, and this one stands out to me based on its selling as well as its shape—it feels much more like a corded, full-size lamp rather than the usual wick- or lantern-style wireless offering.

3. Fantasia Animal Tumblers: 526 units sold in Q4 with no promotion. Such a charming gift and a really accessible price point.

4. Essential Placemats (Set of 4): 551 units sold in Q4. Good example of a long-running tabletop winner that sells quietly in the background.

Next week, I’ll share the trends.

Most holiday brews are dark and too heavily spiced, so we decided to fix that. Together with John Walker, co-founder of Athletic Brewing, we came up with Host & Toast, an NA Belgian-style white that’s flush with acidity and pepper. It’s a bright and friendly counterpoint to holiday food and also great on its own. You can order Host & Toast here!

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell

My first book, The Cook and the Gardener, written when I was a wee one living in France, is being re-issued with some new writing and a lovely new design. You can pre-order it now, right here.

Before I sign off, here’s a great recipe for Lemon Caramels by Nea.

Have a wonderful week!

Amanda