Missouri’s varied flavors result in salty and sweet trademark treats that make distinctive welcome gifts for attendees or end-of-trip souvenirs. Whether arranged in a basket or wrapped in a cute box, guests will enjoy taking a bit of Missouri back home.
Chocolate Heaven
Whatever the interests and demographics of the group, planners are sure to make most guests happy with a box of locally made chocolates. Kansas City-based Russell Stover Candies (816.753.1677; www.russellstover.com) has been making chocolates since the 1920s, and its Private Reserve collection is a popular gift choice. In nearby Joplin, Candy House Gourmet Chocolates (417.623.7171; www.candyhouse.net) offers hand-dipped confections to satisfy the chocoholic in every group.
Fruity Finds
When purchasing from the Kitchen at the College of the Ozarks (417.334.6411; www.cofo.edu) in Point Lookout, Mo., planners can be sweet to their attendees and to students who work at the kitchen to pay for their college education. All jams, jellies and fruitcakes are homemade. The blackberry jelly, made from locally grown blackberries, is always a hit.
Big on BBQ
Any outdoor grilling enthusiast will tell you: The secret to a good barbeque is in the sauce, and Missouri makes some of the tastiest around. The Best of Kansas City Store (816.303.7330; www.thebestofkc.com) offers all the fixings for a good barbeque, from grilling and marinade cookbooks to baskets of sauces and steak spices. In St. Louis, Maull’s Genuine Barbecue Sauce (www.maull.com) was first introduced more than 70 years ago from Louis Maull’s original family recipe. It’s still made the same way today, along with variations on the original “genuine” flavor, such as “jalapeno,” “smoky” and “Kansas City.”
Very Cherry
The Chase Candy Company (800.786.1625; www.cherrymash.com) has been making cherry mash—a soft cherry covered in a mixture of chopped roasted peanuts and chocolate—since 1918. Located just outside Kansas City in St. Joseph, the factory makes a variety of other confections, including coconut candy and peanut candy.
Gingerbread Galore
Big Cedar Lodge (800.225.6343; www.big-cedar.com), located just south of Branson on Table Rock Lake, is like a gingerbread house for adults. The meetings-friendly property bakes gingerbread cookies that are available for purchase and given to guests as in-room amenities. Planners can purchase boxes of the gingerbread cookies for groups. On the box, cookie lovers are told to make a wish and push on the center of the cookie. If it breaks cleanly into three pieces, their wish will come true. No matter how the cookie crumbles, life is sweet here.
