The 10 best gifts you can still get in time for Father’s Day in L.A.
You’ve done it again. Father’s Day is coming up fast (it’s Sunday, June 20), and you’ve totally forgotten about dear old dad. Well, not forgotten about him exactly — more like forgotten to order those finely marbled mail-order steaks, that monogrammed bowling ball or a family of customized, photorealistic bobbleheads in a timely manner.
Don’t sweat it. We’ve got you covered with some last-minute options you can pick up around L.A. — or have delivered to your door — in time to hand him a handsome, thoughtful gift at Sunday brunch. (A brunch he’ll more than likely be picking up the tab for anyway.)
Leather cast-iron grip
Dad probably spent a lot of time indoors cooking during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sure, he has a Cuisinart. And you gave him a salad spinner when you were 12. Is it appropriate to give him one more cooking gadget? Yes. John Cho Moore’s 10-ounce leather cast-iron grip is too clever to ignore. Handmade in San Francisco, the grip’s leather handles measure 5 inches long by 2 ½ inches wide and mold easily to a skillet, allowing it to go from stovetop to tabletop in one easily choreographed chef’s move. $23. Available in black and light brown. Heath Ceramics, 7525 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. heathceramics.com
Fatherhood means stepping up. That’s one of the many lessons shared over the years in L.A. Affairs columns that tackled issues of fatherhood, and family. In honor of Father’s Day, here are 11 of our favorites:
Men’s Blue Boy socks
Whether he’s going to work — at home or at the office — or heading to a Dodgers game, this pair of “Blue Boy” socks, inspired by Thomas Gainsborough’s famous painting at the Huntington Library, is a thoughtful gift for the art lover. $12. Available at the Huntington Library Gift shop in San Marino. Note: You do not have to purchase admission to visit the gift shop. thehuntingtonstore.org/shop
BlueCut Indigo selvage apron
If it’s good enough for chef Ori Menashe of Bavel and Bestia, it’s good for Dad. Designed by husband-and-wife designers Chachi Prasad and Karam Kim, the BlueCut apron is a lot like your favorite pair of jeans in that the denim grows more comfortable as it ages. (Hmmm. Just like Dad.) This denim apron features copper rivets at the edge of the pockets, which can hold meat thermometers and tongs, as well as a removable antique brass clasp so that Dad can easily get in and out of the apron. $85. BlueCut is only available online but all aprons have a next-day shipping option available for last-minute shopping. And all BlueCut aprons are 20% off through Father’s Day. bluecutaprons.com
Why hike in Los Angeles? Lots of reasons. Use our guide to navigate 50 trails in Southern California, plus tips on gear and treats for the trail.
The Weekender Inflatable Paddleboard
Designed by Los Angeles-based Retrospec, the Weekender Inflatable Paddleboard is 10 feet long and weighs 17 pounds when fully inflated. Each paddleboard comes with a lightweight adjustable paddle, carry bag, high-pressure dual-action pump, removable fins, leash and waterproof phone case in case Dad wants to text you from Marina del Rey. $349.99. Available in five colors, although only three are available at the moment. retrospec.com
Valerie Confections
Los Angeles chocolatier Valerie Gordon and partner Stan Weightman Jr. started making their own chocolate in 2004 out of a tiny storefront in Historic Filipinotown. Today they have expanded to food and pastries but the chocolates, including their original chocolate-dipped toffee, remain their signature. For Father’s Day, Valerie Confections is offering seven chocolate assortments, ranging from a box of truffles for $38 to a stacked tower of bittersweet petit fours and truffles that come gift-wrapped in an ivory box with brown satin ribbon. (If Dad is more appreciative of handmade gifts, try Gordon’s Chocolate Chip Banana Bread With Peanut Crumble. We did.) Father’s Day chocolate gift sets from Valerie Confections, $38 to $125. valerieconfections.com
Higher Standards X Revelry Stowaway
Does the father figure in your life have a penchant for pungent pot? Perhaps he could use an odor-proof bag like the Higher Standards X Revelry Stowaway bag ($50). It’s a discreet carrier that’s 11 by 6 by 5 inches and sports a rubber lining and a three-layer carbon filtration system designed to absorb odors, whether from some serious sticky-icky or a spilled bottle of Brut. The collaboration between high-end paraphernalia maker Higher Standards and Revelry Supply includes zippered pouches ($30), crossbody bags ($55) and backpacks ($80). Available at the Higher Standards Malibu Village flagship, 3826 Cross Creek Road, Malibu. higherstandards.com
Dad Grass “Daddy Chill” bucket hat and prerolled hemp joints
If there was an official headgear of fatherhood, it might well be the bucket hat. L.A.-based hemp purveyor Dad Grass (slogan: “Low dose, full toke, like your parents used to smoke”) acknowledges that and takes it up a notch, offering a limited-edition beige version with joint-stashing loop on one side and the words “Daddy Chill” hand-flocked around the crown by designer Mark McNairy. Part of the brand’s 2021 Pride promotion, 100% of the proceeds from the $42 lids will be donated to the LGBTQ+ civil rights organization Equality California.
Although it’s available only online, Team Dad Grass tells us delivery in the L.A. area is running at about three days, so there’s still time. While you’re at it, maybe throw in a five-pack of prerolled CBD-rich hemp flower joints ($35) that, because they contain less than 0.3% THC, can be legally shipped almost anywhere in the U.S. dadgrass.com
It’s worth noting that today’s legal weed scene wouldn’t exist without the efforts of LGBTQ activists.
Reyn Spooner Surfin’ Snoopy Aloha shirt and matching mask
There are plenty of Dad-worthy aloha-print shirt-and-mask combinations to choose from at the Reyn Spooner website (shipping options include FedEx overnight), but the limited-edition Surfin’ Snoopy Spooner Kloth shirt ($119.50) and mask ($15.99) pairing tugs at our heart strings for two reasons. First, the print features Snoopy and Woodstock kickin’ back, catchin’ waves and generally livin’ it up in Waikiki, and — maybe we’re reading too much into this — that beagle has always seemed like a stand-in father figure to that bird. Second, a percentage of proceeds from the sale of the Surfin’ Snoopy face masks goes to the Honolulu Shriners Children’s Hospital.
Three Weavers Day Job Pale Ale
Is your pops a hophead? Then you might consider scoring him some fresh sippin’ suds from a local craft brewery. Three Weavers’ website makes the process easy, allowing you to place an order online and select a convenient date and time to swing by the Inglewood brewery to avail yourself of the ale. (There’s also a delivery option — with a 24-can minimum — at the site, and six-packs of some styles can be ordered via Door Dash.)
While there are plenty of paternal palate pleasers to choose from (including limited releases such as an Earl Grey latte-inspired ale called Inglewood Fog), why not get Dad a Day Job (or six) this Father’s Day — one of the core year-round offerings? It’s a hop-forward pale ale brewed with Idaho 7, Citra and Chinook hops (from $12.50 per six-pack). Three Weavers Brewing Co., 1031 W. Manchester Blvd. A-B, Inglewood. threeweavers.la
Eagle Rock Brewery has made a new helles-style lager flavored with three California native plants: woolly bluecurls, California laurel and black sage.
Vilebrequin father-son swim trunks
This swimming trunks brand founded in 1971 in St. Tropez has a long tradition of making mini-me versions of its popular boldly patterned, often limited-edition swimsuits. Therefore, if you want the heart-warming visual of a father and his child strolling the beach in matching trunks to look forward to this summer, pop into one of the two local bricks-and-mortar stores (one is at 9519 Wilshire Blvd. at the foot of Rodeo Drive, the other at 101 Wilshire Blvd. at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica) and pick up a matching set of men’s ($270 to $305) and children’s ($135 to $145) swim trunks. vilebrequin.com
Paul Van Doren co-founded the company; the Beatles and Frida Kahlo kept us coming back for more.
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
