My son really enjoys cooking and trying new things. I just heard about a "spice of the month" gift, so may try that this year. According to the website, you get three spice mixes a month, each one enough for a few servings sized meals. We live in a small town and so some foods are very hard to come by. This should add variety and allow for some experimentation.
https://rawspicebar.com/product/gift-certificate