[Part 2] The Ultimate Picnic

UNITING good taste, with the next generation of Food People!

This is Jen and Maddox

And their picnic is a walk in the park!

Jen started with desserts at the Broadstreet Cafe shortly after she got out of Culinary School. From there it was only straight up! She had a stint at Sontes, Prescotts and opened her own restaurant in Pine Island, The Rainbow Cafe. I still miss it! She is so creative in her presentations and her desserts to this day are far beyond what I ever hoped Broadstreet would be. I'll be checking in with Jen (if she'll have me) from time to time with more recipe ideas and fun food stuff to chat about. 

Here’s Jen

Ok. I love picnics. LOVE them. The thought process while exploring this has me asking myself where this all started.

The first memory that came to my mind is a glorious one. As a child, my mom used to pack us up on hot summer days, usually with my cousin and her 3 sons, and take us to the beach at Whitewater State Park. Now, mind you, we didn't have A/C in our home yet, so it was such a treat to spend a day at the beach. We would swim our hearts out until we were starving, then mom would bust out the picnic. It was always something homemade and delicious, with maybe a hint of sand lingering around on the palate. But first, we got change from mom's purse. We didn't get soda in our home (we also weren't allowed to purchase breakfast cereal with sugar in the first 3 ingredients), so this was big business. Then, we would run over the hot sand and salivate, quarters in hand, deciding our delicious fate. Most often, it was Orange Crush. Ice cold can, on a scorching day. During those moments, I knew that this must be how rich people live, and I was going to be one of them!

The mom that started the picnics.

As a mother myself, I share my lifelong love of picnics with my son today. I have created a foodie, so he is the perfect companion. We picnic from March-November. So much so that the back hatch of my car is always picnic-ready. Large blanket, small fold-up-to-a-bag blanket, arm-chair-ish back pillows, regular pillows, battery-operated string lights, a portable hammock....you get the picture. In the colder months, we open up the back of the car and sit right there in the back, extra fuzzy blankets for warmth. In style, of course. A lady even stopped at Essex park just to see my set-up back there and asked what the occasion was. Ha! I believe my answer was "Tuesday."

A Tuesday Picnic.

Now let's get down to food. That is what it is all about for us.

That BLT though

A good sandwich goes a long way. A summer favorite is, of course, a BLT. The bread must be lightly toasted, and real mayo is a MUST (on both sides). Next, add locally grown tomatoes - heirlooms when we can get them (thanks to some of my favorite farmers), organic bacon, and crisp lettuce. Finally, we love to add microgreens (our favorite blend is the spicy mix with some sunflower thrown in). My mouth is watering just thinking of this. Another fantastic combo is pastrami-cured salmon on a buttery croissant with vegan tzatziki and peppery arugula. Made this one for our beach picnic in Miami last spring during a girl's trip. To. Die. For.

To. Die. For.

We always have a supply of fruit. Nature's dessert. Our go-to's are berries, green apples, frozen green grapes, and dried mangoes. A couple squares of dark chocolate make a delightful and appropriate accompaniment.

Raspberry fingers is a MUST!

LZ- Did you mention chocolate? We got the provisions HERE!

Some cold salads are great when we are not in a sandwich-y mood. Thanks to my trusty old fabric cooler that folds up, I have plenty of room for a huge spread! My favorite summer pasta salad consists of spinach pasta, pickled red onion, toasted walnuts, bleu cheese, drizzled with olive oil, a nice, sweet balsamic, and some black pepper.

LZ- We have the coolest spinach pasta, Foglie D’ Olive it will be perfect for this.

Something salty and crunchy is also a must for every picnic. I love making a blend of nuts. Cashews, almonds, pecans, and pistachios drizzled with local honey and everything bagel seasoning, then roasted, keep wonderfully in a mason jar in the pantry, and are always ready to grab and bring to a picnic!

I do love a good chip, though. Salty snacks are my jam. So whether it is chips and salsa or salt & vinegar potato chips, a crunchy salty chip is a must in my book.

LZ-YUM, and yum to all things crunchy! Popcorn is my fave!

And don't forget something pickled. Pickled root veggies, refrigerator pickles, ala my maternal grandmother, pickled beets, or just a tart jar of cornichons. My son and I both love pickled anything. And a little sip of the pickling liquid is something I can never resist!

LZ- Food Union has a big array of NEW pickled stuff right now, perfect for your next picnic. Check it out!

And lastly, the star of the show is always a good cheese or 2. Let's be honest, it isn't a picnic without an amazing cheese or 5. A tangy chevre, some nutty gouda, a pungent brie, warmed by the sun until it is dippable....or my beloved burrata. Who doesn't need an excuse to buy some new cheeses, right?!

Note: the plate is garnished (love)

LZ- Well that’s an easy one, Here’s our cheese list. Check back often, lots of great things coming in for Father’s Day.

On a final note, let's talk logistics. Paper plates and plastic forks are easy but elevate your picnic game while being kind to our mother earth. I love using my small, well-loved glass plates. Some from my mother's travels, some from yard sales or Saver's. Along with real silverware and cloth napkins, they really do elevate the experience. Shout out again to my trusty, well-loved fabric cooler- the pockets on the side hold those items perfectly! Now, I always keep a roll of paper towels and a bottle of my homemade spray cleaner in my car with the rest of my picnic-ready gear, just in case, but treat your picnic like fine dining. You deserve it!

Picnics are such a wonderful way to connect. To connect with your loved ones (or yourself!), to connect with your surroundings, to connect with food. I honestly do not have a single bad memory surrounding a picnic. And I really hope I am flooding my son's brain with the kind of memories that last a lifetime, just like my mom did for me.

-- Jennifer Richards, Rainbow Cafe

Picnic Connection