Take It Outdoors

I think most of us are familiar with the term farm-to-table which stems back to the legendary chef Alice Waters and her famous restaurant Chez Panisse, which opened back in 1971 in Berkeley, California. The seasonality of fresh, locally sourced ingredients coupled with sustainability continues to make perfect sense, which is why many still subscribe to this movement today.

If you haven’t heard of Outstanding in the Field, take a look. The photos are simply gorgeous. Essentially a traveling restaurant, they have taken the farm-to-table concept literally and host fabulous dinners on long, continuous tables smack in the middle of where the ingredients originated. Whether it be in a field, vineyard, beach, city street or rooftop, Outstanding in the Field goes directly to the source. I have been fascinated by the mobile feast since seeing photos years ago of white linen-topped tables snaking through the center of ancient Italian villages. Enjoying a meal in a place other than a traditional setting is a really fun thing to do. Imagine over a hundred food-focused folks all seated at one table! This has got to be an extraordinary experience and is near the top of my bucket list. It’s certainly not cheap ($400+) but it must be worth it since they have been doing this since1999 the events sell out very quickly.

Spending time on the Outstanding in the Field website reminded me of one of my favorite summertime memories. Several years ago, my cousin Jimmy’s wife, Meg, hosted a birthday party for him. On a beautiful, balmy evening in July about twenty of us gathered on the beach. A simple pop-up tent housed a spread of shrimp, crackers, cheeses, olives and other one-bite savory appetizers.

Music filled the salty air as the Prosecco flowed freely.  We felt like we were part of a scene in a fashionable and fancy beach novel. Crisp white linens neatly draped one, long table with bunches of blue hydrangeas cut down into low glass vases running down the center. The setting was incredibly beautiful, tasteful and inviting.

The remarkable part of this lovely dinner was that Meg prepared the entire dinner in advance. Everyone was served a whole cooked lobster, baked potato and a piece of corn. All was done completely in advance, and it could not have been any better. 

Experiencing a meal, charcuterie board, or picnic outdoors on a beautiful day is a wonderful way to spend time with the ones we love. Setting up a little table and chairs in an unused area of one’s backyard can be a fun way to enjoy wine and cheese with a new perspective.

As an alternative to a leafy green salad, I made my first watermelon salad last week to enjoy on our patio. There’s not a lot of measuring with this. Just put in as much of each ingredient as you like.

In a glass bowl:

Cubed ripe watermelon

diced cucumber

red onion

crumbled feta

lime zest and juice

salt &pepper

fresh mint

Prosciutto

Slowly add avocado oil and red wine vinegar.  Gently mix and let sit in the fridge so the flavors blend. This refreshing salad goes with almost everything!

If you happen to be down the shore on Long Beach Island and prefer someone else to handle the details of a mobile feast, contact Emily at Perfect Picnic LBI. She’s really terrific and can curate a delicious and memorable picnic on the beach for any special occasion.

New Yorkers looking to experience an extraordinary picnic in Central Park or in The Hamptons should contact Wendy Weston at Perfect Picnic whereby much of their delectable spreads are locally sourced.

In my ever-so-humble opinion, we all should be frequenting our local farmer’s markets and eat outside as much as possible before the weather turns cold. All it takes is a little imagination and planning to create a fabulous spread to be enjoyed outdoors.