LIFE’S A PICNIC

Picnics aren’t a new summertime thing, but with the emergence of Covid-19 and preference (and at times necessity) for outdoor dining, chefs, restaurants and start-ups are celebrating the moveable feast now more than ever. Chez Micky is a Sydneybased picnic purveyor, focused on delivering packs of handmade preserves, pickles, cheese and condiments. Owner Michaela Morgan uses vegetables and herbs from her plot at Camdenville Paddock Community in Newtown and seasonal market hauls, to create her own pesto, harissa and labne (which you can order as a three pack); alongside a lime mayonnaise and pink mignonette (ready to slather on prawn rolls and spoon on oysters respectively, as pictured above).

For now, she’s servicing the greater Sydney region, enlisting friends and family to help deliver the goods, with hopes to expand across NSW and Australia.

Stalwart chefs are also turning to portable al fresco affairs: in LA, Australian chef Curtis Stone has opened Picnic Society by Gwen at The Grove, while closer to home his events offshoot in Melbourne is doing large-scale catering packs designed for picnics and outdoor celebrations. Melbourne’s Meatsmith is also joining the park party, hampering small goods (including wagyu pastrami, duck terrine and chicken liver pâté), artisan cheese, bread and skin-contact wine, all in a neat Meatsmith cooler bag. Meanwhile, catering business Cookes Food has expanded its offerings to send out European-inspired grazing packs.