Courtesy of Nosh & Gather, photo by Chelsie Lopez
Nosh & Gather Picnic
If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok or Instagram this summer, you’ve likely seen a multitude of luxury picnics complete with fluffy pillows, aesthetic blankets, and the ever-trendy charcuterie board pop up on your feed.
As summer winds down, Minnesotans know there’s still beautiful weather to look forward to with the onset of September. Here are four luxury picnic companies making the most out of every bit of beautiful weather, with some even finding ways to bring a little taste of summer into the fall and winter months.
Nosh & Gather
What to expect: Table settings, rugs, pillows, flowers, seasonal shrub, cozy fall and winter picnics
Liza Atkinson says that her division of Nosh & Gather, nicknamed “Noshnics”, was born out of a Covid winter. Atkinson’s initial plan was to create a pop-up dinner party business, but she made the choice to pivot to picnics as the pandemic progressed. In January of 2021, Atkinson decided that she wanted to bring something new to Minnesota after seeing luxury picnics all over the coast.
“It’s not your grandma’s picnic,” says Atkinson. Nosh & Gather provides elevated picnics with a luxury boho aesthetic plus plenty of options for snacking.
Clients have the option to choose a charcuterie board with homemade crackers, spiced nuts, local jams and cheeses, and what Atkinson calls “very fancy cookies.”
Nosh & Gather specializes in a seasonal shrub that can be paired with sparkling water or mixed to make a cocktail of choice. For fall, guests can expect a pear and cardamom or ginger shrub to fit the flavors of the season.
Atkinson has plans to move her picnic business into late fall and even early winter with a transition to indoor carpet picnics with fall themed charcuterie boards and hot cocoa.
“We Minnesotans want to squeeze every minute of joy out of the summer. They can even do a late fall picnic. Minnesotans are scrappy like that.”
Perfect Picnic Co.
What to expect: Fall picnic packages, picnic sandwiches, customized charcuterie, wine tasting
With twelve years of professional event planning experience, Courtney Smallbeck knows how to plan a perfect picnic. Her Instagramable picnics fit occasions from baby showers to date nights.
“We set up a full place setting, let everyone spend the afternoon or evening with the blankets and piles of pillows then we walk away and take care of cleaning up. Guests simply arrive, experience, and go on their way.”
Perfect Picnic Co.’s food options can accommodate any palate with picnic sandwiches, tea sandwiches, cake balls, and customizable charcuterie boards provided by From the Diner.
Guests also have a wine wasting opportunity with Napa Valley trained Sommelier, Matt Carson, who will lead guests through a variety of tasting options with a couple facts on the side.
Perfect Picnic Co. is announcing their fall packages with warm cider, cozy blankets, autumn themed treat baskets, pumpkin spice cake balls, and a fall themed charcuterie board.
Checkered Blanket Picnic Co.
What to expect: Vegan options, dog charcuterie boards, à la carte style picnics, picnic locations throughout the state, edible arrangements
On a fateful trip to Duluth, Miranda Barker was chatting with her husband about ways to reconnect safely this summer when her idea of Checked Blanket Picnic Co. came into being.
“I had been kicking around the idea in my head. I’ve seen this idea in big cities, but nothing in Minneapolis yet. We were all so starved for connection, and I wanted to be social safely even if restrictions came back again in the fall.”
After talking with her father who is also an entrepreneur, she decided that she wanted a name that wasn’t specific to a location and a name that fit her vision of a classic picnic. So, on that definitive car ride, Barker set up her domain name, Checkered Blanket Picnic Co. From there, Barker has hosted picnics all over the state from Twin Cities suburbs to Rochester.
Barker collaborates with From the Diner and Nina Brown of The Board Mom to provide vegan, vegetarian, and meat and cheese charcuterie boards. Barker also provides a dog charcuterie option for any picnic pups who might want to tag along.
In the transition from summer to fall, Barker has seen an uptick in guests opting for Checkered Blanket Picnic Co.’s engagement package which includes a professional photographer, violinist, and a surprise gift through Barker's collaboration with local wedding professionals. Current offerings include a fall lookbook from The Wedding Guys, and two free tickets to either the Twin Cities or Rochester bridal shows.
Events by Jam
What to expect: S’more bar, catering by MidCoast, Duluth locations
For those heading up to Duluth to see the fall colors, Events by Jam has you covered. Jamie Anderson offers individualized picnic experiences with beautiful views of Duluth.
Anderson’s background is in hospitality, and when the industry took a hit in 2020, she had some time to figure out what she could do instead. After looking around on Instagram and Pinterest, Anderson noticed an influx of luxury picnics on the west coast.
“I thought well we have a huge shoreline here that would be kind of like what I saw online.”
So, Anderson started gathering her inventory and opened her picnic business.
Anderson partners with local catering company, MidCoast, to provide snack options, charcuterie baskets, a s’mores bar, and non-alcoholic beverages.
Anderson hopes to continue into the fall with sunflower and pumpkin decor to fit in with the cozy seasonal mood.
