A Friendsgiving Picnic

By Edible East Bay | November 16, 2015

By Melissa Fairchild Clark | Photography by Natalie and Cody Gantz

More archetypal to our past than the touted “American Dream,” before we sang of amber waves of grain, Lewis and Clark journeyed west, setting the stage for so many who would emulate an opportunity so quintessentially American. The pitfall, for those who have made the journey, is that we leave behind the brief and vibrant moment each year when the woods blaze with color, a siren song to a waning summer and waxing winter. The blessing is that we can use the legato cadence of the West’s cooler months to take advantage of dining al fresco, plunking down on our wool blankets rather than curling up under them.

The second blessing of having ventured west is the ability to start anew with your own traditions, no longer having to politely oblige your family, which, while comforting in its consistency, can at the end of the day feel rather cloyed. As such, I’ve decided to take those two blessings, compiled with a third and most important blessing of good friends, and host a Friendsgiving picnic to celebrate the trifecta.

I should mention a fourth blessing—one to the hostess—which is that this entire meal will be assembled and ready to enjoy before the blankets even float to the ground. There is, as someone who has experienced just that, something to be so terribly thankful for in being able to enjoy your own gathering while also holding the satisfaction of having done it all yourself.

Board of local cheeses, fig and port pâté, seasonal fruits, and crackers.

Chef Shane Meistrich

Made from fallen palm leaves that otherwise would have been burned, the dinnerware items used at the picnic were courtesy of VerTerra. The company creates them in a simple, chemical-free process using steam, heat, and pressure. The dishes come in a large array of shapes and sizes, and you can even use them as baking pans. To learn more and to purchase, visit verterra.com.