Picnics sound great in theory. If you have the perfect setting (lush greenery with a view of the sunset), great food, comfortable seating, cold wine (with an opener), candles, bug spray, and a way to schlep it all there. Tired, yet? Enter The Picnic Project, by Edible Nashville’s own Events Director, Nora Melton. Nora’s picnics are what dreams are made of. She went to school in Chicago and spent time in Los Angeles, which is where she happened upon the portable picnic idea. “People were doing these picnics on the beach and I thought, we have beautiful rolling hills, so why not bring this to Tennessee?”
As the stylist for our farm dinners, Nora revels in combing antique stores and estate sales for the perfect vintage glass or candle holder. No detail goes unnoticed. The food is created by Chef Skylar Bush who creates seasonal fare such as Curried Lime Corn Salad and Watermelon Planks with St Germain. The plates are by local potter Rachel Vandivort of RV Pottery and signs are by calligrapher Anna Laura Whitley of Silt & Pine. Village Wines in Hillsboro Village picks the perfect bottle of wine.
Nora is no stranger to a challenge. She’s set up a dinner in the creek in Leipers Fork and on farms without electricity (for the Edible Farm Dinners). She’s done picnics for proposals, anniversaries, and date nights But special occasions are not required: Simply the need to slow down and relax is reason enough. As now’s the time to dine outside in the middle of nowhere (or on a park or farm), let your next picnic become Nora’s project.