Berkshire Picnics Wants You To Enjoy The Moment. They’ll Handle The Rest.
Imagine happening upon an elegant picnic set up in the woods. Berkshire Picnics was there.
Berkshire Picnics is quintessential Berkshires. The only question is: why did it take so long to spring into being? Not a moment too soon, three Lenox women have created a private picnic service that contains all the elements of what make this region so special: the beauty of our natural surroundings, the local cuisine, and the opportunity to relax and revel in all of that. Especially when unhindered by coordinating the details of perfection, which is what Berkshire Picnics provides.
“Our goal is to create an experience you can’t necessarily create on your own,” said Heather Meister Dremak, one of the owners. Her sister, Jennifer Meister Knodler, and their friend Abby Fenton, are the other two-thirds of the trio. They’ve recently launched Berkshire Picnics, which sets up elegant picnic settings in secret scenic locations, accompanied by customized menus, floral arrangements, even a photographer if this is a very special occasion (proposals are a natural for this kind of thing). The team will set up the picnic and leave, and after the three hours have passed and picnickers have departed, the setting will be magically cleared — no pack up necessary. Care free, as a picnic should be.
Berkshire Picnics offers several different meal and location packages. Choose the meal: brunch, lunch or dinner. For locations, there is a choice of lake or mountain view, in the forest or a public park, in your back yard, or your own favorite spot. Another option is to let the owners decide. Berkshire Picnics will also set up spreads at Tanglewood or supply pizza and beverages for a more casual-but-still-classy occasion.
All will include a picnic table, pillows and blankets, a sun umbrella as needed; decorative plates, wine glasses, cutlery and cloth napkins. Appetizers and entrees include farm-to-table seasonal selections from local chefs and purveyors. There might be local beers and wines, or a make-your-own cocktail bar. Vegetarian or vegan options are available upon request.
“We understand everything the Berkshires offer, but we want to introduce visitors to all the luxuries,” Dremak says. Out-of-towners don’t generally pack picnic paraphernalia, but they can order it all in one fell swoop. Weekenders arriving on a Friday night can walk right into a beautiful dining experience in a sylvan setting, or arrange to have one set up at their own home. Could there be a better way to get into the Berkshire frame of mind?
The picnics are intimate affairs for two people ($250 for brunch, $300 for lunch and $350 for dinner) but can include up to six people at an additional charge for each. Inexpensive they’re not, but also not outrageous for an extra-special occasion where every element has been carefully curated and exquisitely executed.
Each of the three women contributes particular skill sets to the venture. Fenton grew up with a mother who excelled at elegant picnics at Tanglewood. Over the years, she's collected a lot of picnic items (and ideas). As a photographer with an event-planning background, she has accumulated her own fair share of feast and festivity accoutrements. It doesn’t hurt that Dremak has worked in marketing and business strategy and Knodler has held a leadership role with a customer experience agency
Mostly, though, they were inspired, if you can say that, by the pandemic, which pushed them to enjoy the outdoors more than they might have otherwise.
“During COVID, when people weren’t going into restaurants, we used that opportunity to get out of the house and have experiences that weren’t within the parameters of our four walls. We all love doing that with our own families and friends,” said Dremak. “The Berkshires are the perfect backdrop for that,” added Fenton.
With their backgrounds in strategic development, user experience, photography and event planning, the owners have plenty of ideas up their sleeves for picnic add ons. They can arrange for a photographer to capture an auspicious moment, or enhance a girls-picnic-out with a visit by a yoga or meditation instructor. They’ve got conversation cards and games at hand. While Berkshire Picnics is set up as a seasonal business, the owners foresee offering their services into the fall to take advantage of foliage season. They’ll provide the blankets — and who knows what else?
“Surprise and delight — that’s part of the user experience,” Dremak said.
