Jacques Pepin

Jacques Pepin and his friends are pure genius. In 1965 they decided to hold 'The grandest picnic of all time". Lucky for me, some chefs in the Columbus area decided to recreate that picnic and sold the idea at a silent auction. How wonderful that a friend of mine invited Mr.A. and I to attend?!

So last night we rode a little bus out to a local farm with a dozen others and had one of the best meals I've ever had. As you walked off the bus there on a white linen table cloth, was a galvanized bucket filled with ice and bottles of wine. Lovely. And less than 20 minutes later an appetizer of walleye and coleslaw (not your average, everyday green cabbage variety) miraculously appeared in your hand. REALLY!

After that we were asked to walk down a path to the farmers field... Yes, this sounds a little "Children of the Corn"ish but there, amidst tall stalks of sunflowers and a wonderfully orange setting sun was another long table also covered in a white linen table cloth. On top stood elegant wine goblets, rustic breads and cheeses that would make your mouth water. Every bottle of wine was different. All 7 courses were different. The dessert of local ice cream and crushed cookies was AMAZING. It took all of 3 hours to arrive, eat and leave. I was almost convinced I was in Provence. Almost... I'm pretty sure we're going to try to recreate this for our 15th anniversary. That's only 3 years away.... any chance you're free?