for customers looking for something a little less expensive than a full-scale picnic. Braga offers similar food options, but she orders the supplies from wholesale stores like BJs and Costco and creates the boards herself in a certified food-safe kitchen. Customers can — and often do — bring their own food. Braga recalls several memorable picnics when clients brought whole lobsters to eat on the beach.
But it hasn’t all been artful napkin folding and balloon staging. Braga says her biggest challenge was figuring out what permits were required at each location. On the Cape Cod National Seashore, only a maximum of 10 chairs and two tables is allowed. At the same time, Larz Anderson Park in Brookline requires a certificate of insurance for any catering vendors.
One of Braga’s largest picnics was in the spring when she hosted a corporate event for a company with staff split between Boston and Greece. The Greek team flew in for an all-out team-building picnic with more than 60 guests in attendance. For the event, Braga partnered with many other small businesses to include a bouquet bar, a cotton candy cart, a bounce house, and more on-site. “It was just so rewarding,” she says. “People are using my company to have their experience of New England.
These soirees aren’t just for adults. Hohenberger and Capasso fondly recall a princess-themed fourth birthday party they threw where all the guests wore flower crowns and sipped on juice pouches.These picnics are a fabulous way to upgrade an outdoor event celebration, but the industry has also served as a gateway for female business owners looking for a creative and flexible gig.
“I’m in the corporate world and it doesn’t always feel like there’s enough space for women,” says Hohenberger. “I feel like women are now deciding we’re going to make our own space, and we’re going to make our own businesses and meet our own path.” It doesn’t hurt that their path is lined with flower arrangements and matcha cheesecake donuts.Check your inbox for a welcome email.