PRESS
In the kitchen with Chef Tory at Picnic Provisions & Whiskey
WWL-TV
ABOUT
Welcome to our modern corner restaurant where you can just drop in or pick up! A place where you crave the food…that chicken, that Pig Dip sandwich.
Eating outside with your hands, with friends…that’s what we all kept saying.
When three friends – a pizzeria owner, a chef and a restaurateur – thought, “let’s do a place together,” we kept remembering picnics. Tory thinks of clams and mussels over open flames in the Northwest; Darryl remembers an impromptu picnic with cheese and salami in a wildflower field in the Rhone with wife Angela; and Ti conjures up many elaborate beach picnics with candles, pimento cheese and crab salad. And…“skinny dipping” at night in Pensacola.
Picnic uses Joyce Farms’ heritage “naked chicken.”
Now why can’t you picnic in the city, in the park, at your desk? Since the crazed schedule of hospitality industry people’s lives didn’t let us picnic as often as we were dreaming of it, we decided to create our own picnic. We wanted really good chicken, pimento cheese, great music and a whiskey smash.
So grab some rosé, a blanket and some chicken – oh that chicken, you make me so happy – and have your own picnic wherever you are. Or let us bring it to you!
MEET OUR TEAM
TORY McPHAILowner & co-founder
TORY McPHAIL
owner & co-founder
After graduating high school in Seattle, aspiring chef Tory McPhail arrived in New Orleans where he learned the industry from the ground up. He gained additional cooking experience in Florida, the Virgin Islands and London before the venerable Commander’s Palace hired him to cook at its new property in Las Vegas. In 2002, he was named executive chef of the original Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, following in the footsteps of celebrity chefs Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme and Jamie Shannon. Tory, who has led the Commander’s Palace kitchen for 16 years, is also a partner in SoBou and founder of McPhail Foods, which produces a line of marinades and New Orleans rum vinegar sold in grocery stores throughout the South. He has earned a James Beard Award, as well as honors from the Culinary Institute of America and Wine Spectator magazine.
CLOSETI MARTINowner & co-founder
TI MARTIN
owner & co-founder
Restaurateur, entrepreneur, author and sought-after speaker Ti Adelaide Martin is an outspoken champion for true hospitality in business, for her city and for the many causes she devotes herself to. Ti and her cousin Lally Brennan lead The Commander's Family of Restaurants that includes Commander’s Palace and SoBou in New Orleans, as well as Brennan’s of Houston. Ti also serves as Board Chair and Co-Founder for the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI). In 2016 she released a book and produced a documentary film about her mother. Commanding the Table: The Ella Brennan Story can be found on Netflix.
CLOSEDARRYL REGINELLIowner & co-founder
DARRYL REGINELLI
owner & co-founder
Darryl Reginelli co-founded one of New Orleans’ most popular pizzerias 20 years ago, with 10 locations scattered throughout the city, as well as Baton Rouge and Houston. Because Darryl has a background in fine dining, Reginelli’s is known for showcasing premium ingredients and respecting classical traditions. But with the founder’s penchant for fun, Darryl’s menus also exhibit a creative use of Louisiana ingredients. He has learned over the years how important it is for a restaurant to build an emotional connection to its neighborhood.
CLOSEThe three owners and co-founders of Picnic Provisions & Whiskey not only associate some of their greatest food memories with picnics, but each one appreciates the culinary magic of New Orleans. At Picnic Provisions & Whiskey, the three owners create new memories for guests by offering them a warm, inviting place to picnic, share and laugh.
Our team also believes in giving back to the New Orleans community we all love. Picnic Provisions & Whiskey has made a commitment to create at least one culinary/hospitality scholarship every year, and we’re strong proponents of mentorship—in our kitchen, dining room and beyond. If you’re a mentor in your own industry, have an iced tea on us!
The team at Picnic Provisions & Whiskey is inspired by five words that are powerful enough for them to be painted on the dining room wall:
Picnic. This is the essence of our culinary and hospitality philosophy.
Share. Without sharing, any meal—whether it be a picnic or elaborate tasting menu—is less memorable.
Laugh. Life can be serious, and some restaurants take their food too seriously, but a meal without laughter is a missed opportunity.
Yummy. Need we say more?
Purpose. Purpose fuels one’s soul, and the hospitality we provide our guests is our purpose in life.
\’pik-(,)nik\ – 1. Derived from pique-nique in France in 1692, a jolly meal together in an idyllic spot (away from distractions and demands, often outdoors) a meal to which everyone contributes something and everyone is welcome; associated with card playing, drinking and conversation; evolved by New Orleanians into crawfish boils and Saints tailgating damn near anywhere; from poboys for 2 at The Fly to family reunions in City Park and elegant tented affairs on the banks of Bayou St. John; attended by people who have a strong affinity for gingham and are likely to “skinny dip at night.”
CONTACT US
741 State Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
Hours:
11am – 10pm Sunday – Thursday
11am – 11pm Friday & Saturday
contact info@nolapicnic.com
media inquiries sam@commanderspalace.com
careers and development leila@commanderspalace.com
