School’s out for summer! And that means it’s time for a refresher course in outdoor entertaining. Whole Foods Market partner Antoni Porowski and Cousins Maine Lobster founders Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac dish on how to take your menu to the next level, whether you’re hosting a backyard barbecue or a beach house dinner party. Below are their tips — plus some rosé recommendations from the stars.
Here’s Your Picnic Guide for the Summer
School’s out for summer! And that means it’s time for a refresher course in outdoor entertaining. Whole Foods Market partner Antoni Porowski and Cousins Maine Lobster founders Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac dish on how to take your menu to the next level, whether you’re hosting a backyard barbecue or a beach house dinner party. Below are their tips — plus some rosé recommendations from the stars.
School’s out for summer! And that means it’s time for a refresher course in outdoor entertaining. Whole Foods Market partner Antoni Porowski and Cousins Maine Lobster founders Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac dish on how to take your menu to the next level, whether you’re hosting a backyard barbecue or a beach house dinner party. Below are their tips — plus some rosé recommendations from the stars.
Porowski has a ton of tricks up his sleeve to help even the most inexperienced of chefs serve up an amazing spread. And while he notes that a classic grilled steak brings him “so much joy,” Queer Eye's resident foodie, 34, prefers to let seasonal produce shine when planning a warm-weather menu. “I’m definitely a lot more plant-based in the summer,” he tells Us. “When ingredients are in peak season, you don’t have to do much to them.”
While that grill is fired up, consider throwing on some fruits and veggies. Marinated kale or romaine lettuce makes a great charred side. Porowski also notes he has “a devastatingly strong obsession with peaches” on the barbie with a bit of Maldon salt.
To save time, Porowki adds fun toppings like grilled pineapple to preseasoned burgers from Whole Foods. "If you're gonna go partially store-bought," he says, "you've got to do it right." He also recommends kicking your condiments up a notch. Though he calls himself “a Polish guy who is very sensitive to spice,” he loves mixing gochujang (a Korean red chili paste) with ketchup or mayonnaise. “It gives heat that doesn’t really linger,” he says.
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 small watermelon, cubed into equal-size pieces
• 1 cup high-quality extra virgin olive oil
• 2–3 tbsp fresh cracked pepper
• Maldon salt
• Optional: fresh mint; halloumi or feta cheese
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Toss cubed watermelon with olive oil and pepper.
2. Let sit for 10–15 minutes to marinate.
3. Season with Maldon salt before serving.
4. Can be enjoyed with fresh mint and slices of grill-kissed halloumi cheese (pictured), or feta cheese crumbles.
Before Tselikis (above, left) and Lomac launched their food truck empire (Mariah Carey, Queen Latifah, Gordon Ramsay and Seth Rogen are all fans) on Shark Tank in 2012, the real-life cousins spent years cracking claws, noshing corn on the cob and washing it all down with beer, Tselikis tells Us. Their packaged lobster meat makes it easy to whip up a roll wherever you are. But if you’re adventurous enough to cook your own live lobster, Lomac says boiling the crustacean is “the most humane way.” They walk Us through their two favorite roll styles below.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 lb Cousins Maine Lobster claw and knuckle meat, chilled
• 6 Country Kitchen rolls
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 6 individual Hellmann’s mayonnaise packets
• 6 lemon wedges
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Brush outside of roll with melted butter, ensuring flat sides are evenly coated.
2. In a warm skillet over medium heat, toast each side until golden brown.
3. Add one packet of mayo to inside of each roll.
4. Place chilled lobster meat in rolls according to your size preference.
5. Squeeze fresh lemon on top.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 lb Cousins Maine Lobster claw and knuckle meat, chilled
• 6 Country Kitchen rolls
• 1-2 sticks of butter, melted
• 1-2 lemons
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Prepare rolls in the same way as above.
2. Bring skillet to medium heat with rest of melted butte.
3. Sauté meat in skillet with melted butter for 30 seconds or until warm, making sure not to overcook.
4. Place lobster meat inside toasted rolls.
5. Drizzle warm, lemon-infused butter on top.
Hollywood connoisseurs tell Us which pink potions they prefer for picnics. First up, former Bachelor star Lauren Bushnell. She pivoted from roses to rosé when she launched her own refreshing line, Dear Rosé, with boyfriend Devin Antin. Though she admits she’s “biased,” the reality star tells Us her blend is “the perfect rosé.”
Model Shanina Shaik picked up this stuff from Château d’Esclans because of its “beautiful” packaging, but she stayed for the taste: “It’s crisp and nice in summer,” she tells Us, adding that the blend is “Not too fruity. I don’t like too fruity.”
Olivia Culpo prefers a fruit-forward flavor. “I love the fruity nature” of Kim Crawford’s pink variety, she tells Us. Fellow fan Lea Michele concurs: “I can really tell a good wine and this is like summer in a glass,” she says.
When he’s not cooling off with a frosé slushie, Lance Bass is uncorking a bottle of Lisa Vanderpump’s signature vino. “I couldn’t drink anything else,” the Vanderpump pal and former ’NSync singer tells Us, “or Lisa would kill us!”
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