Cal Poly student’s luxury picnic business ‘gives people a safe way to celebrate’
Looking for an upscale way to celebrate a special occasion on the Central Coast?
New business A Little Picnic offers luxury picnics in San Luis Obispo County, complete with a bottle of sparkling cider and a flower arrangement to take home.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many people have missed out on celebrating important events in their lives, including birthdays, anniversaries and school graduations, A Little Picnic owner Cassidy Tomasini said.
Her San Luis Obispo-based business “gives people a safe way to celebrate and do something that’s not compromising the fun, the aesthetics or the specialness of the moment,” Tomasini said.
Picnicgoers can choose locations anywhere in San Luis Obispo County, with the most popular spot being Pismo Beach at sunset. Other favorite locations include Avila Beach and Morro Strand Beach, Tomasini said.
The picnics begin at $120 for two people for two hours. The luxury set up includes a mini picnic table, a blanket, pillows, tableware, playing cards, a message board and more.
Guests may bring their own food or pay an additional fee for Tomasini to bring takeout food from a restaurant. Other add-ons include paint supplies or a Polaroid camera.
Tomasini also offers charcuterie boards from Little Grazer in Atascadero.
An Arroyo Grande native, Tomasini is a Cal Poly experience industry management senior. She graduated from Arroyo Grande High School in 2017.
Tomasini launched A Little Picnic in February 2021 after seeing a similar business concept on Instagram in December 2020.
Tomasini wanted to create a similar experience for people in San Luis Obispo County, she said, while learning more about the hospitality industry.
“Being able to get out and create these picnics for people has definitely supplemented my learning and given me something else to focus my time and energy on,” Tomasini said.
When she was brainstorming a name for her new business, Tomasini said, she wanted to honor her grandfather
William “Bill” Tomasini was a florist and owned a flower shop in Santa Maria named A Little Something.
“He always brought me the most beautiful floral arrangements for every little holiday, ” Cassidy Tomasini said. “I really looked up to him my entire life.”
Tomasini was in high school when her grandfather died in 2014, the same year that A Little Something closed. She hopes to pay tribute to his legacy with her own business, A Little Picnic.
“The name is really special to me,” Tomasini said. “Every time I get to type it into my browser or log into my Instagram it makes me smile a little.”
A Little Picnic is also making customers smile.
Jon Babu, a Cal Poly physics senior, said he booked a picnic through A Little Picnic after seeing the company on Instagram.
“All I’ve done before was grab some trail mix and a bottle of wine,” Babu said, but the picnic he previously planned on his own “was nowhere near the setup Cassidy made.”
That’s why “I was really appreciative and I noticed all those details” of Tomasini’s luxury picnic at Avila Beach, he said.
Once he and his date arrived at the beach, Tomasini took a photo of them, which she later printed out. Babu said this touch “was really sweet and unexpected. It was a nice gesture.”
For more information, visit alittlepicnic.com.
