Pack a Picnic Like a Pro

With picnic season in full swing, we thought we'd check in with a few food professionals to find out what they would recommend for a perfect outdoor spread -- whether you're trekking to a park or just dining in the back yard. Their answers were as varied as their backgrounds.

-- Leigh Lambert

TERRELL DANLEY OF CREME CAFE, 1322 U St. NW. 202-234-1884.

For Danley, known simply as "T" to his staff, cooking is a second career. He started out as a high school math teacher and still enjoys teaching. "All these cats that come up underneath me, that's my r?sum?," he says. As the chef at Creme Cafe, a restaurant known for its Southern-soul food cuisine, Danley applies his years of culinary experience to elevate comfort food to a higher level.

Essential ingredients: "I'm a simple flavor kind of guy," says Danley. He starts with the necessities -- chips and dip. Kettle chips and onion dip, to be exact. And when it comes to onion dip, he goes for the classic. "Lipton's soup mix and sour cream. Leave it alone, it's perfect," he says.

He also packs foods that build on each other in combination: ripe Camembert, New York flat bread, kosher salami, thinly sliced roast turkey and lima bean hummus. These components allow people to build their own canapes. Danley also suggests fruits that can stand up to heat, such as grapes and chunks of pineapple.

Super sides: Roasted corn salad with cilantro, lime juice, garlic and cucumber. Marinated grape tomatoes mixed with an herb-garlic puree served on leaves of romaine lettuce. Salade nicoise made with grilled tuna. Cold baked beans allowed to warm to room temperature.

Thirst quencher: "Chimay [beer] has a lot of flavor but is light enough that it doesn't weigh you down," says Danley. If you're more of a wine drinker, he suggests Touraine ros? or Bonny Doon's Pacific Rim Chenin Blanc. (Of course, if you're picnicking in public, check ahead to find out whether alcohol is legal.)

Dessert: "It has to be the banana pudding from the back of the Nilla Wafer box recipe. Don't screw around with it. Don't try to make a creme brulee, just follow the directions!"

Favorite spot: By Washington Sailing Marina (just past Reagan National Airport). "You can see the planes without the noise. There's not a lot of shade but a little bit of water and you get a little breeze."

Daingerfield Island, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Alexandria. Free. 703-289-2500. http://www.nps.gov/gwmp .

LIEU LAI OF HUONG QUE FOUR SISTERS RESTAURANT, 6769 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church. 703-538-6717.