At Home on Nantucket

Relax to the max, you're on vacation! Nantucket summers are all about casual living, hassle-free meals and entertaining effortlessly in style. Imagine arriving at your vacation rental to find a kitchen stocked with all your favorite foods, wine, pre-prepared meals, or a catered gourmet dinner served in the comfort of your island home. In the evening, after a relaxing day on the beach, dinner arrives from one of the island's fabulous restaurants, or is prepared and served by a professional chef so you can linger by candlelight enjoying friends and family for as long as you like.

It might be a romantic gourmet dinner for two, a family pizza party, or a clambake at home or on the beach, without lifting a finger. That's what a Nantucket vacation is all about! The following are some suggestions. For a companion guide covering the holiday season, see entertaining at home on Nantucket during Stroll weekend.

1. Skip the hassle of grocery shopping with Pampr's pre-arrival provisioning. Create a customized grocery list and Pampr will shop and have everything you need in your rental house when you arrive. They'll even provide a fresh charcuterie board for your arrival and be sure there are fresh baked pastries on your kitchen counter in the morning, a picnic basket filled with sandwiches from Something Natural for a day at the beach, and even bring surfboards for the gang.
2. For amazingly delicious and out of the ordinary, Noemi's Dumplings offers a complete Asian dinner for as few or as many as you like. Scott Capizzo and his wife Noemi provide everything needed, beautifully prepared with directions so you can put it all together when you're ready to eat. A fun way to involve everyone in the kitchen without the prep work. Pre-order at noemidumplings.com.
3. Kimberly Reed, owner of A Taste Of Nantucket, has been catering island parties for over 20 years. With her love of fine foods, she will prepare and serve an intimate, elegant dinner for two or a party for many that promises to dazzle your guests with her artistry and imagination with food, typically from the island.
4. No vacation is complete without a lobster dinner that includes homemade clam chowder, corn on the cob, steamed red potatoes and coleslaw, individually prepared and ready to serve. Call early in the day: Sayle's Seafood.
5. And just as important as the food: call ahead to have Flowers On Chestnut create and deliver the perfect bouquets of island flowers for your table and guest rooms before your arrival. Reminder: add a few of their exquisite candles to your order.