Vendor Spotlight: PICNIC Baked Goods, High Desert Micro-Bakery
- Share via
In the heart of Pioneertown, California, a restored 1951 Spartan Imperial Mansion trailer houses one of the high desert’s most distinctive micro-bakeries. PICNIC Baked Goods, founded by pastry chef Nicola Collie, is equal parts design studio and dessert lab, a place where cakes are built with the same care a sculptor gives to form and texture.
Collie describes PICNIC as “born out of a deep love for feeding people,” and that sentiment runs through everything she makes. What began as a small pandemic project quickly evolved into a full-time pursuit and a destination for couples seeking wedding cakes that feel both modern and personal.
From Movement to Mixing Bowls
Collie grew up on New Zealand’s South Island and came to the U.S. nearly a decade ago, first settling in New York before moving west to California. Before baking full time, she worked professionally as a dancer, actor, and model—a background that still shapes her approach in the kitchen. Years of rehearsal and repetition translated naturally into a precision-based pastry craft.
Largely self-taught, she honed her technique through research, trial, and intuition. A creative upbringing and a scientifically minded father—a chemist and brewer—helped inform her balance between artistry and accuracy. That duality now defines her work: equal parts creative experimentation and meticulous execution.
Cake as Composition
PICNIC Baked Goods specializes in layered and tiered cakes made with organic, ethically sourced ingredients. Each order is designed to be unique, incorporating seasonal blooms, nuanced flavor pairings, and Collie’s trademark buttercream textures.
Her recipes favor balance over excess, often blending unexpected notes like black sesame with chocolate and nori-caramelized hazelnuts, or Earl Grey with citrus and spice. The result is cake that straddles food and art, indulgent but never heavy-handed.
As her website notes, “A cake better taste as good as it looks—if not better.” That philosophy is evident in every element, from composition to flavor to presentation.
Building a Bakery from Scratch
The bakery’s vintage trailer isn’t just aesthetic—it’s the backbone of the business. After outgrowing her home kitchen, Collie purchased the 33-foot 1951 Spartan and spent more than a year renovating it into a professional workspace. Determined to build without taking on loans, she completed the project gradually, investing as PICNIC grew.
The result is a space that feels thoughtful and enduring: retro in form but clean, minimal, and timeless in style. It’s a practical workspace that reflects the same values Collie brings to her baking: intentional, detail-driven, and built to last.
A Cake for Any Occasion or None at All
PICNIC Baked Goods creates custom cakes for weddings and events across Southern California, but the bakery also celebrates the spontaneous dessert order. Collie’s belief is simple: cake doesn’t need a reason. “A why-the-f***-not cake,” as she puts it on her site, is reason enough.
Each order arrives with care instructions (always served at room temperature) and a quiet sense of humor—a reflection of the personality behind the brand.
For Collie, PICNIC is as much about autonomy as artistry. The bakery represents a shift from performing for others to creating something wholly her own—work that feels personal, tactile, and entirely desert-made.
More Weddings & Celebrations
