What to Cook at Postcard Cabins: A Complete Guide to Luxury Cabin Camping Meals
The first time I stayed at Postcard Cabins, I watched in amazement as my neighbor unpacked what looked like a collapsible prep table and three Yeti coolers full of luxury ingredients—including Omaha steaks. For him, campsite cooking wasn't a problem to be solved. The opportunity to cook outside was the luxury activity.
I realized I'd been thinking about campsite cooking all wrong—like it was something to optimize away instead of part of the experience. Planning a trip to Postcard Cabins and wondering what to cook? This guide covers everything you need to know about meals and cooking at Postcard Cabins—including what kitchen equipment is provided, which ingredients to pack, and the easiest campfire cooking methods.
Postcard Cabins toe the line between camping and indoor accommodations, providing a unique opportunity for guests to enjoy the outdoors without investing in a ton of gear
I'm not saying you need to stage Iron Chef at your campsite, but if you do a little prep and think of cooking as something to indulge in rather than just fuel up on, you'll eat better and have more fun doing it.
Why Postcard Cabins Are Different
Postcard Cabins are part of Marriott's new Outdoor Collection, with locations throughout the US. Each minimalist cabin comes with a private bathroom, kitchenette, and a pretty significant amount of cooking equipment. You've got a mini-fridge, pots and pans, silverware, even a massive roll of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Your car parks right next to your cabin, so you can bring whatever jars, cans, or specialty ingredients you want.
This isn't backpacking. It's a great opportunity to get outside without investing in a ton of gear.
Let Your Ingredients Do Half the Work
The only tip you really need: buy the good stuff. Good food is made from good ingredients, and Postcard Cabins cooking isn't regular camping cooking. You have refrigeration. You have real cookware. Use it.
The beauty of this approach is you're not actually cooking from scratch—you're assembling really good components, which means less stress and better results. Maybe you're like my neighbor at Barber Creek and go for a nice cut of meat. Or maybe you're like me and opt for all the fanciest sauces and noodle kits at the specialty shop.
In my neighborhood in Chicago, I love Andale Market, but if you don't have a good specialty grocer nearby, Zingerman's mail order is fantastic.
Easy Meals That Feel Like a Treat
Here are my favorite Postcard Cabins meal ideas:
A jar of Brooklyn Delhi Cashew Butter Masala + a can of chickpeas + naan toasted over the campfire. Top it with a scoop of yogurt and Brooklyn Delhi's roasted garlic achaar. You can eat the yogurt for breakfast (remember, you have a mini-fridge!) and the achaar is great for dressing up eggs or quesadillas.
Nice bronze-cut pasta (the kind that actually holds sauce—like DeCecco or Frankies) with jarred marinara or pesto—pair it with campfire garlic bread
Omsom saucy noodles topped with campfire-grilled bok choy and sesame seeds
Tinned fish—use the fancy stuff in salads or grain bowls, or make this Whopper-inspired tuna melt
Use the Campfire When It's Fun
The stovetop inside is key to making your cooking easy and efficient, but it's not the main event. Part of the experience of cooking while camping is the campfire. You want a little bit of that smoky, charred flavor that only comes from cooking over an open flame. I primarily use the indoor kitchen for boiling water for pasta and coffee or melting cheese. Everything else I try to do outside so that the bedroom doesn't end up smelling like a food prep area.
If you're cooking fresh meat over the fire, buy it locally right before you head to your campsite (there's usually a Shoprite or IGA near most locations) and cook it the first night. This is partly about freeing up mini-fridge space, but mostly about food safety—you don't want to worry about keeping meat out of the danger zone any longer than necessary. Unlike the guy at the campsite next to me, most of my clients heading to Postcard Cabins don't own a collection of Yeti coolers, so buying fresh right before makes sense.
How to Make Campfire Foil Packets
My go-to: foil packets. They're easy, you can put them right on the grates, and there's basically no wrong way to do it. I'll throw some Impossible sausages in with whatever vegetables looked good at the store—bell peppers, zucchini, onions—season with salt, pepper, maybe some garlic, seal it up, and let it cook while I'm setting up or having a drink by the fire. It's become one of those cooking methods that feels effortless once you've done it a few times, which means I actually look forward to making dinner instead of treating it like a chore.
The method is dead simple: tear off a big piece of that heavy-duty foil Postcard gives you, pile your ingredients in the center (vegetables on bottom, protein on top), season generously, fold it over and crimp the edges to seal. Leave a little room inside for steam. Put it on the grate over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, flip it once halfway through, then carefully open it up—watch out for the steam.
More Foil Packet Ideas
Don't Forget Snacks and Dessert
I make the same trail mix my mom made when I was a kid: peanuts (I upgrade to almonds now), Teddy Grahams, Cheez-Its, raisins (I do dried cherries), peanut M&Ms, and mini pretzels. It's the perfect thing to have around when you're hiking or just hanging out at your campsite.
For dessert, it's s'mores. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Here's my one strong opinion: Do not upgrade your marshmallows. I learned this the hard way when a fancy artisan marshmallow flopped right into the fire. All those preservatives in classic Jet-Puffed are actually doing their job—helping you achieve that perfect golden exterior with a gooey center.
The chocolate, though? That's worth upgrading. Something like a 60% dark, maybe with a little salt, balances out all that marshmallow sweetness.
Postcard Cabins Cooking FAQs
What cooking equipment is included at Postcard Cabins?
Each cabin includes a kitchenette with a mini-fridge, stovetop, pots and pans, silverware, cooking utensils, and a large roll of heavy-duty aluminum foil. You don't need to bring any cookware.
Do I need to bring dishes and silverware to Postcard Cabins?
No. The cabins come fully equipped with everything you need for cooking and eating.
Where should I buy groceries for Postcard Cabins?
Most Postcard Cabins locations have a Shoprite or IGA nearby. I recommend stopping right before you arrive at your campsite, especially if you're planning to cook fresh meat your first night.
Can you cook on a campfire at Postcard Cabins?
Yes. Each cabin has a fire pit and Postcard provides heavy-duty aluminum foil, making foil packet meals especially easy.
I'm currently planning a Postcard Cabins trip for a client, and this is the kind of detail I think about when I'm putting together an itinerary—not just where you're staying, but what you'll actually do when you get there. If you want help planning a trip where someone's thought through everything down to what's for dinner, book a discovery call.