Instagram is brimming with photos of charcuterie boards laden with stunning, edible displays of meat, crackers and bread, fruit, cheese, nuts, jams and more.
But buying full-sized packages of so many specialty ingredients to put together your own board can get pricey fast, not to mention the time and talent it takes to perfectly arrange it all. Coming to the rescue, several Lexington businesses are offering up their own attention-grabbing charcuterie boards to jazz up your holiday table or to give as a gift.
While the origins of the French word charcuterie refer to meat, today’s charcuterie boards can include a multitude of cheeses, nuts and other accompaniments.
Wine + Market Owner Renée Saunier Brewer not only offers charcuterie boards as carryout items, but also hosts weekly virtual wine tastings that can be paired with a cheese plate. The shop is also bringing back its Advent calendar wine selection this year, with an optional add-on charcuterie kit, she said.
Brewer said people enjoy charcuterie boards “because they are really attractive to come look at, and it’s an approachable way to make something that is beautiful but is also culinary at the same time and is really easy to eat.”
Brewer said she likes using different types of cheeses made from cow’s, sheep’s or goat’s milk, and also varies the textures of cheeses included on a board, from soft and creamy to firm, crumbly or hard.
A variety of colors is also important to the overall effect, she said, such as a pale goat cheese arranged next to a bright yellow cheddar. A variety of meats can also be used, like salami and serrano ham and prosciutto di parma.
Usually, unless otherwise instructed, Brewer uses two-thirds cheese and one third meat for each presentation. While staying mindful of allergies or food sensitivities, she often adds an assortment of nuts, as well as dried fruit and pickled options like cornichons, caper berries and olives.
She said she prefers a day’s notice for smaller platters and about three days’ notice for larger orders.
University of Kentucky student Taylor Haynes launched her solo venture, Le Fromage Boards, in July, after her income from babysitting gigs dried up during the pandemic.
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University of Kentucky student Taylor Haynes launched her solo venture, Le Fromage Boards, in July.
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Haynes plans to continue her business after she graduates. "It’s something that brings a lot of joy to me,” she says.
She’d been making charcuterie boards for years for events and get-togethers, and with her newfound extra time, Haynes began making them for herself and her roommates. With positive feedback across the board, she decided to go into business for herself. She found a commercial kitchen she could use and launched Facebook and Instagram pages to promote her offerings.
Haynes arranges the food on acrylic boards customers can keep. She also enjoys setting up “grazing tables” for larger gatherings by laying a swath of butcher paper across a table and artfully arranging a variety of meat, cheeses, crackers and accoutrements on top.
Her boards range from individual portions to a large board for $95, or a grazing table for a couple hundred dollars. Along with word of mouth, she promotes her business on social media, posting photos and fast-motion videos of Haynes assembling her creations.
When she graduates, Haynes will continue her side business, saying, “it’s something that brings a lot of joy to me.”
At J. Render’s Southern Table & Bar, owner Gwyn Everly offers occasional yet increasingly popular $18.99 charcuterie board specials, which she plans to continue throughout the holidays.
“I always like to have at least three meats and three types of cheese,” she said, including the restaurant’s house-made smoked cheddar, often served alongside a soft cheese and a sharp cheddar. Around these, she arranges assorted nuts, fresh and dried fruits, olives, and assorted crackers, bread or pita, along with condiments like spicy mustard, hot bacon jam and red pepper jam.
One of her favorite additions lately are red chili pistachios.
“Our regulars really went crazy for that,” she said.
Everly also uses social media to pique customers’ interest.
“It’s something that maybe through the winter we may look at adding [to the menu] because it’s the perfect shareable appetizer,” she said.
Sara Gooden and Lauren Hardesty have paired friendship with entrepreneurship with their Lexington business, Fete Boards, which launched on a limited basis about a year ago and is now in full swing.
Gooden said she would often bring charcuterie boards as appetizers to parties, when Hardesty suggested making them for others as a business venture. Now, the duo work out of shared commercial kitchen space in Favor on North Limestone.
Gooden said orders are placed via a web-based system for delivery at an appointed time, and come in small (serving two to four people), large and extra-large sizes, though custom installations can be arranged.
Orders for special events boards are common, and they’re also sent to congratulate new parents, homeowners or as a gesture of sympathy, they noted.
The boards come with disposable and biodegradable palm leaf platters, or customers may provide their own platters.
Though they each still hold full-time jobs, Gooden and Hardesty have been pleasantly surprised how in demand their services are. They hoped to do about 10 boards during the holidays last year and did 24 on Christmas Eve alone, Gooden said.
“I think [they’re popular] because aesthetically, they’re really pretty, they’re delicious, and there’s a little bit of something for everyone,” Hardesty said.