GORGEOUS GRAZING

Three Pensacola Spots to Snag an Un-brie-lievable Board

By Natalie Frazier

From rehearsal dinners and bachelorette parties to the reception on the big day, the charcuterie and grazing board trend is spreading fast– and many couples are choosing to incorporate these colorful spreads of assorted delicacies into their weddings festivities.

The charcuterie trend has greatly evolved in the last few years, making it easy to lump both charcuterie and grazing boards into the same category. The art of charcuterie came about when delicatessen owners would use every bit of meat by putting it through the curing process to reduce waste and to safely prepare the pork they weren’t allowed to serve raw.

“Instead of tossing out meat, they salt-cured it to last for a really long time,” Sue Shattuck, owner of On Board Charcuterie Delivery Service, said. “Then they had the milk from their goats and cows, so they added cheese and made their own jams and chutneys–and always a nice crusty bread.”

Today, charcuterie has evolved to include everything from dessert tables and fruit boxes to brunch boards. As the boards deviate from the regular meat and cheese, they begin to lean more towards what is known as a grazing board rather than a traditional French-style charcuterie board. Grazing boards typically contain a wider variety of food types such as cheeses, meats, nuts, fruits, crackers and other light bites. This more plentiful variety provides wedding guests with more options than the traditional meats and cheeses you typically find with the French-style charcuterie.

A grazing board’s focus is more on the selections of foods collectively put together, whereas a charcuterie board is assembled to curate many different flavor profiles that perfectly contrast each other with every bite.

From large-scale charcuterie spreads featuring perfectlylayered assortments of gourmet fares to hearty grazing boards with all of the fixings, charcuterie and grazing boards provide an elegant twist to traditional wedding catering. No matter what kind of charcuterie or grazing board a bride and groom are looking for, the Pensacola area has a business that can fulfill their vision, aesthetic and culinary needs.

TRUE CHARCUTERIE WITH A SIGNATURE TOUCH

Sue Shattuck wanted to take her culinary career in a new direction… by creating charcuterie boards. “I have been a personal chef and culinary instructor for 20 years. As much as I love that, at some point I had to parlay my passion into something that is a little less physically taxing, and charcuterie boards were the perfect solution,” Shattuck explained.

Even throughout the pandemic, Shattuck was able to continue to build her business. “When the pandemic hit, and people were sequestered to their homes, I wondered if charcuterie delivery to their houses would work, or if there would be a market for that.” Shattuck said.

To Shattuck’s surprise, there was quite the demand—so much so that her orders became overwhelming. Shattuck soon realized that her business had the opportunity to grow and that she needed to find a storefront to continue with her venture. Shattuck has since settled into her own kiosk at The Garden at Palafox + Main in downtown Pensacola and is excited to share her Frenchinspired charcuterie boards with the community from her new storefront. As for her charcuterie services, Shattuck continues to stay true to the French history of charcuterie while incorporating some of her own personal touches for parties and weddings along the way.

“I am old school. I really believe in true authentic charcuterie—charcuterie literally means ‘meats.’ I try to keep our boards very 1400s French authentic, but it’s not about the meat and cheese anymore. There are a lot of fruits, vegetables and

bread being incorporated now,” Shattuck explained

Shattuck prides herself on the beauty and creativity that make her charcuterie boards and tables so eye-catching. “The aesthetic part of it is just so beautiful. You bring all of these colors and flavor profiles together,” Shattuck said.

With the spring and summer wedding season fastly approaching, Shattuck is excited to work with couples and help bring their charcuterie dreams to life. On Board Charcuterie’s offerings are extremely customizable to each couples’ creative vision and dietary needs. “You have to create a table for everyone no matter who their guests are or what their preferences are,” Shattuck explained.

On top of the ability to customize the foods, colors or style of their boards, couples can purchase a customized, handmade board to use as a permanent guest book on their wedding day in addition to their table spread. Shattuck is excited that she can now offer a lasting personal touch to an already special day for her customers.

“The guy that makes my boards for me is now able to make boards for weddings. One side will have the couple’s names burned into it and the wedding guests sign their name on the opposite side of the board,” Shattuck said. “So, there is a permanent guest book on their board to have for the rest of their lives.”

To Get On Board Facebook and Instagram: @OnBoard850

A LOVE FOR CREATING AND EVOLVING CHARCUTERIE

For Mary Siders, owner of Olive to Nosh, her charcuterie business began as a family affair. Today, she puts her craft for charcuterie to work for families and couples on one of the most special days of their lives.

“It started when I made a board for my family that came over in 2019. From there, it expanded,” Siders explained. “I started creating boards on the side and it picked up from there. The demand for my boards got crazy, so I officially made it a business.”

Siders officially launched her business in Pensacola in 2020 as a catering service for all types of events, both big and small. Today, she continues to build her business and is taking on more orders for weddings than ever before due to so many couples having postponed their wedding plans over the past two years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Siders approaches her work with creativity and enjoys adding her own inventive twists. “I think it is all about being creative with it. It isn’t just meat and cheese anymore,” Siders said. “You can put any type of food onto a charcuterie board and I think that is what draws people into it.”

From dessert boards to brunch-style boards, Olive to Nosh can assemble any type of custom spread with all of your favorite assortments. Siders takes a more modern approach to her charcuterie and has evolved her craft to include customizable boards that are perfect for almost any occasion. “Every board comes out differently and customized to the couple and the wedding,” Siders said.

From the color and style of flowers to a miniature brie cake made to resemble the wedding cake, a table from Olive to Nosh is full of possibilities. Siders said she particularly enjoys working from the blank palette and bringing together something that everyone can have a piece of. Guests requiring dairyfree, gluten-free or keto diet options can partake of a board that everyone can enjoy.

Along with charcuterie and grazing itself, Siders prides herself on the ease of her work from the point of view of those hosting the event. To put it simply, the easier the clean-up, the better.

“I pride myself on making everything easier on the person

hosting the event or party,” she said. “Everything is 100 percent disposable, and no extra work is needed once everyone has eaten—just roll it up and throw it away or recycle.”

Whether it is sweets or meats, couples can find it at Olive to Nosh.

Olive to Nosh Facebook & Instagram: @olivetonosh olivetonosh.com

GRAZING TAILORED TO THE INDIVIDUAL

Melissa Coates, owner of Boarders, created her company in the midst of the pandemic. “I went out on a limb of faith, trusted God, and started the business in 2020, which was scary,” Coates said.

Boarders is now open and thriving Pensacola. The company specializes in charcuterie and grazing for date nights, lunch boxes and weddings. Coates is continuing her work in the wedding industry, but now through a brand new outlet.

“I’ve always made adult Lunchable trays for my girlfriends– I have done that for years,” Coates said. “Boarders launched in October of 2020, and we have gone full force since then doing everything from date night boxes to weddings.”

Coates gains her creativity and inspiration by talking to people and getting an idea of the direction they want to take with their charcuterie spread. She enjoys the brainstorming process and the ability to try new things, especially getting inventive with couples. “I meet with the bride to figure out the event’s location, number of guests, budget and vendors. Then we build the scape of the table so it is aesthetically fitting to their wedding,” Coates said.

In addition to large grazing tables, Coates says she has begun to branch out into more individual charcuterie setups for weddings.

“Something we have been doing a lot of for weddings is a late-night snack box,” Coates said. “We use little individual cones or cups in to-go boxes because I have been seeing that brides want a little something for their guests to snack on.”

Coates looks forward to continuing through the wedding season and working on reaching her goal of hosting charcuterie classes this April.

Boarders Facebook: @Boarders Instagram & Pinterest: @grazeboarders grazeboarders.com