The popularity of charcuterie boards has exploded in recent years, spurred by Instagram-worthy aesthetics and the board’s ability to satisfy many different tastes.
Miami offers many options for charcuterie boards, including gourmet markets around Biscayne Boulevard and caterers that specialize in charcuterie boards.
“With charcuterie boards, the only limitation is one’s imagination,” said Mary Damiano, arts journalist and managing editor of Biscayne Times, who has created many boards for special occasions.
(Photo: Mary Damiano)
A simple dessert board created by Biscayne Times managing editor, Mary Damiano
She is part of a growing trend of home entertainers who treat charcuterie as both creative expression and celebration.
BOARD BASICS
But long before it became a media star, the humble charcuterie board had a much more practical start.
While modern day and social media have popularized the rise of these boards, the concept has been around since medieval France. Meaning “cooked meat,” (chair-cuit), charcuterie was developed as a way of preserving meat before the advent of refrigeration.
(Photo: Mary Damiano)
White cheese and yellow cheddar star combine to pay tribute to Broadway’s Great White Way for a Tony Awards celebration
Charcuterie became popular with the upper classes during the 16th century and by the 19th century was a staple in formal French dining.
During the 1990s in the U.S., Americans’ palates expanded, thanks to specialty stores offering more imported foods.
That evolution — from a utilitarian method of preserving food to a French delicacy to a staple of American entertaining — sets the stage for today’s charcuterie renaissance.
A natural for social media, all it took was for one social media influencer to post images of a beautifully designed charcuterie board for the trend to take off.
DIY THEMED BOARDS
(Courtesy Madam Olivia)
Closer to home, some enthusiasts have turned charcuterie into a personal art form.
Damiano is a fan of both designing the board and enjoying the fruits of her labor.
“My boyfriend and are big movie and theater lovers and always watch the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Tonys together,” said Damiano. “I love to go all out, even just for the two of us. One year, I did 10 different foods, each one based on one of the Best Picture nominees. He loved it but didn’t like that I was up on every commercial replenishing and heating. So, I hit on the idea of doing charcuterie, because I could prepare everything in advance and we could nibble throughout the show.”
(Photo: Mary Damiano)
Damiano has created themed boards inspired by the Academy Awards, a holiday board with a three-dimensional Christmas tree, and one as a tribute to Broadway, where she created the “Great White Way” using white cheese and yellow cheddar stars to symbolize the iconic theater mecca. Her approach reflects a growing trend: boards that double as edible storytelling.
“One year I did an Italian board to honor my boyfriend’s favorite movie that year, ‘Conclave',’ but my star-themed Oscar board is still my favorite, my masterpiece,” said Damiano. “I bought a set of star-shaped cookie cutters and went crazy. Every food you see on that board that’s shaped like a star, I made. I even melted chocolate bars and put them in star candy molds to make the chocolate stars. I call it my starcuterie board.”
For the Oscar board, Damiano used white cheeses and a baby Brie to create a star, and then used a star cookie cutter to cut the shape into the brie, which she filled with confiture de figues, or fig preserves.
“I create all my own designs,” she says. “I get an idea and everything springs organically from there.”
(Photo: Mary Damiano)
And, while themes and aesthetics are paramount, Damiano is strict about pairing certain items together.
“I have a few rules,” she said. “I never put chocolate next to salami or meats and try for a balance of threes – three different meats, three different cheeses, three sweets, three types of crackers. I like different heights. I like sweet and savory. And I really fill up my boards. I want each one to look like a cornucopia of goodies.”
She also tailors the board to accommodate personal preferences and will occasionally branch out to create dessert boards filled with chocolates, nuts, and fruit.
In addition to the aesthetics, creating balance and a feng-shui of the board is key to creating a visually appealing platter.
Her guiding philosophy is simple: balance is everything.
(Photo: Mary Damiano)
Combine salty and sweet. Add something creamy and rich, crunchy and fresh like vegetables or fruit. Contrast sour and sweet or sour and spicy.
For home entertainers inspired to exercise their creativity through designing a charcuterie board, sourcing ingredients can be just as creative — and just as fun.
Vita Italian Market and The Shores Gourmet Market in Miami Shores both offer a good starting point with imported-from-Italy products that may be hard to find elsewhere, such as salted Marcona almonds, Kalamata olives, pistachio cookies, orange Sicilian marmalade, and a sheep’s milk cheese with black truffle.
THE PRO BOARD
(Photo: Mary Damiano)
Professional board designers echo many of the same principles, often adding their own signature touches. Many companies will accommodate food preferences and requests, including vegan, kosher, and gluten-free options.
Among them is Beatriz Lora, CEO and owner of Bee Cheesy Miami, whose “pandemic baby” grew from an unexpected encounter with seeing a photo of a charcuterie platter.
Offering charcuterie boards, grazing tables and catering, Lora found her calling during the COVID-19 shutdown, a result of restlessness, creativity, and the need to stay connected.
After a friend sent her a picture of a charcuterie presentation, she thought, “I think I can do this.”
The next day she ordered supplies online, made a Costco run, and started brainstorming names for her company. She began creating boxes for family and friends, who shared them on social media, and grew her Instagram.
She says that even though the world was quarantined, people were still celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions.
“It was beautiful to see food become a way to bring comfort and joy during such an isolating time,” Lora said.
(Photo: Mary Damiano)
Starting with the structure of the board, Lora first places elements that anchor the board such as bunches of grapes, honey jars, jam bottles or small bowls with olives or dips to create movement and flow.
Next comes layers of cheese and charcuterie, followed by fresh fruit, dried fruit, sweets like chocolate, ending with garnishes and florals. She balances variety, texture, flavor, and colors that reflect the season or theme of the event.
Lora will often include surprise elements, such as hot honey, truffle-infused cheeses, candied nuts, and even edible flowers.
Her boards are known for their sense of movement, a visual rhythm that guides the eye across colors, shapes, and textures.
“I want guests to be able to build the perfect bite by exploring different combinations,” Lora said. “That’s the magic of a well-designed board.”
(Photo: Mary Damiano)
She believes the perfect bite includes contrast, creamy brie with honey and a salted cracker, or sharp cheddar with fig jam. She designs every board so guests can mix and match and discover their own favorite combinations.
The Board Miami, founded by Lorena Castillo and Maria Pia Sivori, creates handcrafted cheese, charcuterie and crudités and fruit boards and will deliver a kit to your home, starting at $95. They offer a cheese and charcuterie board for one person, starting at $11.50, with two cheeses, one cured meat accompanied by fresh and dried fruit, nuts, cornichons and crackers.
The pair, who are long-time friends and now business partners, also offer private and group workshops.
Another local creator who started during the COVID-19 pandemic, and known for her original flavor combinations, is founder and owner, Maria Alejandra Gomez of MAG Spread, a gourmet catering company based in Hialeah and serving the greater Miami area.
(Photo: Mary Damiano)
Her mantra is “creating cheese magic.”
Her creative pairings and ingredient-laden boards – uses more than 20 ingredients – are a staple of her family and friends’ social occasions.
She often designs boards for baby and bridal showers and says her own personal favorite combinations are pairing something savory with something sweet.
“I love sweet and savory together,” she said. “It’s my rule of thumb.”
For example, Gomez will pair strawberries with a smidge of goat cheese in blueberry vanilla syrup, both for the taste as well as the effect of color – purples, reds, and whites.
Another unusual pairing, but a personal favorite, is the juxtaposition of Boursin cheese, fig jam with a drizzle of honey, and pomegranate seeds or a smashed blackberry on top.
“You have to try it to get the full experience,” said Gomez, who founded the business in February 2020, after graduating from the hospitality program at FIU.
For Bee Cheesy’s Lora, charcuterie boards are all about a curated abundance and intention – lush, but never chaotic, abundant but not busy, and generous but never crowded.
She credits the balance between luxury and warmth in creating her signature style.
And, intention factors into the way the boards are designed with natural entry points so the board unfolds organically as guests sample the items.
Lora catered events in private airports, racetracks, and at vintage car events to gender reveal parties, business openings, and a private wine tasting on Star Island.
“My intention is to create an experience with movement, texture and dimension,” she said. “I want my boards to feel elevated and cohesive, thoughtful and coordinated – it’s the details and “wow” factor that makes guests stop and take photos before they even take a bite.”
CHARCUTERIE BOARD SOURCES
Professional Charcuterie Boards
Bee Cheesy
Offers professional and custom charcuterie boards as well as charcuterie workshops.
The Board Miami
Offers professional and custom charcuterie boards as well as DIY charcuterie packages.
Charcuterie Supplies
The Shores Gourmet Market
213 Ne 97 St.,
Miami Shores
305-528-4287
Vita Italian Market
479NE 30 Ter.
Miami
786-837-1825