Charcuterie boards have recently swarmed Instagram feeds, internet articles, grocery stores and it seems they have started to do the same in Auburn.
Nitda Louangkhoth, owner of a local charcuterie business named The Grazer Co., said she believes charcuterie boards' rise in popularity has to do with social media.
“It’s like an obsession over artisanal goods on social media,” Louangkoth said.
She said the frenzy over fashioned food, and that this representation of food reflects the way she grew up eating.
“We didn’t have much growing up, but it doesn’t take much to create something for everyone to graze on,” Louangkoth said.
Being one of the biggest trends, you do not have to be wealthy or culinarily sophisticated to make a beautiful charcuterie board, she said. It is a very creative and innovative process that allures many.
“It’s a crowd-pleaser that brings everyone to the table,” Louangkoth said.
All of her work is based on her own creativity. She said she likes to embrace her own uniqueness and transfer that particularity into her work. This allows her to create something that is different from anything else.
“It’s such a popular trend and in order to stand out and to keep my clientele interested, I have to keep everyone guessing what the next board [is] going to look like,” she said.
Louangkoth said charcuterie boards are like a piece of art, in that, they are new every time. Similar to snowflakes, no two board looks the same. She said she mainly uses the same ingredients, but she uses a different design with each board.
She said she loves making charcuterie boards, but she also loves getting to engage with the customers she meets at her business.
“I love taking this time to connect with my ‘grazers’, whether they’re an existing clientele, new Instagram follower, or just someone who’s temporarily in the area that needed something to do,” Louangkoth said.
She also hosts different events and workshops at her store located on 1188 Opelika Road in Auburn, Alabama.
“My workshop is designed to help spread the love of making grazer boards,” Louangkoth said.
To create something beautiful, she said it is not necessary to have many resources or to be an artist, and her hope is to convey this message through her workshops. She said she plans to hold her workshop at a different location to change the theme up each time.
“I want to keep it fun and always interesting while partnering up with local businesses,” Louangkoth said.
The last workshop she hosted was the “Graze + Sip” theme. She hosted a “Girl Social Brunch” theme for the first time at the Collegiate Hotel on March 13 and her next "Graze + Sip" workshop will be on March 27 at 1 p.m.
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Becca Benner, senior in public relations with a minor inmarketing, is a culture writer at The Auburn Plainsman.
