Instagram-Worthy Accessories for Cheese Service

By Lorrie Baumann

This year’s winter gift shows featured a wide array of boards and condiment bowls for 2019’s cheese service and the Instagrammed photos that will be showing them off. From the subtle to the spectacular, these essential accessories are camera-ready for their close-ups and sturdy enough to stand up under the critiques of the social media commentariat.

Pacific Merchants Trading Company offers an array of options in its Acaciaware® line of hard wood trays and serving pieces. Its K0571 oval baguette board is 16.5 inches by 5.5 inches by 1 inch, and three sizes of square plates measure 7 inches square, 10 inches square and 12 inches square. Each is handcrafted, turned from a solid piece of acacia wood, also known as monkey pod wood, from the Philippines. The hard grain of Acaciaware repels liquids without picking up stains or odors, so while it’s not dishwasher safe (and it should never go into a microwave oven), it’s reasonably durable and easy to care for.

The wood is responsibly forested, and Pacific Merchants has an active replanting program to ensure sustainability and supports local communities with scholarships, lunch programs and free eyeglasses for those who need them, said Bruce Mannis, Pacific Merchants’ Owner. “Others talk about it. We actually do it,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for about 25 years.”

Slates from J.K. Adams are a collection of light gray or sea green stone serving pieces for cheese service. In round, oval, hexagonal and rectangular shapes, the Sea Green pieces include a little piece of soapstone that can be used to label them with the names of the cheeses sitting on top. After the event, the soapstone label wipes right off. The pieces have cork feet to protect the tables beneath them, and any one of them would make for a presentation worthy of the handcrafted cheeses and charcuterie of the most festive occasion. All of the items in the collections are American-made and guaranteed for life, and they can be engraved.

In addition to a range of bamboo boards that includes its Bambu Artisan Board in two sizes, Bambu offers Large Condiment Cups that would be perfect for jams and nuts. Each holds about 1/4 cup, and a set of two retails for $11.20. Bambu also offers a range of spreaders and a honey dipper. The utensils are certified organic by the U.S Department of Agriculture and they retail for around $2.50 to $5 each.

Talisman Design also offers an array of spreaders in three collections: Nature, Woodland and Bee as well as the Bee Cheeseboard. Made of beechwood harvested from a responsibly managed forest, these items are decorated with etched designs that won’t fade.

A Taste for Cheese is a brand new offering from Martin’s Home Wares. Made by an Amish Mennonite family that’s been in the business of making hand-crafted custom furniture since 1960 and then turned to smallwares about five years ago, these round cherry wood cheese service boards are laser-engraved with the names of various cheese styles. The 16-inch diameter board retails for $70, a 12-inch board retails for $54.95, and the 8-inch board retails for $29.95. A 12-inch by 20-inch cherry tray with wrought iron handles retails for $89.95.

Primeware’s Cambridge 5 Tier Server is multifunctional, as a five-tiered food display stand and as individual appetizer plates. Made of rubber wood, the plates come in a set of four with a base and stand. The plates can be stacked and assembled onto the display stand, then fanned out to be filled with cheeses and meats, or the piece can come apart to make individual cocktail plates designed to hold a wine glass so guests can move about without spilling their red wine onto their host’s carpet.

—