A Tasty, Trendy Home with the Cheese Lady

A Tasty, Trendy Home A Tasty, Trendy Home for the Holidays for the Holidays

with The Cheese Lady

Astaple in eastern European homes – especially notorious at Italian home gatherings – is coming to the forefront of party planning and eats. And if you are on social media or take in the occasional home or lifestyle magazine, you most likely have come across it. The rise of the charcuterie board.

Charcuterie is of French origin, meaning “cooked flesh.” Coming to creation in the 15th century, butcher shops there would sell pork products salted and smoked to preserve the meat. Today’s boards hold true to that portion of its history, six centuries later, but include items like cheeses, olives, fruits, breads, nuts and more. Now, that’s a lot of flavors to tackle and refine into a winning combination for entertaining taste buds. So how do you learn to curate such a spread?

THE CHEESE LADY.

Your holiday destination will be the Texas Corners locale, or in the Salut Market off Westnedge in Kalamazoo, as an off-shoot of the original Muskegon location, after owner Natalie Fuller was looking to start her own small business. Having worked in big-named food products for years, she wanted to take the small-business food approach, and the Cheese Lady had everything she wanted in a literal one-stop shop. Here, you are personally guided through your charcuterie experience. You’re not alone in trying to pair cheeses with meats and wines. Here, it’s a customized and personal experience as you speak with staff on what will make the optimal platter or gift! Staff are well-trained and thoroughly well-versed on the products they carry to lead you to an exquisite tasting experience for your family, friends, coworkers. Did you already have choice meats on hand at home and need to pair with cheeses? Or maybe a wine or two that you need a board to compliment? Here you can have a conversation as to what works best for your pairing journey and ensure taste buds are thoroughly pleased and entertained. If you’re interested in starting your foray into charcuterie and not sure where to start for your holiday function, here’s what’s available to you this coming holiday season.

HOLIDAY INFORMATION

Open Tuesday – Saturday

CLOSED SUNDAY & MONDAY

SALUT MARKET

3112 S WESTNEDGE AVE Tues – Fri 10 – 6 Sat 9 – 3 TEXAS CORNERS STORE

7035 W Q AVE Tues – Fri 11-7 Sat 11-3 ONLINE ORDERING

thecheeselady.net/locations/ Kalamazoo

There will be special days and hours of business announced. Follow “The Cheese Lady Kalamazoo” on Facebook for the latest update on special hours.

These pre-ordered delights are a great way to gift charcuterie to a loved one, or to bring to the party! Baskets are available at around three affordable price points, catering to serving sizes with some of the top-selling pleasers for customers. Custom baskets are also available for building to your preference. For those giving away multiple gift baskets as gifts to employees or employers, etc., you can also order multiple baskets at their satellite location. Give the gift of charcuterie baskets, platters or delights by giving a gift card to a loved one. You could even pair it with one of the boards and a bottle of wine to get them started for their next charcuterie night.

ONLINE ORDERING, “CURD”SIDE PICKUP

While you cannot order items separately to ship to those who may not live in the area, you can pre-order your baskets and platters online! You can also order gift cards and electronic gift cards, and if you want to avoid contact this shopping season, the store offers “curd”side (curbside) pickup.

PLATTERS

The Cheese Lady platters put your stereotypical holiday deli tray to shame. Available to be made for groups of six to 56 people. Staff will work with you through pairings – adding notes to what cheeses pair together, so you can impress your guests as a charcuterie master.

CHARCUTERIE ACCESSORIES

In light of the pandemic, The Cheese Lady needed to pivot on business a bit, as most customers wanted to consolidate trips to the store. This pivot led to more grocery-like items available, and more items to pair with your evening platter. You can also find boards, cheese knives and other board tools needed to host the perfect pairing night.

FOOD ALLERGIES, SENSITIVITIES AND DIETARY RESTRICTIONS

In today’s climate, if it’s not you who suffers from food sensitivities or restrictions, you most likely know someone who does. And shopping for them, or yourself with those sensitivities is difficult and can sometimes be dangerous. However, staff at The Cheese Lady are trained to know what’s in products and to answer your food-related questions in hopes to ease your worries and guide you through creating a tasty, safe platter of your own! According to Fuller, there’s not a single staff member who hasn’t tried or taken home a product so they know how it tastes and pairs. And they are happy to look over labels with you as well to ensure the utmost comfort in what’s on your platter.

Lalita Chemello

Lalita is our Editor, Writer and occasional photog. Her 13 years of writing has landed features with Panorama, published poetry and even a short film. She spends any extra time she can quenching her wanderlustian needs by finding new places to adventure with her other half, writing, or playing with their motorized toys.