The perfect meal requires more than the purposefully sourced local ingredients.
Got your artisanal pickles, mustards and jams? La Tourangelle walnut oil? Maybe a slab of Belcampo organic grass-fed beef?
You can’t throw that on a paper plate. Sophisticated food — the kind you’re aiming to make — deserves a backdrop up to the challenge.
We found it.
The fact that it comes courtesy of a 26-year-old ex-Uber employee who quit her job to follow her dream is just the metaphorical (Rainier) cherry on this particular charcuterie plate.
Just launched a week ago, Sausalito Slabs is the brainchild of Anna Bowles, who traded start-up unicorn life for woodworking — following in the footsteps of her dad, a master woodworker and industrial designer. Her charcuterie boards are hand-finished in walnut, each designed to show off its natural grain and textural variation.
They’re everything you need to craft the perfect charcuterie.
As to the latter: How best to assemble?
It’s an art, not a science, so we asked Anna for how she assembles her own:
“We pull out all the vegetables and fruits and nuts and leftover chicken or meatballs — sometimes the messier a cheese plate presentation the better. Cheesecake from SF Cheesecake and Champagne make a great cheeseboard idea as well.
For a traditional cheese board with friends or on date night, I love to have a lot of color and texture and varied flavors. My go-to shop is Say Cheese in Cole Valley. They have the most incredible cheese, charcuterie, and other accoutrements. I try to always pick out a variety of cheese including a hard cheese, a semi-soft cheese and Comte for guests that might not be as adventurous in the cheese world. My charcuterie includes mastro calabrese, prosciutto di San Danielle, and Creminelli soppressata.
After that you can add whatever you can dream up. I like to add in-season fruits from the local farmers market and castelvetrano olives, whole-grain mustard (I always have the traditional Grey Poupon Country Style Dijon on hand) and some marcona almonds and extra-dark chocolate. If it’s a really special occasion, I like to get a chunk of honeycomb and put it right on the board. Make sure to get a baguette the day-of and serve it freshly sliced or flash broiled in the oven with a little olive oil for extra crunch.
The most important part of the cheese board? Wine. Always have an extra bottle on hand to keep the conversation flowing long after the last slice of Comte is gone.”
Like she said: Grab the rosé and get going. Summer’s not going to last forever.
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