BREWER, Maine (WABI) – The owner of Downtown Charcuterie, Ashley Cunningham, and her best friend, Lexi Moody, hope to connect people with food during celebrations through their business.
They offer customizable boards, grazing tables for events and they host classes with other small businesses.
“When I was younger, I would always have holidays with a huge family. My dad is the baby of like 13 brothers and sisters, so there was always cousins uncles and aunts running around, but it was always the one place when everyone sort of gathered together and snack together, so a lot of memories are made with food,” said Cunningham.
Now they travel the state helping people create those special moments.
“We are really lucky we get to work together and then we go home together, we live together so we get to spend all the time together and celebrate with people its awesome,” Cunningham said.
Not everyone will love everything on a board, but they say there’s something for everyone.
“You can get extra fruit, no fruit, extra meat, no meat. We do vegan, nut free, gluten free, dairy free. So, they are very customizable to any group and there is always something for everyone,” said Cunningham.
They hand pick those flavors from a lot of places right here in Maine.
Even the boards available at the shop are crafted locally.
“We start with a centerpiece, and we work our way out. It comes with meats, cheese, fruits, veggies, carbs, dips, and sweets,” added Cunningham.
They say no two boards and no two classes are the same.
“We do candles, and we do Barkuterie so you can make a charcuterie board for your dog. We do cocktails, mocktails and wineries. We just did a comedy and charcuterie so kind of anything fun and exciting just to liven the state up a little bit,” Cunningham explained. “In the winter we really focus on the holiday classes. In January we will be filling up our schedule with other small business collaborations, so we are excited for that. Of course, in February we will have the Valentine’s and date night classes,” said Cunningham.
Cunningham was previously a preschool teacher. Moody, who helps manage the business, used to draw blood.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit they knew they wanted a change.
“We got an office job during COVID we did not like it, it was not for us, it just wasn’t fun, exciting, and we wanted to bring the creativity back. So we started doing it for friends and family and then it quickly grew to strangers and then we just kept growing,” said Cunningham
When making the shift from working on a small scale, to making boards only for a few people, to an entire business that works across the state, there was a lot to learn.
“I learn every single day like what I should and shouldn’t do and just kind of wing it but I want to make sure we still keep it fun but there is always that back end that you have to be serious, too,” Cunningham explained.
What made the transition a little easier was the community around them.
“It was hard to get started but I was really lucky when I would contact one person with help, and they would recommend another person. Everybody has been really nice and just like supportive and I’m very honest, I still don’t know what I’m doing sometimes. I learn something new everyday. Everybody is very open to networking, collaborating and just growing business together,” said Cunningham.
They host classes with other small businesses, hoping to form more connections.
“We try to do a lot with the community, we try to base our success on the connections that we make with people in this area or all throughout the state,” said Cunningham.
Charcuterie boards have become trendy on social media and many people have started making their own.
As a business they are constantly adapting to those trends and setting themselves apart.
“Its ups and downs for sure and its a lot of research on what’s kind of cool and what’s not cool. We thought we were never going to do grazing tables and catering; it was really intimidating and scary. But we did one because it was a donation, and we were like ‘we will try it’ and fell in love with it. So now its kind of you can go so many directions with boxes or cups or jars or all kinds of different ways to make charcuterie. So, its always kind of following what is different unique or fun,” said Cunningham.
If you want to learn to prepare a board yourself for the holidays or an upcoming event they’ll teach you. They offer classes to all ages ranging from toddlers to seniors.
Downtown Charcuterie is located at 231 N Main St in Brewer.
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