The cheeseboard craze has taken social media by storm. Creative and elaborate designs using cheese, meat, crackers and fruit have paved the way for artists and food lovers to join forces and create actual businesses that are thriving!
Sophisticated Spreads is a Los Angeles-based cheeseboard company creating whimsical, mouth-watering cheeseboards (and even dog-friendly versions) that take the craze to the next level.
Emmy, Sophisticated Spreads founder, has been using Stepladder cheeses from the very beginning, including her favorite, Ragged Point.
"I launched Sophisticated Spreads during the middle of the pandemic as it provided a creative outlet for me during a time in which I was in a rut in life," said Emmy. "During my gap year after high school, I wanted to do something that related to my love of food, and brought people together, thus Sophisticated Spreads was the perfect combination of these ideas."
We challenged her to create a cheeseboard only using the contents from our Medium and Large cheese bundles. Let's just say we were not disappointed!
"My favorite cheese is, has and always will be Ragged Point," said Emmy. "It’s the first Stepladder cheese that I tried and it was love at first sight! I also love the Spicy Fromage Blanc and it’s a close runner up!"
Tips and Tricks from Sophisticated Spreads
- Don't cheap out on the cheese! It's the most important and main focus of your board, so focus on buying nice quality cheeses (aka Stepladder Creamery).
- If you can, include a variety of artisan cheeses with different flavors and textures. I like the include hard cheeses like cheddar or Stepladder's Cabrillo, brie-style softer cheese like Ragged Point, and others to complement.
- Cut the cheese and serve spreadable cheese in cute dishes. Make your boards beautiful and easy to eat for guests by cutting cheeses and prepping everything in advance. I like to cut hard cheeses in various sized triangle shapes so you get a piece of the rind. Brie-style cheeses can be cut into triangle wedges or sliced into rounds. Soft cheeses like Chevre or Spicy Fromage Blanc can be served in fun bowls with a knife next to crackers or bread.
- Get creative with the flow! Add dimension to your board with different layers, create curves with the cheese or stack things making it easy for people to see everything and decide what they want to try next.
- Add other unique additions for the board. This helps add color and variety to make it look more lively and art-like. I always add fresh flowers and seasonal garnishes. With this cheeseboard, I used blood oranges and roses for garnish - the pops of color were perfect for an end-of-summer cheeseboard. Grapes, berries, different types of meat, almonds, crackers and crusty bread were also included in the board.
Watch this video as Emmy assembles her cheeseboard at home. Feel free to pause throughout to re-create your own version.
Our Medium and Large Cheese Bundles are a great way to try a variety of Stepladder cheeses. They also make the perfect gift or item to bring to a group gathering or upcoming holiday party. Add your favorite meats, crackers and other goodies, and use Sophisticated Spreads' guide to make your own photo-worthy cheeseboard at home.
Both bundles are also available as memberships so you can have cheese delivered to your door every 1, 2 or 3 months. A healthy stock of cheese at home is always encouraged! Shop bundles online, you can also add more cheese to your order, such as our seasonal Chèvre and Rocky Butte!
*Photos and videos created by Sophisticated Spreads
Planning to make your own cheeseboard at home? Share a photo on Facebook or Instagram to show us what you come up with! Also, feel free to leave a comment below and let us know if you found this post helpful.