Meat, cheese and more: Raleigh Cheesy serves up creative charcuterie boards

The idea for the business started in 2019.

"I had seen a few people around the country doing this, just in other cities and states, and my mom was actually like, 'Hey, you should try doing this. You love good food. You love art. This is like combining the two. You should just try your hand at it,'" explained Bowman.

Bowman said made her first board for her daughter's second birthday in July.

"I was like, this is so fun," added Bowman. "I then started doing research trying to figure out if there was anybody in the Triangle doing this and there wasn't."

Thus, Raleigh Cheesy was born.

Before starting the business, Bowman was a middle school teacher. She said that Raleigh Cheesy began as a creative outlet.

The first several Charcuterie boards she made were for friends and family. Then, an Instagram page for the business helped it skyrocket in popularity.

"Within a week (of starting the Instagram page) we had 1,000 followers," said Bowman.

Bowman added that after an email blast in Durham, orders started coming in droves.

"I was like, I don't even have anymore pictures to post. I posted every picture I have," she described. "Literally the first job I booked, I spent it on a photoshoot because I needed more pictures, I needed contacts."

"It was just very fast after that, and we've been trying to keep up with the growth," she added.

Despite mainly operating during the coronavirus pandemic, Raleigh Cheesy has continued to hit new milestones. In earlier February, Bowman opened her first storefront at 1460 Chapel Road in Apex.

"It was crazy. About this time last year, we very much knew that we needed a space like that and I was having to turn orders down because I wasn't able to make all the orders coming in, and that was really disappointing because I wanted everybody to be able to have a cheeseboard," said Bowman.

A KickStarter fundraiser helped put the wheels in motion to open the storefront and hire additional employees to help with demand.

Even before the pandemic began, Bowman envisioned a place where people could grab-and-go Charcuterie boards for a quick meals.

"COVID hit and it seemed like even more of a practical idea because nobody is really wanting to dine in right now," she added.

Despite beginning her businesses during the pandemic, Bowman has continued to see demand and success.

"I didn't quit my job until after the pandemic. I quit in May and I've never known the potential of what, it it could be, when I'm working on it full-time outside of coronavirus. I feel like we've had nothing but a positive trajectory," described Bowman, joking that "people have been deeming cheese a necessity as well."

Bowman says during the pandemic she's helped create at-home events feel just a bit more special with her Charcuterie boards.

"People are able to grab-and-go a box that feels a bit fancy [and] treat themselves to something nice," she said.

If you're wanting to learn how to curate your own Charcuterie boxes, Bowman also teaches classes on how to create a delicious board.

"People as they're doing (the classes), they're like, 'There's no way. This is going to look like trash.' Then, as they finish it, they're like, 'I can't believe I did this.' I love letting people know that you can make things look a little bit more elegant, a little bit more boujie without having to spend tons of money," said Bowman.

Bowman's own knowledge of how to craft a delicious and aesthetically pleasing board comes from not a formal education, but tons of learning and research.

She credits cookbooks and televisions shows with helping her understand flavor profiles for her boards.

"Cheese boards are just a reflection of other culinary flavor profiles and dishes," described Bowman.

She adds that when creating a board, there's "no perfect way to pair."

"I always tell people, don't be afraid to just mix and match and try different things," said Bowman. "It's kind of fun because you end up being in a competition with whoever your with and everybody's box. You're like, Did you try this bite? It's the best and they're like, No, this bites the best."

While Bowman can't share all her trade secrets for creating a great board, she does have a couple tips to share with those ready to start mixing and pair foods.

First, she recommends letting the cheeses for your board get to room temperature.

"I did not know this tip (at first) and my whole palette expanded about what good cheese actually tastes like," she added. "The flavor totally changes once it's at room temperature."

Bowman recommends letting cheeses sit about 30 minutes before eating.

Her other tip for Charcuterie boards is to "don't buy as much as you think you need and use all of the ingredients that you have."

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