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Our not-so-little Bluff City is known worldwide for its barbecue. But I have been taken aback by Memphis’ quiet obsession with charcuterie.

Long before viral grazing boards and algorithm-friendly spreads took over social media, Memphians were assembling cured meats and cheeses — and doing it properly. Even though that social media trend is cooling off, the boards are still everywhere around town.

Traditionally, charcuterie refers specifically to prepared and preserved meats. Think pates and cured sausages. It’s often paired with an assortment of cheeses, though purists maintain they are two distinct categories. Modern menus tend to group them together on one board. I tend to lean toward the traditionalist side of the nomenclature, though everybody is welcome on my homemade board.

“Charcuterie works here because we understand cured meat in Memphis. We’ve always had a charcuterie board because it fits who we are,” said Deni Reilly, co-owner of The Majestic Grille and Cocozza. “At Cocozza, antipasti serves that same purpose. It’s traditional, it’s communal and it makes sense on the table.”

Reilly’s restaurants are among many in the city that offer charcuterie or cheese plates on their regular menus.

Charicea Kirby makes charcuterie boxes at Feast & Graze in the Poplar Plaza Shopping Center. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

At No Comment in Midtown, two different kinds of “boards” grace the menu: one with cheese and another with both meat and cheese.

“There are so many fun options on a charcuterie board. It really runs the gamut of flavors and textures,” said Paul Gilliam, co-owner of No Comment in addition to Mary’s B.O.T.E., Cameo and Fawn. “It’s one of the easiest ways to make sure everyone at the table finds something they like.”

In the case of No Comment, the boards are also a practical option for kitchen management.

“Charcuterie makes sense for us because it doesn’t require a vent hood,” Gilliam said. “It gives guests something flavorful and substantial without needing a full kitchen setup.”

Places like East Memphis’ Greys Fine Cheeses and Hen House and Southaven’s Sippin Silo in Southaven all serve their own takes, too. There are also other food businesses centered on meat, cheese and fruit boards through catering companies like Evette Lockett’s Boards + Bites.

Board + Bites owner Evette Lockett poses at the head of a massive grazing table she prepared for a catering client. (Courtesy Evette Lockett)

“The largest order I’ve done was for 400 people at New Year’s Eve at my church,” said Evette Lockett, of Boards + Bites. “Growing up, my family gathered every Sunday for dinner. I’m doing the same thing now, just with meat and cheese instead of collard greens and cornbread.”

Cristina McCarter’s Feast and Graze offers similar catering options but also scales them down to individual servings. Packaged meats, cheeses and accompaniments are available for people who want to create their own spreads at home.

“It’s not going away — it might just be evolving into something else. They’re calling it different things now like ‘snack plates, girl dinner,’ but it’s still charcuterie,” McCarter said. “That’s why we host monthly cheese and charcuterie workshops, so people can learn how to pair and build boards with confidence.”

This week on the Memphis food scene

Private-suite karaoke restaurant and bar The Studio Karaoke will have its grand opening Saturday, Feb. 28. “I’m excited to bring this to life finally,” owner Deidre Ellis said. (Courtesy Deidre Ellis)

In Food Files, Sophia Surrett detailed three new spots in the city, including info on a grand opening for the sweetest-sounding, reservation-only suites to hit Memphis.

Surrett also reported on the Connecticut-based food-and-beverage supply-chain servicer that is laying off of nearly 200 employees from its Southeast Memphis distribution center.

Holly Whitfield took us inside Swamp Lounge, the expanded vision of Kelly English’s Swamp Bar. Get a look at the revamped space before its Thursday, Feb. 26, grand opening and listen to a conversation with bar manager Sam Reeves Hill in “Sound Bites.”

Good Fortune Co’s Tan Tan Ramen. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Speaking of this weekend, Comeback Coffee is coming back for a one-day-only pop-up on Saturday, Feb. 28. The event is meant to be about more than just coffee, but community and clothes, too.

In the latest Recipe Exchange, Jennifer Chandler honored the Lunar New Year with a dish symbolizing prosperity and longevity: tan tan noodles from Good Fortune Co.

Chandler also brought us our latest $15 Deal:Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana’s chicken tortilla soup.

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