Culture Magazine

E N T E R TA I N I N G 202 2 culturecheesemag.com 31 VO I C I N G S BS: We're looking for large doses of color. We're looking for something that energizes a space. We've always talked about cheese boards as, at their core, things that create connection. You put one down in front of [people], and it's a magnet. People come together, and they eat at this board. They hopefully have a discussion about what they're eating. So we're trying to create— SS: Authentic human connection. BS: Right. And so the easiest way to do that, it's high impact, big color, a nice balance. It's like painting, right? You're balancing, it's restraint, it's texture. And it's wildly original every single time. And I think the other part is...we don't touch the ingredient very much. I'm talking leaves on, stems on. We really look at how it arrives, and then let that piece shine. You know, if the strawberries are looking more darling than usual— SS: We call their little green tops their collars! And sometimes the collars are just like— BS: Going off, you know? SS: We do talk about restraint a lot in the kitchen because we do live in a state that is so abundant in produce and options. BS: Sarah orders the produce, she's texting the farmers every week. SS: I like photos from the field. BS: It's very intimate. SS: They know how emotional I get about produce. The boards are like a metaphor for your shop. You want the most colorful stuff on the boards, and now in your store, you have the most colorful stuff on your shelves. Your store's very colorful, I love the tinted glass windows. BS: Yeah, it's the same concept. It's like, how do we spread joy? How do we create things that make people smile? SS: In the very beginning we went and visited every cheese shop in southern California before we ever opened a brick and mortar and the general consensus—and not that it's a bad thing—was that most cheese shops have darker woods and kind of an Old-World feel inside. And that's because a lot of 'em are doing European-style cheeses. And we knew that our shop was gonna be 100-percent domestic and 100-percent American and really have this California sense of place. And so, when Boo drew up the logos the first time, the logo we picked was the one that I just couldn't stop smiling at, because we wanted something that evoked joy and color and brightness. BS: The goal was always approachable and playful, and you know, it just depends on the space. Like with those windows, I was 40 weeks pregnant on a lift installing that vinyl. SS: You weren't sure if it would work! Photo: Jenna Jones

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