Victoria Cummings and her husband Morrice are charcuterie enthusiasts. The cured meat and cheese platter features heavily in the couple’s travels to cities like Chicago, New York, and Paris. Now, their custom-made charcuterie boards are gaining popularity in Detroit thanks to some social media savvy.
By day, Victoria is a board certified behavior analyst who has worked with autistic children since 2006 in addition to being a professor at an online university. To flex her creative skills, she and Morrice started Revel Events, a company specializing in planning intimate engagements like dinners and cocktail parties. But when the pandemic hit, business took an unexpected direction.
“People would want us to still make some of the food that they were eating,” shared Victoria with Travel Noire. “And we kept getting these requests for our charcuterie boards.”
The side venture drew enough interest to convince the couple to make it a separate entity from Revel Events. With LLC in hand and a new moniker, Detroit Charcuterie Company, Victoria started brainstorming ways to promote the burgeoning brand.
“I’m not good at social media,” she admitted ruefully. “I don’t know how to do cute videos and things like that. So I’m like, I’m gonna attack this a different way. I’m gonna connect with influencers and see if they want to try my product. I would always tell them if you like it, then please post it. If you’re not feeling it like that, you don’t have to say anything. Just enjoy the free box.”
One of those influencers was a food blogger who goes by the handle @ellethefoodie, who posted a photo of her graze box to Twitter. The company got an immediate boost in followers and requests which left Victoria incredulous.
“I had to send her just a huge thank you and gratitude,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness, thank you for posting.’ This has been so amazing, and it’s just been crazy ever since.”
The boards gaining traction should come as no surprise. Each platter is visually stunning — “You eat with your eyes first”, Victoria explained — and features a variety of cheeses, meats, fresh fruit, crackers, and other accouterments.
Options include the traditional cheese and charcuterie platter, an assortment of graze boxes, charcuterie cups, and a grazing table. For some extra razzle-dazzle, some boxes come with a complimentary bottle of prosecco or champagne, chocolates, and macarons. And while charcuterie refers specifically to cold-cooked meats, non-meat eaters can still enjoy the company’s aesthetically and palate-pleasing fare.
“The boards themselves can be modified for most dietary preferences,” said Victoria. “I have a halal one, I have vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free. Everybody is able to enjoy it, even if they can’t enjoy traditional charcuterie.”
Each box is custom made and there’s no method to the madness. Victoria never knows what the board or box will look like until she starts. It’s just cheese, meats, and vibes.
“It just kind of all comes together based on what I think will look cute and then I’ll take inspiration from the customer’s personality. So I’m like, you know, they might like a spicy cheese. So I’ll throw that in there.”
Orders are currently being taken online for delivery and pick-up. Eventually, the Cummings’ want a physical location where customers can come in and enjoy the charcuterie. And in a nod to her professorial roots, Victoria wants to teach patrons about charcuterie and cheese pairings as well as how to create their own boards.
In the meantime, the company is receiving positive feedback. So far, they’ve had several orders for charcuterie as a form of self-care and from those wanting to try it for the first time. These personal details are the driving force behind Detroit Charcuterie Company.
“If I can help make somebody’s day, even in the smallest way, I’m so happy to be able to do that.”
To order your own board or box, visit Detroit Charcuterie Company and follow them on Instagram.
