In 2013, Marissa Mullen started an Instagram account to show the elaborate cheese plates she made for her university friends.
Seven years later, it’s her full-time job. Marissa is a cheeseboard influencer, posting as @ThatCheesePlate to 154,000 followers.
She gave up her job working as a creative coordinator in the entertainment industry to focus on nothing but cheese in April this year.
Now she’s set to write her cookbook That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life.
Marissa tells Metro.co.uk: ‘I always believed in my brand and vision, but I never thought it would grow at this speed. It’s incredible to be a part of.’
She’d always been a big fan of cheese, which was something she got from her parents.
‘I’ve always loved cheese,’ she says. ‘Growing up with a self-taught chef of a father and a mother who loves entertaining, I was exposed to many types of cheese from a young age.’
But it was during her student years that her love of the cheeseboard really started.
She says: ‘I started the Instagram in 2013 to photograph the cheese plates I’d make with friends on the weekends.
‘I always loved creating elaborate spreads, adding garnish and extra pizazz for the photo. I kept up with the Instagram for years, constantly creating new content and brainstorming innovative cheese board themes and ideas.
‘Cheeseboards bring people together. They ignite a sense of excitement in the room. Taking the time to put together a beautiful board shows care, generosity and encourages creativity. Also, who doesn’t love cheese?!
How to create the perfect Instagram-worthy cheeseboard this Christmas
Marissa follows a six-step guide to create her Christmas cheeseboard.
Step 1: Cheese:
It’s good to have a combination of flavours on your cheese board. I chose a sharp cheese, a strong cheese and a decadent cheese. England is known for its cheddar, so I’ve used Montgomery Cheddar as I wanted to let that flavour shine with festive favourite Branston pickle.
The Castello Blue cheese adds a beautiful colour and texture to your board, as well as a delicious pairing for sweet and savoury embellishments. Finally, I chose a Goldminster Black Truffle Vintage Cheddar because it’s the holidays – the perfect time to be decadent.
Step 2: Meat:
I coined the term ‘salami river’ to highlight the beautiful cascade of meat down the centre of the plate. To create a salami river, fold a salami slice in half, and in half again. Repeat until the salami goes from one end of the board to the other, then curve in a ‘river’ shape.
Step 3: Produce:
Make your produce ‘ponds’. Here I used dried apricots, cranberries, dried figs and Persian cucumbers. Fill the final two ramekins with olives and cornichons. The sweet items contrast with the salty cheese while the tangy items compliment Branston pickle.
Step 4: Crunch:
Fill in the gaps with mixed nuts, classic English oatcakes and fruit, and nut crisps that make a satisfying crunch. It’s about engaging and awakening all the senses to impress your guests.
Step 5: Dip:
Fill two ramekins with your favourite dips. These dips are the perfect way to add some delicious flavour to your plate, complementing the flavour profiles of the cheeses you pick! I find clear ramekins the most effective to show off the rich colours of both the pickle and chutney.
Step 6: Garnish:
Lastly, it’s time to garnish. For a festive board, I’d recommend using fresh thyme, rosemary and cranberries. Fresh herbs add a pop of colour and smell amazing to complete the plate.
‘Cheeseboards give you the option to try a wide range of different flavours and pairings – I like traditional cheese and Branston pickle.’
Over time, her following grew to the point were it is today – and she says it just keeps getting bigger. She also runs another account, @Cheesebynumbers, with over 155,000 followers, where she shows how the boards are created.
Marissa adds: ‘Timing is important, there has been a huge interest in cheese boards over the past year, more so than ever.
‘Since I was the first cheeseboard account on Instagram, I had an advantage.’
Now, other influencers are following her lead – pulling together cheese and accompaniments into elaborate works of art. There’s now over 600,000 cheeseboard posts on the social media site
Emily Delaney, 28, from Chicago, is fairly new to the cheese board scene but she is also building a steady following.
Posting as @cheeseboardqueen, Emily launched her account a year ago and has almost 6,000 followers.
Coming from an Italian family, she’d always loved cheese
Emily laughs: ‘My family is Italian so I’m pretty sure my DNA is 50% cheese and 50% pasta. I’ve always adored cheese in all forms.
‘I’ve been making cheese boards for friends and family for years and eventually became known them – I swear they were the only thing I was allowed to bring to a party!
‘At a Friendsgiving party last year, a few of my girlfriends jokingly referred to me as the “cheese board queen” and the name just stuck with me.
‘I had never heard of a cheese board influencer before and didn’t necessarily have a plan to become one, but one night last January I found myself craving a creative outlet and remembered that nickname: Cheese Board Queen.’
Since then, Emily has seen her account grow rapidly as people on Instagram are keen to create boards like hers at home.
She says: ‘I thought that maybe I would eventually start taking orders and catering cheese boards in the Chicago area but as time went on, I realized that what I love most – and what my audience responds to most – is the behind the scenes look at the cheese boarding process.
Emily's cheeseboard tips
Choose your cheese
Emily says the perfect cheese board is bountiful, colourful, and full of texture and variety.
She says: ‘It’s important to select a variety of quality ingredients, starting with the star of the show: the cheese.
‘I recommend selecting cheeses with a variety of textures (soft and hard) and milk types (cow, goat and sheep).’
Add other ingredients
‘From there, build out the board with items that complement the cheeses and provide options for flavor pairings. For example, if you choose a triple cream brie cheese, include a nice honey or jam and apple slices on the board,’ Emily explains.
Assembly
Emily adds that height is important for the overall look.
She says: ‘When you’re ready to build the board, play around with different ways to add height and texture with the ingredients, like slicing up the cheeses in different ways, folding the charcuterie and layering crackers in a fanned out arrangement.’
‘There is an unbelievable hunger for information about how to make cheese boards and I want my little corner of Instagram to be a resource for those looking to learn – whether I’m sharing shopping lists, step-by-step guides, a peek into my creative process or details on products that make a cheese board really special.’
Each board takes her around two to three hours to create, including the time to buy the ingredients.
She adds: ‘Every board I make is completely unique and I put so much thought into the ingredients I purchase and the way I present them.
‘The building process can be pretty quick (10-15 minutes) but some boards present more of a creative challenge and I’ll spend 30+ minutes arranging and rearranging until I achieve the vision I had in my head – or something completely different that I like even better!
‘I also try to capture photos or video along the way to help show the building process in addition to the main “glamour shot.”
Emily is still working full-time in public relations but she now hosts private cheeseboard workshops and classes to help others learn from her experience.
But she still loves seeing how much joy a cheeseboard brings to someone.
I think it stems from the idea that we eat with our eyes first. When you see a bountiful board filled with your favourite foods beautifully arranged, it kind of stops you in your tracks.
‘I notice that people always gather around, exploring the board with their eyes first, asking questions and admiring the display together before they dig in.
‘I think that communal aspect to cheese boards is so special and it’s they became my favourite think to make for gatherings with friends and family.
‘And of course, people just love cheese – it’s one of those foods that is loved so passionately and universally – so a cheese board is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/17/meet-cheeseboard-influencers-spend-hours-creating-beautiful-snack-plates-instagram-11921506/
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