Innisfil resident Shirley Malo is celebrating her first year of business with 'Blissful Boards', delivering and curating charcuterie boards and boxes for all occasions.
A mother of three young children, Malo has balanced raising her family with her new business since August of last year.
Pre-Covid, Malo was creating custom boards and boxes for all sorts of events including grand openings, birthdays, baby showers, weddings, and corporate parties.
Her food creations typically balance sweets with savoury foods and can feed four to 15 people.
Since Covid, Malo has adjusted her services and is now delivering a variety of charcuterie boards and boxes right to the client’s front door. She is currently offering free delivery in the Simcoe County area from now until the end of December.
“It’s a great gift for teachers, friends, or family members," notes Malo. “Each [order] comes with personalized messages as well."
Malo’s boards come with a variety of cheeses and meats, fruit and vegetables, chocolates, caramel popcorn, chocolate covered pretzels and more. She shops locally through farms and sources small businesses for different foods while using charcuterie boards from a local supplier.
“I enjoy doing it!” expresses Malo. “I’ve had great success so far."
Malo has used local businesses such as Candy-Creations, Simply Dipped by Sam, and Crumbs by Kayla for some of her sweet designs.
Her favourite part of the Blissful Boards business is the final product.
“I always have a visual picture of how I envision [the boards]," shares Malo. “But most of the time it comes out even better than what I pictured. I love seeing the final product from start to finish."
Malo describes her work as “food art” and takes great care in cutting each piece into a unique design.
“There are different ways to cut fruit," explains Malo. “And lots of ways you can layout the cheese so it looks more presentable."
Clients can also have a bottle of wine (or beer) added to the charcuterie board that will pair nicely with select cheeses and meats. Malo sources many of her wines from the Downtown Winery in Toronto.
“I like to put a bottle of wine in the centre of the board and do a half savoury, half sweet," shares Malo.
With many events and parties cancelled due to Covid, Malo is looking at doing Zoom workshops where she will teach people how to create a charcuterie board at home for their family.
“I like to show people how you can cut certain fruits [and] help them style it when cutting," says Malo.
“It’s a nice treat to gift to someone, especially when people are in lockdown,” states Malo. “The possibilities are endless on how I can style the board. I’m always up for a challenge with new themes!”
Malo adds that the boards do not come from a peanut-free facility, but she can cater to other dietary restrictions upon request.
To view Blissful Board’s creations, follow them on Instagram @blissfulboards.ca or their Facebook Page here.
