In Praise of the Charcuterie Boards at the 2023 Grammys
Why Was No One Eating the Stunning Charcuterie Boards at the Grammys?
We need to discuss the real underdog of the 2023 Grammys: the charcuterie boards. Topping nearly every table at the award show were gorgeous fruit-forward platters by a woman-owned company called Silverlake Socialite, and we're here to dole out the appreciation they deserve.
This wasn't just any smattering of cured meat and cheese — the boards truly had it all. We're talking stacked sliced pears, all the berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries), halved figs, dates, zigzag-cut kiwis, radish and cucumber slices, blood oranges, black grape clusters — we're still not done — cashews, seeded crackers, and even cantaloupe, all artfully arranged on a semicircular wooden slab with matching tongs. There were also chunks of cheese, of course, perhaps a white cheddar, by the looks of it.
Mouthwatering as the spreads looked, the fresh nibbles were hardly, well, nibbled. As the ceremony progressed and photographers captured famous attendees during commercial breaks, the charcuterie boards remained glaringly untouched — save for a shot of Jay-Z enjoying some cheese as wife Beyoncé received her first award after arriving fashionably late. Photos show duos like Jennifer Lopez and husband Ben Affleck and Taylor Swift and collaborator Bryce Dessner smiling by their wholly intact boards. We simply cannot relate to the restraint it must've taken to resist snacking away while watching the evening's many performances.
"To see my work on the Grammys global stage was beyond my wildest dreams."
And now, for some overdue, well-deserved credit. The sumptuous creations were designed by Silverlake Socialite founder Lauren Delp. With help from a talented team of assistants, she put together a whopping 125 boards in 16 hours for the show, with each presented in identical fashion on custom Iler Woods slabs. She told POPSUGAR about the "behemoth effort" the project took behind the scenes. "We worked around the clock for two straight days paying painstaking attention to every detail from hours spent cutting star-shaped kiwis to sifting though 250 pears to find 125 that met the mark," she said. "Wrapping and unwrapping the boards alone took upwards of five hours. But to see my work on the Grammys global stage was beyond my wildest dreams. I started this business three years ago solely with a desire to harness my creative energy and help people entertain, but never did I imagine I'd be given an opportunity of this magnitude."
Lauren, we see you. We celebrate your work. And we hope your skills get the recognition they deserve. Read ahead to admire the Grammys charcuterie boards and garner inspiration for your next arrangement.
An Up-Close Look at the Grammys Charcuterie Boards
