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CheeseBoarder 'That Cheese Plate' Review

We tried the deliverable, Insta-ready cheese board that's shipped right to your door

CheeseBoarder cheese board wrapped in plastic, being pulled from its cardboard box. Credit: CheeseBoarder

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Cheese boards are my love language. They’re one of the few dishes my Italian mother will let me prepare for family dinners, and back when I worked as the digital editor of Culture Cheese Magazine, they were my livelihood.

But having the time to prepare a cheese board that’s both well-balanced (with a variety of flavors, milk types, and accompaniments) and aesthetically pleasing (hello, salami rivers and edible flowers) isn’t always in the cards—especially when you’re entertaining.

Marissa Mullen (aka @thatcheeseplate) knows that struggle, and she wants to solve all your grazing woes—thanks to her collab with CheeseBoarder, an online merchandiser selling the first ready-to-graze boards delivered nationwide via Goldbelly.

Shop at Goldbelly

Photo of Marissa Mullen holding a glass of red wine.
Credit: CheeseBoarder

Marissa Mullen is a best-selling author and influential content creator.

Mullen has been crafting cheese plates since 2014, when she originally started her account to document the boards she’d make with her friends in college. Since then, her passion exploded from a low-key hobby to a full-blown career with a giant platform.

In addition to to leading her own global community of cheese lovers, she also works as the resident cheese contributor at Food52. “I always wanted to find a way to make my own plates accessible to the masses,” Mullen says. “Because I don't have the space or team to cater the plates myself, CheeseBoarder came on as the perfect partner to collaborate with.”
So how well do these boards hold up after shipping? Is the unique curation and so-called display-worthy presentation worth the price tag? We tried it ourselves to find out.

What is CheeseBoarder?

An aerial shot of the cheeseboard on a table, with wine, plates, and hands in the shot
Credit: CheeseBoarder

CheeseBoarder is an online merchandiser selling the first ready-to-graze boards delivered nationwide.

Business (and life) partners Aaron Menitoff and Julie Larson Menitoff used to run a renowned catering company that was enjoyed by the likes of Prince Harry and Bill Gates. Then the pandemic hit. “We faced losing the business we had spent most of our lives building,” Menitoff says. “We were determined to find a way to adapt our catering expertise to the new environment.”

Like many business owners in early 2020, they pivoted. They wanted to bring quality catering to people’s homes, and once they partnered with Goldbelly—which was already shipping uncut cheese and charcuterie across the country—they discovered the perfect platform to create CheeseBoarder.

It soon became the first company to ship gourmet, fully arranged cheese and charcuterie boards across the country. And since launching in October 2020, they’ve seen massive success, eventually becoming Goldbelly’s highest-grossing vendor.

There are several “That Cheese Plate” boards to choose from, including unique varieties like baked brie and even vegan boards.

I opted for the Mezzo cheese and charcuterie board, which feeds five-to-six people and includes 35 ounces of cheese-and-accompaniment goodness. It also comes with tiny utensils in a reusable acacia wooden board, which is great for future entertaining. I enjoyed it with two other people over the course of three or four days, and everything pretty much sustained the test of time after wrapping the trays with reusable beeswax paper.

What I liked about CheeseBoarder’s “That Cheese Plate” Mezzo

On top, professional product image of the Mezzo Board. On bottom, Reviewed's photo of the Mezzo board they received.
Credit: CheeseBoarder / Reviewed / Monica Petrucci

The Mezzo board arrived looking almost identical to its photo.

It arrived looking just like the photo—and lasted a few days

The website recommends removing the board from the box upon arrival and placing it in the fridge right away. This would’ve been my original plan, but since I was quarantining away from my home address at the time the box was delivered, I wasn’t able to unwrap it until an hour or two after it arrived.

That said, it was still in pristine condition when I did get to unwrap it, with all of the cheeses and meats looking practically identical to their advertised picture, and still at a chilly temperature without any sign of condensation or spoilage.

All the cheeses and suggested pairings are delicious

You won’t find any complaints from me on the flavor front.

Here’s what’s included: There are three main sections of the board, with five total cheeses and several matching accompaniments in each single-use box. On the side are three additional accompaniments: marinated olives, artisan crackers, and a tiny paper “sack” of Prosecco chocolate cordials (these had a golden hue on the outside that made everything feel extra fancy).

Mullen describes each section as containing curated pairings that can be mixed and matched among themselves. Enjoyed this way, I thought all of the pairings complemented each other well—especially the creamy brie with truffle marcona almonds, sun dried tomatoes, and salami piccante. Chef’s kiss.

The board also comes with a postcard-sized guide that lists all the cheeses and accompaniments by type (“produce,” “crunch,” “meat,” and “garnish”) for easy identification while snacking. Though, the guide doesn’t credit the cheesemakers or artisan producers behind each product (Menitoff says producers can sometimes vary based on availability).

The garnishes are a great touch

All of the ingredients are unique, high-quality, and colorful—from the tangy dried papaya to the addictive everything-flavored cashews. And the added garnishes of fresh rosemary and dried edible flowers are a very “That Cheese Plate” touch that take aesthetics to the next level (and allow a bit of personal creativity, since those elements are not already placed on the board upon arrival).

What I didn’t like

Aerial shot of Mezzo board with CheeseBoarder paper guide and Marissa Mullen's best-selling book beside it.
Credit: CheeseBoarder

Marissa Mullen's best-selling book can guide you through creating your own boards.

It’s pricey

At $160, these boards are a pretty steep investment for most consumers (the average price to build a board yourself ranges from $50 to $150). Of course, for that price you’re also receiving uniquely curated pairings and a professional presentation, as well as the convenience of not having to manually put everything together yourself.

It’s not very eco-friendly

Another downside—for the eco-conscious consumer, at least—is the amount of waste that accompanies CheeseBoarder’s packaging (a con that’s unfortunately common for almost all food deliveries).

This includes a plastic bag around the entire board, as well as around each mini section; individual bags for the nuts and chocolates; eight packs of individually wrapped crackers, etc. While CheeseBoarder informed me that some of the packaging—like the nut bags and insulated liners—are biodegradable, none of them were labeled as such, and a lot of the wrapping is made of standard materials (this is something Menitoff wants to improve going forward).

The cheese variety is lacking

While all delicious, the featured cheeses are all pretty similar and, in my opinion, lack some diversity. Of the five cheeses, three of them are flavored cheddars, and four of them are made from cow’s milk. There’s one variety of chèvre, but my inner turophile would’ve been excited to see a mixed or sheep’s milk option, or maybe a blue, Alpine, or Gouda-style in the mix for more variety.

That said, cheddar is one of the most tried-and-true crowd-pleasers, so it makes sense to resort to it for reliable entertaining.

Is the “That Cheese Plate” CheeseBoarder board worth it?

Yes, if it's in your budget

If you can afford to go all out at your next dinner party—and you feel like impressing your guests—this luxurious board is worth it. It takes the worry out of appetizer prep and delivers a platter full of expertly chosen products that you can expect everyone to enjoy.

It also spares you the headache of shopping, prepping, and strategically placing every cheese plate item. Plus it includes things you might not have even thought of adding yourself (when’s the last time you had edible flowers in your pantry?).

But if you’re tight on cash, want to cut down on shipping waste, or just looking to keep the party going and get your hands dirty, Mullen’s best-selling guide That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life contains 50 picture-perfect plates with easy-to-follow instructions on how to recreate that magic from home.

Shop Cheeseboarder at Goldbelly

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