New Chef Grazing Boards Demonstrations a Hit at New York Produce Show

Seven acclaimed chefs took part in a three-course Grazing Boards Demonstration, Dec. 11, during the New York Produce Show (NYPS) at the Javits Center in Manhattan. The chefs combined cheeses, meats, nuts — and of course, fruits and vegetables — for brunch, lunch and dessert.

Surrounded by exhibitors and attendees, the chefs constructed large platters on 4-foot-long boards with at least 50% produce.

Max McCalman, renowned cheese authority and wine connoisseur who is also an expert in creating grazing boards and charcuterie, was emcee for the demonstrations.

Each team had one hour of prep work and two additional hours to complete their platters.

Chef Chase Obenchain, California Walnuts; Executive Chef Luis Reyes, Sysco West Coast Florida, representing California Giant; and Culinary Instructor Denis Williams, Societe Culinaire Philanthropique, New York, NY, kicked off the demonstrations.

BRUNCH

While creating his board, Obenchain spoke about the versatility of walnuts, noting their complex flavor and their ability to pair well with meats or even serve as a meat substitute.

The board Reyes created consisted of blueberries, strawberries, pink pineapple, apples, macarons, salami, cheese, pistachios, crackers, raspberries, olives, blackberries, walnuts, smoked salmon, pickled onions, pastrami and more.

He says pink pineapple is trendy right now. “The pink pineapple is nice and sweet, it’s really, really sweet, but the pink color is something that you can incorporate in your vision board.”

Williams says there’s an art to creating a grazing board, emphasizing the importance of variety and balance. He highlights the inclusion of smoked cheeses, savory crackers, and a marinated olive salad with orange for a sweet-salty contrast.

“I like to have a lot of different fruit, because fruit is a wonderful thing to work with. For instance, persimmons are sour. These grapes are like little pieces of sugar. The mango is a perfect unison here today. And they all go with smoked meat,” says Williams.

Williams advised against overloading the board with too many items, suggesting a mix of three to four items in each category (salty, savory, sweet, sour). He also mentions the pairing of oily walnuts with blue cheese and the importance of a balanced selection of hard, soft and smelly cheeses.

LUNCH

Chefs Will Horowitz, author of Salt, Smoke, Time, and Glenn Rolnick, director of culinary operations at Alicart (Carmine’s, Virgil’s BBQ), created lunch grazing boards.

Rolnick emphasizes using local produce on a grazing board. His board was about 70% fruits and vegetables, nuts and edible flowers. “We always, no matter what — produce show, no produce show — we will always put vegetables, fresh fruit in there,” says Rolnick.

He says the boards are popular at events for 100-150 people, highlighting their unique appeal and the positive impact on the taste of the cheese.

Horowitz emphasizes using natural processes and respecting each vegetable’s unique characteristics, avoiding lab-created enhancements, in creating boards.

“What we started doing is applying the same age-old techniques that we’ve been doing for thousands of years for charcuterie and meat, and we just simply started applying them to vegetables and fruit. That’s been the beauty of this art form,” he says.

Horowitz advocates for a simple, natural approach, allowing the inherent flavors of the produce to shine.

DESSERT

Influencer Chef and Dietitian Abbie Gellman, SBH Health System, New York, NY, and Chef Felix Castro, Urban NYC Chefs, created dessert boards.

Castro used grapes, edible flowers, figs, white chocolate bacon, strawberries, dark honey, cucumbers, nuts, pineapple, mangos, radishes, dragon fruit, cheese and more, to create his grazing board.

Gellman used chocolate-covered potato ships, strawberries, watermelon, dates, figs, yellow tomatoes, walnuts, Buddha’s hand citrus and other fresh produce.

Special assistants for the grazing boards included John Abels, vice president of operations at Ketapanen Kitchen LLC; Jill Overdorf, chef and president, The Produce Ambassador; and Alain De Coster, director of food services and executive chef, Encore Luxury Living.

Grazing Board sponsors included Bergader (blue cheese), Smoking Goose (smoked ham and bacon), Laura Chenel/Marin Cheese (goat and brie cheeses), Red Apple Cheese (Gouda and cheddar), Cheese Merchants (Parmesan-Reggiano, Asiago and Gouda), Brooklyn Cured (Salami Charcuterie Meats), Aussie Selects (lamb cold cuts), California Berry Farms (berries), California Walnut Commission (walnuts), CMI Orchards (apples), Marengo Foods, New York State Department of Agriculture, Setton International Foods (pistachios) and Top Seedz (crackers).

The Grazing Boards Demonstration was part of a strategic initiative by NYPS organizers to add more foodservice to the overall event. It recently landed new collaborative partnerships with the New York State Restaurant Association and the New York City Hospitality Alliance, which assisted with the show’s foodservice and educational programming.

SAVE THE DATE!

Mark your calendar for next year’s New York Produce Show and Conference: Dec. 2-4, 2025.

And exhibitors, book your booth now, as there’s a limited time to maintain the current booth rate. Visit www.nyproduceshow.com/exhibit2025 or talk to your sales representative before Jan. 12, 2025, to lock in the 2024 rate!