PITTSBURGH — Sarah Tuthill has a pretty straightforward philosophy to assemble a food board for parties: Keep things simple, but also make your spread memorable by arranging the food and drinks thoughtfully.

The made-to-order cheese and charcuterie boards crafted at her tiny storefront and commercial kitchen, EZPZ Gatherings in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, are a case in point.

Not only are the cured meats, seasonal fruits, homemade spreads and various cheeses drool worthy, but they're also artfully designed to make a table look pretty.

Richly layered and vibrant, they boast a contrasting mix of colors and textures. Some are traditionally arranged on wooden boards, but depending on the theme or season, Tuhill also might add a touch of whimsy by using woven harvest baskets or wooden bowls. Or she might opt for modern and minimalistic by placing pieces on acrylic or melamine boards.

As she details in her recently released how-to book, "Gathering Boards: Seasonal Cheese and Charcuterie Spreads" (Rowman & Littlefield, $27.95), the Aspinwall native and Penn State University grad also has been known to line up crackers on the vintage shirt-sleeve ironing board she found in an antique store in Volant. Big on repurposing, she also likes to tuck candles, jars of olives or flowers into a primitive wooden tool caddy gleaned from Wagon Wheel Antiques in Valencia.

"A lot of it comes down to social media," Tuthill says of her distinctive displays. "Everyone is posting these beautiful pictures, and the bar is raised. You can't just slap things on a [plain] board."

Though she has always been a foodie and has dabbled in floral and interior design, Tuthill didn't set out to be a food entrepreneur after graduating from college with a degree in advertising. Most of her career has been in communications, including many years as a freelance writer.

She only started toying with the idea of EZPZ Gatherings around 2018 because she longed to write a book and wanted to do something to "get my hands dirty" by doing it professionally.

"I love writing, but was drawn to doing something more hands-on, creating something tangible, but still creative," she says.

While she has always loved to entertain and was known among family and friends for making beautiful hors d'oeuvres and other spreads, Tuthill knew she didn't want to be a full-service caterer.

"So I zeroed in on appetizers," she says, officially opening EZPZ Gathering in December 2019, just before the charcuterie craze took off during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Initially, Tuthill worked out of the food incubator kitchen her friend, Josephine Caminos Oria, opened in Sharpsburg in 2013. Then the pandemic hit "and I was done before I even started," she says with a rueful laugh.

Back to the drawing board

No one would have blamed her if she threw in the towel. But Tuthill dug in, using the downtime to continue honing her packaging skills and further educate herself about cheese varieties, flavors, textures and production methods.

"It was a blessing in disguise," she says.

Because so many were stuck at home and in search of hobbies, it also allowed her to start teaching online classes. "So many Zoom book clubs wanted cute snacks," she remembers. "People wanted to learn and experience something rather than just sitting around."

The public's desire to create beautiful gathering boards at home only grew once pandemic restrictions were lifted and the charcuterie board craze exploded.

Today, the one-room storefront Tuthill took over on 1st Street in 2022 — one of the first local niche businesses focused on creating boards for dinner parties, graduation parties and other celebrations — now doubles as a "boarding school" in which fellow Pittsburghers can take workshops to learn the art of cheese and charcuterie styling.

As she notes in her book, "The truth is, you don't have to be a culinary genius to throw a good party. In fact, you don't have to know how to cook at all. By merely presenting food and drinks in an inventive, beautiful or whimsical way, you can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary."

Many of her ingredients are sourced locally at specialty shops in the Strip District (Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. is a favorite haunt) but she also fills her boards with items from chain grocery stores like Trader Joe's. "It's a little bit of everything, depending on the season."

Tuthill was approached to write her book on boards in 2022 in the most Pittsburgh manner. A woman in Ligonier saw a story about Tuthill's shop and her background as a writer in a local paper. "And lo and behold, she cut it out like grandmas do and sent it to her son," who works for Rowman & Littlefield Publishing. And the rest, she says, "is history."

She closed her shop at the beginning of 2023 to focus on the project, and did most of the writing last summer. The tome hit bookshelves on May 13, and can be found locally at Local Provisions and Splurge in Fox Chapel Plaza and Kards Unlimited in Shadyside, as well as on Amazon and in Barnes & Noble.

Meant as a "how-to-do-it" for people who like to entertain, the book — beautifully photographed by Kari Hilton of Hampton and sprinkled throughout with family stories — includes specific suggestions for each season, along with styling tips. The section on summer gathering boards, for instance, includes "Picnic in the Park" and "Lakeside Snackle Box" boards while fall features a "Game Day Tailgate Box" and a Halloween-inspired "CharBOOterie."

Along with a handful of recipes for go-to dips and sides, Tuthill offers tips on serving temperatures, knife selection and serving sizes. She also includes suggestions for wine pairings and decor, along with tips on glassware, lighting, party flow and post-party clean-up.

For an end-of-summer picnic, Tuthill recommends focusing on foods that are easy to pack and eat, and can withstand some heat, such as the skewers and Chautauqua Salad featured below.

"And of course a [pre-made] cocktail or fancy drink is always fun," she says. She suggests using mason jars for a summer sangria because they're super cute and close tightly.

"You just pour ice and vodka over the top," she says, "and it's all self contained."

Summer on a Stick

PG tested

Skewers make for stress-free (and mess-free) picnicking, and take the guesswork out of what goes with what. This summer spin on Caprese salad swaps out the tomato for slices of juicy peach.

6 slices chilled prosciutto (slightly thicker slices work best)

1 ripe peach, sliced

6 small mozzarella balls (cherry-sized)

6 fresh basil leaves

Skewers or toothpicks

Fold prosciutto into ribbons: Fold a single slice in half longways, then gently fold it back and forth like an accordion. Pinch the bottom while fanning out the folds.

Thread a piece of peach onto a toothpick, followed by mozzarella ball, basil leaf (folded in half or into quarters if large). Finish with a prosciutto ribbon, then place onto a serving platter. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Serves 6.

— Sarah Tuthill

Mason Jar Sangria

PG tested

Mason jars make the perfect vessel for individual cocktails-to-go and can be found in just about any supermarket or craft store.

1 ripe peaches, sliced

1 ripe plumb, sliced

1/2 cup berries

3 ounces vodka

6 ounces dry white wine

6 ounces lemonade

1 12-ounce can sparkling water or club soda

Fill 2 half pint jars with seasonal fruit (You can use the same ones you're serving for your picnic!)

Top each with a shot of vodka and 2 shots of white wine. (I prefer a dry white like sauvignon blanc in the summertime.) Add a couple ounces of something sweet like lemonade or lemonade concentrate.

Screw on the lids, give them a shake and let the jars sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Pack them up and when you're ready to enjoy, top off with chilled soda water and add a festive straw.

Serves 2.

— Sarah Tuthill

Chautauqua Salad

PG tested

"This salad is a key component of our family's favorite summer meal" in Chautauqua, N.Y., writes Tuthill.

There, it's almost always served alongside nothing more than corn on the cob and a crusty loaf of bread on nights when it's too hot for the oven or grill. But it's also a refreshing salad that's perfect for a picnic.

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup virgin olive oil

1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly

2 large tomatoes, sliced

Prepare dressing: In a shallow bowl, dissolve sugar in the red wine vinegar. Whisk in the oil.

Gently fold in tomatoes and cucumbers and allow to sit, at room temp, for at least 20 minutes.

Serves 2-4.

— Sarah Tuthill

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