A couple years ago the pandemic forced a lot of people to stay inside.

People took up new hobbies. Some started different types of businesses.

Charcuterie and More is an example of one of those businesses that was successful. 

Owner and sole worker of Charcuterie and More, Julia Peterson, started her business on a whim. 

“I started at the beginning of 2021. It was scary because I had never run a business before,” she said.

But wait…what is charcuterie? Well, according to Reverso (a translation app), it is French for “fancy pork cuts” from a butcher. The word dates back to 15th century France and is often associated with the term “amuse bouche.” In other words it makes the mouth happy. French royalty were often served charcuterie boards to sample menus.

Peterson said that it is just a “fancy party platter.”

Julia Peterson, owner of Charcuterie and More. (Photo Courtesy of Peterson)

“It can be mainly meats and cheeses. We made it even fancier by doing breakfast and desserts.” she said. 

Peterson sells a variety of cheese boards that can be paired with wine tasting. (Peterson does not sell wine)

She also said it has been a fun adventure for her and she gets to meet new people. 

Peterson teaches classes at home. Typically, she gets groups of two to six people at a time. However, she has catered to larger groups like the Rio Grande Downs Syndrome group.

Because Peterson works alone, she has avoided COVID issues that come with working with large groups of people. 

“We really started at the opportune time with COVID. Luckily, the business didn’t suffer at all,” she said.

These days, Peterson offers cooking classes for people who want to make their own boards at home. 

Classes can be booked in advance online .