For symmetry and balance, use the Rule of 3s (three items from each of the four categories above) as a guide, but don’t be afraid to stray. For instance, we love our mix of three cheeses and meats with a more robust selection of starches and accompaniments. This offers options for your guests without overwhelming them. For cheeses, select one firm, one semi-soft and one soft. Start your buildout by placing the largest items (cheeses) first, spaced across the board. Next, position your meats in open spaces (see our tips for folding on the opposite page), then follow with bread and crackers, ending with your tiniest elements (nuts, fruits, chocolate and/or olives). 

Cheese 

→ Hook’s Aged Cheddar 

→ Marieke Young Gouda 

→ LaClare Farms original goat cheese 

Meat 

→ Driftless Provisions spicy finnochiona (fennel) salami, sliced 

→ Prosciutto cured ham  

→ Mortadella  

Starches 

→ Sliced baguette 

→ Effie’s Biscuits

→ Empress Baking Co. crackers

Accompaniments 

→ Dried or fresh fruit (apple, dried cherries, dried apricots) 

→ Nuts (Treat brand candied pecans, marcona almonds, pistachios) 

→ Dark chocolate 

→ Olives

Larry’s Market

8737 N. DEERWOOD DR., BROWN DEER 

Glorioso’s Italian Market

1011 E. BRADY ST. 

West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe

6832 W. BECHER ST., WEST ALLIS

MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MARKET, 400 N. WATER ST. 

The Village Cheese Shop

1430 W. UNDERWOOD AVE., WAUWATOSA 

Wisconsin Cheese Mart

215 W. HIGHLAND AVE.

How to:

• Make Prosciutto Ribbons
  

  Fold a sheet of prosciutto in half lengthwise, then fold it back and forth on the board like an accordion. 

• Make a Salami Rose
  

  What You’ll Need: 10 thin, round slices of salami about 2 1/2 inches wide; shot glass.
  Instructions: Place first slice in the glass, folding it in half over the rim. Then rotate the glass and overlap each slice over the previous, pressing down so it lays flat against the sides of the glass, until you’ve added all 10 slices, with the last one slightly overlapping the first. Turn the glass over onto a sheet of wax paper and gently release the flower from the glass.