Custom charcuterie business fills Staten Island homes with salami, cheese and more
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — If you invite Ashley Gallo to a party, be prepared. She’s bringing a board full of peppered salami and imported cheese surrounded by sprigs of rosemary and miniature jars of fig jam. And it’s going to be the most beautiful piece of charcuterie that you’ve ever seen.
“I think it’s just part of growing up in a big Italian family,” Gallo said, laughing when questioned about why she opted to launch a business based on the artful presentation of meat and cheese. “I’ve always had a love of food; my mom was born in Italy and gathering around the table to share a meal and conversation is deeply rooted in our culture. The basis of this whole concept is the food, of course, but it’s also about gathering, sharing and having a good time.”
Each board is artfully designed, wrapped in crisp cellophane and tied up in a black-and-white bow. Here, Ashley Gallo loads her car with Board & Box deliveries. (Photos courtesy of Board & Box Grazing Co.)(Photos courtesy of Board & Box
Gallo is talking about Board & Box Grazing Co., the Staten Island-based business that she and her husband, Anthony, launched during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, when the world wanted to gather but couldn’t.
“We missed entertaining,” she said. “We missed getting together with family and friends.”
It was then that the Gallos started slicing Parmigiano Reggiano and folding prosciutto in the form of a flower. Three years later, the Tottenville family is filling orders via social media seven days a week.
Platters of fresh fruit are also part of the offerings. (Photos courtesy of Board & Box Grazing Co.)(Photos courtesy of Board & Box
“My husband is a graphic designer, so he has an eye for the artistry part,” noted Gallo, herself a full-time educator. “But everyone is involved in this — my sister, my mom. It’s grown so much that it’s now all hands on deck.”
Artfully designed, wrapped in crisp cellophane and tied up in a black-and-white bow,…
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