L.A. party people have a secret weapon: Kori Jones of Simple Life Things, the snack-board artist behind the grazing tables at gatherings hosted by jeweler Maya Brenner and handbag designer Clare V. Her boards are piled with imported nuts, chocolate, cured meats and cheeses — occasionally finished with a dusting of edible gold — and now she's shared a tutorial so you can recreate the look at home.
The concept is a centerpiece you can eat. Instead of a floral arrangement that wilts by dessert, you build a sprawling board from roughly $100 of Trader Joe's groceries. It doubles as the appetizer course: add a green salad and a pot of soup and, as Jones suggests, that's a full seasonal menu handled. Given how much florists charge for holiday arrangements, the maths is not close.
The shopping list is generous but flexible. Think four or five kinds of nuts (candied walnuts, truffle Marcona almonds, dark chocolate almonds), dried apricots, figs and cherries, marinated olives, and sweetened dried orange slices for colour. Crackers and bread come next — fig and olive crisps, sweet potato crackers, and a fig or olive loaf if you can find one; Jones favours "epi" baguettes shaped like wheat stalks from a local bakery. For dips, she suggests vegan tzatziki, mango chutney and whole-grain Dijon. Then the showstoppers: a spicy charcuterie selection, and a five-cheese lineup of cubed cheddar, fork-crumbled Stilton, wedged sheep's milk cheese, a herbed goat log and French Brie.
Fresh fruit keeps the whole thing looking seasonal rather than beige. Apples sliced into rounds and semi-circles, halved golden berries, pomegranates, raspberries, blueberries and trimmed bunches of red grapes add colour and texture. Eucalyptus, sage and rosemary do double duty as garnish and aroma — and they cost pennies compared to a florist's bouquet.
The clever part is that this is a one-time investment in technique. Once you own a decent charcuterie board and a handful of small wood and ceramic bowls for dips, the trick repeats itself all year. Swap the pomegranates for peaches in summer or pears in autumn, restock the perishables, and you have a party format you can deploy on a Friday night with no planning at all.
Who is this for? Hosts who want a table that photographs well and actually feeds people, bring-a-plate guests who want to show up with something memorable, and anyone slightly intimidated by cheese-board styling — the ingredient list does the design work for you. It's also a rare party project that costs about the same as a nice bottle of wine and dinner ingredients combined.
If DIY isn't your thing and you're in the greater Los Angeles area, Jones still takes orders through Simple Life Things for fall gatherings and Thanksgiving — she pivoted to individual boxed picnic deliveries during the pandemic and is now back to full-service boards.
Original story by Sunset.
