The Graceful Ordinary, Campbell Creations team up to offer charcuterie board class

With charcuterie boards being an increasingly popular way to serve food at parties and other special events, two St. Charles businesses are teaming up to present a class on how to arrange a charcuterie board.

The Graceful Ordinary restaurant is teaming up with Campbell Creations to host a charcuterie building class on Feb. 13. The event is sold out.

The Graceful Ordinary Executive Chef Chris Curren will walk through those who signed up for the class on how to arrange a charcuterie board. He owns the restaurant with his wife, Megan Curren, who also serves as the restaurant’s event sales manager.

Bill Campbell and his wife, Shawn, own Campbell Creations in St. Charles. Bill Campbell makes artisan charcuterie boards.

“He and Megan came to our shop and we just hit it off,” Shawn Campbell said. “They’re just such great people. I took a chance and asked Chris if he would want to do a charcuterie class with me and he said yes, sure.”

Chris Curren isn’t surprised about the popularity of charcuterie boards.

“They’re great little things to have out there so people can come along and just snack and nosh all night long,” he said. “And who doesn’t like meat and cheese? I think it’s just an easy, fun, tasty kind of way to entertain, which is why I think the popularity is so high right now.”

He is impressed with the charcuterie boards that Bill Campbell creates.

“They’re just pieces of art,” he said. “That’s why we bought a few for the restaurant for events that we do. Bill’s work is unbelievable and the best that I’ve come across.”

The class sold out fast. Sixty-two people signed up for the class.

“Typically our classes always sell out,” Shawn Campbell said. “I knew it was going to be a perfect collaboration. We’re really excited to put this together.”

This is Campbell Creations’ first collaborative effort with The Graceful Ordinary, but she hopes it will not be the last.

“We’ll see how it goes and take it from there, but I think it will be a good thing,” she said.

Chris Curren said the restaurant would like to collaborate more with Campbell Creations as well as other businesses.

“We want to work alongside with a lot of the other businesses and it works out that we’re also friendly with Shawn and Bill because not only do they have a great business, but they’re great people too,” he said. “So it makes it really easy to do these types of events. We’re excited about this and what it can mean as the beginning of some more things for sure.”