Chad Gangwer shows us the art of the eat.
It started in 15th-century France as a way to cure and preserve meat, but charcuterie couldn’t be more au courant thanks to social media.
Chad Gangwer, creator of local restaurants Southern Culture, LTO Burgers & Bites, and Habitap, was tired of working 70-to-80-hour weeks as a chef. After nine years of the lifestyle, he was looking for a way to spend more time with his wife and daughter. While glancing at an Instagram post featuring charcuterie, inspiration struck. He figured it was a business he could do on his own while he pondered the next career move. After launching Chadcuterie in December of 2020, right in the middle of COVID, Gangwer immediately received orders for 300 boxes that month . . . and never looked back.
Now working out of the kitchen at Birds Fly South Ale Project with his cleverly branded signature pizza box, Gangwer has garnered loyal customers who order his snacking spreads for everything from tailgates to birthday parties to housewarming gifts to weddings. He’s proud to use local purveyors like the Swamp Rabbit Cafe for stecca bread, along with local honey and top-quality ingredients such as nitrite-free, all-natural meats for his mouthwatering artistic creations.
DIY Chadcuterie
Gangwer offers some tips for your at-home entertaining:
- Select a soft cheese, a hard cheese, a smoky cheese, and a flavored cheese.
- Choose sheep- or goat’s-milk cheeses for variety.
- Assemble an assortment of meats such as smoky capicola, Genoa salami, and spicy chorizo.
- Mix pickles into the spread—he uses his house-made pickles.
- Roast and spice nuts, or source your favorites from a local store.
- Put out a variety of spreads—he does house-made pimiento cheese, and house-made hummus.
- Add a stout mustard.
- Serve artisanal crackers and breads.
- Garnish with fruits and honey to balance out the fatty cheese and meat.
- Offer crudité for the spreads—he uses cauliflower seasoned with turmeric and bright watermelon radishes.
- Use wooden boards, silver platters, marble or slate slabs, or even a mirror.
- Lay the food out in an aesthetically pleasing manner. He describes his style as a “jigsaw effect,” meaning a free-form contrast of colors, shapes, and textures.
- His 10 x 10 square box feeds 2-3 people.
To learn more and place a custom order, visit chadcuterie.com
Photography by Heather Grilliot Photography.
