The workshop day begins with local personal chef, Noel Moton and her husband turning bare tables into works of ART. The overflow of grapes and chocolate and nuts and cheese reminds me of something a Greek Goddess would order for lunch.
When I asked Noel about how her speciality in cheese platters came about, it sounds like one big story of synchronicity. Working as personal chef and in restaurants led to a request for a cheese platter, which she’d never done before. But once she dove in, she was hooked.
“Creating cheese platters and large grazing tables really fulfilled a creative aspect that I didn’t have before,” she explained.
As people start to trickle in to the workshop their faces light up at the sight of the color-filled tables. They can’t help but start snapping photos from all angles (there’s 32 different items on each table and they are TRULY photogenic). They’re bustling with excitement to touch and taste and play with everything they’re seeing.
During set up Noel had mentioned that she loves teaching these workshops because she gets to see people get really excited about making cheese platters.
“It’s a connection and reward that you don’t get when you’re in a back kitchen sending food out.”
I’m now seeing exactly what she meant. The room is bubbling with joy and anticipation now that everyone’s arrived.
Seats are taken and we’re ready to officially begin.
Noel starts off with a break down of all the cheeses while participants indulge in some tasting.
Next up is the meat selection. Then onto jam and fruit. Nuts and chocolate.
Each ingredient has a story and is sourced with careful intention on Noel’s part. The peach jam is from Georgia, made with real Georgia peaches. The meat comes from an Italian deli, which she swears is the best place to get it by far.
Now, it’s time to start building!
Noel takes tackles any potential overwhelm by breaking everything down by shape and size, allowing for easeful creative choices and personalization to come about in the process.
You can see each person become more confident as each layer is created, and people really start to play and make it their own as the platters begin to take shape.
By the end of it all there are 15 unique and GORGEOUS cheese platters and 15 proud, smiling faces. Everyone seems incredibly delighted with their result and once again, the cameras are going off.
Noel, too, is beaming with pride. I can tell how much she loves what she does.
All in all, the workshop seemed to fly by!
But, then again, how can it not when you’re surrounded by laughter, creativity and dedicant tables of fruit and chocolate and cheese?
A big thank you to Noel Moton for bringing the joy of food (that’s really art) to SOURCED. We can’t wait to have you again for the next workshop in June.
Want to come for a joy-filled day of beauty, food and creating? Mark your calendar for June 30th - signup here!
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Written by Devon Walz. In addition to being a content creator for Sourced, Devon is mixed media fine artist and art educator. When she isn’t dreaming up new topics for the Sourced blog or chatting away with her co-workers, you can probably find her covered in paint and jamming out in her Santa Ana art studio. Find her on Instagram @devonwalzart and online at www.devonwalz.com.
