Charcuterie boards are making a major comeback this year, with Valley restaurants serving platters featuring various meats, cheeses, fruits, veggies and nuts.
This month, 18 Degrees in Scottsdale is upping the ante with build-your-own charcuterie boards with a variety of globally inspired ingredients. From Italian cheese to Spanish ham and local bread, these customizable boards can be tailored for girls’ night out or catching the game with your main squeeze.
18 Degrees’ general manager Matt Vecchio says the process of obtaining the ingredients was no walk in the park. “It took me about eight months to put together as far as getting what we were looking for,” Vecchio says. “Everything that we have on the charcuterie board is imported from multiple countries. We have mainly Italy, we have Greece, we have France…”
The items offered and their country of origin include Serrano ham from Spain, classic Prosciutto, Mortadella, creamy Fontina cheese, fresh Mozzarella balls, sharp Provolone, and silky-smooth Marscapone from Italy, and smooth Brie from France. Other items include Montrachet goat cheese and Sopressata salami sourced from an Italian family in San Francisco.
Customers can choose four items from this premium selection and the boards come with a choice of sides including mixed European olives, a sweet fig jam and a locally sourced sliced French baguette. To enhance the experience, 18 Degrees will be offering half-price wine bottles throughout the month of October.
Vecchio says he’s excited about the new menu addition, though the charcuterie board concept itself is nothing new. “I’m Italian and we’ve called it antipasto for the last 150 years,” Vecchio says. “Once I learned how to spell it, then I was more comfortable with it.”
All jokes aside, the origins of the charcuterie board or “antipasto” can be traced back to medieval Italy and France. They’ve started gaining popularity in America over the last decade with Millennials making them the trendy, Instagrammable appetizer they are today.
No matter what generation you’re from or what you call meat and cheese boards, 18 Degrees is giving guests a chance to indulge in carefully selected imported goods and discounted wine.
18 Degrees is located in Ice Den Scottsdale and is open daily from noon to midnight on weekdays and noon to 10 p.m. on weekends.
9375 E. Bell Rd., Scottsdale, 480-344-2653, 18-degrees.com
