Sweet dreams are made of cheese . . . and meats . . . and on quality and creative charcuterie boards.

Classy Nibbles, a new local business started by Deb Baskerville, launched on April 17, and passed the state pre-opening inspection.

“Charcuterie boards are fun to make,” she said. “I’ve always been creative, a painter and sewer, doing crafts. And I felt there really wasn’t any place in Marshalltown that offered [boards.] For me, it’s fun to do.”

Baskerville has learned how to make the salami roses, to make cheese look like a carnation and to cut and organize the fruit in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Since launching Classy Nibbles, Baskerville has already gotten some large orders, such as for 80 charcuterie cups.

“I’ve been surprised,” she said. “I’ve kept busy, and every week some order has come in. I’m fine with that if it’s nice and slow and I don’t have to rush. I can put my heart and soul into it and be creative with it. It’s not a business I have to hurry on.”

Classy Nibbles is available for events.

“I look forward to creating fun boards and boxes for holidays and special events,” Baskerville said. “Bridal showers, baby showers, birthday parties, weddings – those moments deserve something beautiful and delicious.”

She stressed that charcuterie boards are not the only option offered. Baskerville can put the same ingredients in boxes or in cups. It all depends on the number of people who will be nibbling on the collection of meats, cheeses, fruits and more.A charcuterie cup is intended for one person. The snack and mini graze boxes for one to three people. Classy Nibbles has three different size grazing boxes ranging from two to 10 people. Larger gatherings of people, 10 to 30, call for the traditional board.

“They can select what they want in the order,” she said.

In the menu, Baskerville has meats, cheeses, crackers, fresh and dried fruits, breads, vegetables, dips and spreads, nuts, olives, pickles, cheese balls and chocolate.

“If they want three different cheeses, they can circle what they want in the menu,” she said. “I’m a big smoker. I just bought a cold smoker, so down the road I want to smoke my own cheese just to add a little flair. I’m going to try it this weekend. I’m excited about it.”

Making high-quality orders is important to Baskerville, so she asks for customers to give her at least 48 hours notice.

“I want everything to be fresh,” she said. “I’m about quality. If they want me to add something, I can also add it.”

One of the big lessons Baskerville learned since diving into charcuterie relates to quality – do not put crackers on the board. Rather, provide them in a separate package.

“They’ll get soggy,” she said, laughing. “They look pretty in there, but it’s not worth having soggy crackers. I’m still learning as I go.”

The business is not the first one she has owned. She opened a Merle Norman cosmetics studio and ran it for three years. After a neck injury caused Baskerville to not work for one year, she closed the studio and then worked as a nail technician for 30 years until recently retiring. Knowing her artistic side and Baskerville’s love for entertaining, her friends encouraged her to start a charcuterie business.

“I thought, ‘Why the heck not? I have time,'” she said.

The time turned out to be necessary, as Baskerville said it took her six months to turn Classy Nibbles into a reality, especially when it came to fulfilling the state requirements.

“Every single vegetable, dip that I use, every single cracker, everything I use on a board, I have to turn the ingredients into the state,” she said. “Yeah, putting everything together was time consuming, but I wanted to make sure I was ready.”

Speaking of time, knowing how limited it is for so many people in today’s society is a big reason Baskerville started Classy Nibbles.

“I’m catering to people who don’t have time to do stuff like this,” she said. “With the way the cost of food is, you have to buy big quantities of stuff and a lot of people don’t want to have that much on hand. If I have two orders in one week, it won’t go to waste. It’s convenient and everything is about convenience nowadays.”

Baskerville said some people might be taken aback by the cost of the boards, boxes or cups. The cost of food is a big factor in the prices, but she also includes the time it takes to prepare the order and the added flair and creativity. Plus, it is a high-quality, locally-made product.

“I’m grateful for the support and excited for what’s ahead,” she said. “There’s nothing better than creating something that brings people together.”

BUSINESS INFO:

Name: Classy Nibbles

Address: 1110 Westwood Dr.

Phone: 641-752-9581

Website: classynibbles.com

To order: Call Classy Nibbles at least 48 hours in advance. Baskerville will deliver orders costing more than $50 within a 15 to 20 mile radius of Marshalltown.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.