Story of the Whale Board- From Sketch to Signature Charcuterie Board

Artfully arranged charcuterie on the Whale Board by Brakethru Media

Nearly two years ago, I crafted my very first Whale Board, but I didn't realize it yet.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, and I set up some highly figured black walnut slabs on a pair of saw horses outside, basking in the sunlight. I started sketching shapes with a sharp pencil directly onto the wood.

The design that emerged just felt right.

It had curves that seemed to follow the grain of the wood, more like a stream of consciousness than any type of planned design.

I aimed for a big, flowing shape without any straight lines, and I was pleased with the result.

Tracing the Whale Board template onto a live edge slab. Photo by Art Vision Movement

Keeping a copy of the template, I brought the original charcuterie board to a craft event a few weeks later in Oyster Bay, New York.

One of the first visitors to my booth fell in love with the design and insisted that I make more. He said it looked very much like a whale, so we dubbed it the "Whale Board" right then and there.

It's not always clear where inspiration comes from, but our job is to simply follow it and see where it takes us.

Sometimes this works out nicely.

It's now two years and hundreds of boards later, and the Whale Board still seems fresh.

Maybe part of its enduring appeal lies in the whale being such an iconic symbol for coastal communities like the Hamptons and the North Shore of Long Island.

What do you think? Tell us in the comments.

"The work reveals itself as you go. It tells you what it wants to be."

-Rick Rubin

The Whale Board in the wild. A fully-loaded charcuterie board on Long Island's East End by Hospitality Inc.

By Joe Ferrara, Founder, Sound Designs