Edible Art

Holiday-themed charcuterie boards that taste as good as they look

603 Charcuterie in late 2020, she started with just filling small takeout orders. A year later she’s teaching weekly classes that keep getting sold out, and she recently expanded into catering larger boards and grazing tables for weddings.

603 Charcuterie of Derry. Courtesy photo.

“This business started because I have always loved making charcuterie boards … just for family parties, birthdays and events,” Zwart said. “It has blown up way more than I thought, and I’ve just been going, going, going, and continuing to add more things on.”

More than just throwing cured meats and cheeses on a platter, creating the most intricate charcuterie boards is all about finding those palates that complement one another. It’s a key part of what Zwart teaches in her classes and what other charcuterie businesses offer in their boards.

The upcoming holiday season is a great time of year to discover these flavor pairings. We spoke with New Hampshire restaurants, shops and charcuterie businesses for tips on how to construct holiday-themed boards that will stand out and taste just as delicious as they look.

Say cheese

Beyond a run-of-the-mill sharp cheddar or colby jack, cheeses varying in flavor, color and consistency will lend themselves to even more added pairings you can play with on your board.

“If you have a soft cheese then you’d want something sweet and fruity to go with it, like a sweet jam. A hard, mild cheese can go with a mustard or something spicy,” Zwart said. “For people who are afraid of venturing out to the fancier cheeses, a manchego or a smoked cheddar is great. Manchego is a cheese from Spain, and the taste of it is kind of like a sharp cheddar mixed with a hard Parmesan. In my classes I call it a gateway cheese, because it’s kind of like the next step.”

Erica Stanford of The Char 603, based in Kingston, said brie is a great choice of cheese if you’re looking to incorporate sweeter or fruitier flavors. Even fancier cheeses, like blueberry goat cheese or cranberry cinnamon goat cheese, take it a step further by adding a fun pop of color.

Granite Slates of Stratham. Courtesy photo.

“I think a lot of times when it comes to cheese, people like to stick to their cheddars or their pepper jacks,” she said, “but there are so many other cheeses that have so much good flavor that you wouldn’t even think about, and they also end up enhancing all the flavors on the board. … Another one that I love is a creamy Toscano cheese, and it’s with syrah, so it has a wine rind on it. It’s got a beautiful purple color and it also tastes amazing.”

With a round cheese like brie you can create themed cutouts in the center of the cheese wheel out of a small cookie cutter, which can then be filled with a sweet jam.

“You’d want to use a cookie cutter that’s smaller than the diameter of the brie, so it doesn’t cut off the edges, and then you’re cutting the whole top off so it’s like a flat cookie,” Zwart said. “Then you can just press your cutter into that top piece, put jam on your bottom piece and place the top part back over it without the little cutout. … Anything sweet and fruity works well. A fig jam is great, or a strawberry rhubarb or apricot jam. Even maple is good.”

When it comes to cured meats, you can stick with a simple genoa salami or soppressata, or go with prosciutto, a sweeter and saltier option that Zwart said goes well on a holiday board. Slices of salami can also be easily transformed into “roses” for additional aesthetic appeal.

“I call them ‘meat flowers,’” she said. “You roll up a slice nice and tight, and then you wrap another one tightly around it and then another and another, and then you start loosening up over time. You loosen them up and just keep wrapping them around, not too symmetrically.”

The Char 603 of Kingston. Charcuterie board in the shape of NH. Courtesy photo.

Additional accoutrements

An artfully crafted charcuterie board may start out with cheeses and salamis, but how you build it from here can really be about making it your own unique creation.

“You can play around with different combinations, and the options are endless,” said Melissa Hayden, co-owner of Granite Slates of Stratham. “Berries, dried fruits, honey and jams bring fresh and sweet flavors, and dark chocolates or cookies are great additions as well.”

For holiday boards, Stanford said, herbs like rosemary, sage or thyme can make great additions when used as garnishes. White chocolate-covered cranberries are also a favorite of hers.

“They are fantastic,” she said. “The great thing about them is that you’re getting the white and the red, but you’re also getting that sweet and slight sour kick.”

No matter the time of year, Zwart’s favorite ingredients to add to boards are pickled items, like kalamata olives and pepperoncinis. But you could even go with dilled green beans or asparagus.

“I think it’s very vegetably, very fall-looking, and would be great for Thanksgiving,” she said. “Grapes are always a good staple too. I feel like most people at gatherings, when they are eating charcuterie, a lot of them are drinking wine, so that’s self-explanatory. Depending on the kind of color scheme, if you’re trying to stick to fall colors, you can use red grapes.”

Another trick you can do is make a flower out of a kiwi fruit, taking a knife and cutting in small zigzag-shaped slices, or what Zwart said is similar to the mouth of a jack-o’-lantern.

As for crackers, Stanford recommends serving them on the side or away from anything moist or wet, like salami or goat cheese.

“One of the things I’ve been working with is using a cupcake liner and putting your crackers in that … and you can get holiday-themed ones too, so that’s an extra fun piece,” she said.

Hayden also said crackers ought to be served on the side, especially if you’re storing your board.

“While most of the ingredients … will remain fresh in the fridge for 24 hours, crackers will not,” she said. “They tend to get soggy and absorb the flavors of everything around them.”

Classes with 603 Charcuterie. Courtesy photo.

Charcuterie classes

If you want to learn some hands-on tricks (while sampling lots of cheese), you can take a charcuterie board-building class led by Theresa Zwart of 603 Charcuterie, based in Derry. She began offering classes at Creative Chef Kitchens this past February, but has since branched out to doing them at area wineries and breweries. Private classes can also be booked.

Participants are provided everything from the ingredients to the tools, right down to the wooden board itself, which can be taken home at the conclusion of each class. From start to finish, classes typically take around an hour and a half to two hours, and Zwart will often change up which types of cheeses, meats and other accoutrements are featured.

“During every class, I teach people how to make a salami rose and some sort of fruit flower,” Zwart said. “Then there’s different ways of arranging everything, and different ways of cutting hard cheeses versus soft cheeses. I’ll talk them through the pairings as well, so for example if you have a soft creamy cheese I’d say you’d want a sweet fruity flavor.”

Two beers or wines are usually factored into each class cost, depending on where it’s being held.

The feedback for her classes has been so great that Zwart said they repeatedly sell out, often with returning participants who then bring a new guest to try them.

“I think people like that it’s a different sort of date night idea or a thing to do,” she said. “It’s kind of similar to a paint night, but it’s even better because you get to eat the finished product.”

Here are a couple of 603 Charcuterie’s upcoming classes, but be sure to check back on their website and Facebook page, as more dates will be announced in the near future. Email [email protected] to register.

• Sunday, Dec. 5, at White Birch Brewing (460 Amherst St., Nashua), from 5 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $98.
• Tuesday, Dec. 14, at Rockingham Brewing Co. (1 Corporate Park Drive, Derry), from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $98.

Leave it to the pros

If you’d rather order and pick up a ready-to-eat charcuterie board for your next holiday gathering, several local eateries and other businesses have you covered.

Steven Freeman started pushing charcuterie boards when he took over ownership of Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop in Manchester in June 2020, but he was making them for decades before then. Each board at Angela’s is built less than 24 hours from when it’s picked up, featuring cheeses sliced in house, and you never know what other additions you might come across.

Local Baskit’s jarcuterie. Photo by Marcella Hoekstra of Tiny Screen Media.

“Fresh local honeycomb is the centerpiece of every one of our charcuterie boards, because the sweetness of the honey is a natural pairing for almost anything,” Freeman said. “What I love about selling charcuterie at the shop is that we get to expose our customers to a bunch of cheeses, or nuts, or fancy items that they wouldn’t have otherwise tried.”

Caperberries, for example, are tart fruits the size of the grapes that you’ll sometimes find. Freeman has also loaded up his boards with marcona almonds, flavored jams and jellies, amarena cherries, European orange peels, and even a special toffee variety he gets locally.

“We interview the customer and ask them what they want,” he said. “Some might say they want more cheese than meat, or they say they don’t want any stinky blues or runny triple creams … so we let them sort of define the parameters and then let us go wild.”

At Local Baskit in Concord, owner Beth Richards said she has begun offering small- and large-sized custom cheese and charcuterie boards, in addition to single-serve “jar-cuteries,” which feature a variety of sweet and savory items portioned individually in small mason jars.

“I’ve been doing the grazing boards for the last two holidays for our subscribers, and last year they really took off,” Richards said. “I saw the jarcuterie on the Today show like everybody else, and decided to make it a line sold year-round. … I think they’re really fun for a book club or some type of small gathering, or they can even be really cute for kids’ birthday parties.”

Fig & Olive out of Milford features four standard boards, each with distinct flavor profiles and cheeses, meats and other accoutrements to match, but owner Danielle Tedford has since introduced other themed options. The brunch board, for instance, consists of brie cheese, fresh fruit and prosciutto along with mini biscuits, a fruit jam and flavored bread slices, while holiday cocoa boards have included candy canes, marshmallows, chocolate chip cookies and more.

“I really love to putting the effort in to bring different flavors together that work, or things that maybe people don’t really think of that would go together,” Tedford said.

NH Bowl & Board. Courtesy photo.

All across the board

Some charcuterie businesses in the state even have local partners for their wooden boards.

Zwart, for instance, sources her boards from Souhegan Wood Design of Amherst, which you get to take home with you after completing a class with 603 Charcuterie. Owner Andy Pearl is a self-taught charcuterie board builder who said he started the business as a side job making one for his own wife. He makes a few different sizes out of maple, birch and cherry hardwood.

Erica Stanford of The Char 603 in Kingston similarly began a partnership with Fox + West, a woodworking company out of Danville, for her own hand-crafted boards.

In Contoocook, New Hampshire Bowl & Board is unique for not only making its own reversible boards — featuring a cutting and carving board on one side, a charcuterie serving board on the other — but also its own charcuterie-themed accessories, from smaller wooden trays to carry your olives or your nuts, to wooden honey dippers and cheese spreaders.

“I think every board should have a little companion with it,” owner Paul Silberman said. “We try to give people the ability to really make it their own. Much of it can be personalized.”

Where to get charcuterie boards, artisan cheese boards and platters

This list includes New Hampshire-based businesses offering custom charcuterie boards ahead of the holiday season, in addition to butcher shops offering meat and cheese platters and restaurants offering artisan cheese and charcuterie boards from their starter menus. Do you know of a local business offering charcuterie or cheese boards or platters that isn’t on this list? Let us know at [email protected].

• 603 Charcuterie (Derry, 603charcuterie.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram) offers charcuterie boards to go, sourcing nearly all of its items from New Hampshire providers. Owner and founder Theresa Zwart also regularly holds charcuterie board-building classes at area breweries and wineries and, as of last month, is now licensed to provide catering services to weddings and other larger events and parties. Special holiday-themed charcuterie boards are available to order for Thanksgiving and Christmas, for pickup at Creative Chef Kitchens (35 Manchester Road, Derry).

Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop of Manchester. Courtesy photo.

• 815 Cocktails & Provisions (815 Elm St., Manchester, 782-8086, 815nh.com) offers charcuterie boards on its starters menu, featuring hand-selected cured meats, cheeses and other accoutrements.

• 900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria (50 Dow St., Manchester, 641-0900, 900degrees.com) offers an artisanal cheese display with nuts and fresh fruit on its private dining and catering menu, featuring herb-crusted goat cheese, cubed grana padano, provolone, Italian fontina, Gorgonzola, and other soft and hard cheeses. The eatery’s dine-in appetizer menu also has cheese boards with the option to add cured meats like prosciutto, ham or salami.

• Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop (815 Chestnut St., Manchester, 625-9544, angelaspastaandcheese.com) takes orders for charcuterie boards, featuring freshly sliced cheeses, cured meats, and other items like nuts, dried fruits and more. Boards are usually available for pickup with a 24- to 48-hour ordering notice.

• Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) offers an artisan local cheese board on its dining room appetizer menu, featuring house-made baguettes, lavash, black pepper walnuts and local honey.

• The Birch on Elm (931 Elm St., Manchester, 782-5365, thebirchonelm.com) has a cheese and charcuterie option with a rotating selection of meats and cheeses, as well as grilled bread and house pickles and preserves.

• Brothers Butcher (8 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, 809-4180; 142 Lowell Road, Hudson, 577-1130; brothers-butcher.com) offers assorted deli platters featuring Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, available in medium (serves 15 to 20 people) and large (serves 25 to 30 people) sizes. Selections can include Genoa salami, hot capicola, prosciutto, honey ham, provolone cheese and more. Order as soon as possible for Thanksgiving — pickups will be available through Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m.

• Cask & Vine (1 E. Broadway, Derry, 965-3454, cask.life/cask-and-vine) offers “A Little Something to Nosh On,” featuring a selection of assorted cheeses, salami, dried fruit, hummus, dilly beans, crackers and pita chips.

• Celebrations Distinctive Catering (1017 Second St., Manchester, 888-401-3663, celebrationsmenu.com) offers a handcrafted charcuterie and tapas display (serves five people) featuring organic salmon, sous-vide Magret duck rillettes, prosciutto-wrapped dates stuffed with Gorgonzola and almonds, grilled assorted vegetables and more. Assorted cheese, fruit and vegetable platters (serves 10 people) are also available.

• The Char 603 (Kingston, char603.us, and on Facebook and Instagram @thechar603) offers a variety of themed charcuterie boards to go, available to order online with at least a few days advance notice with local pickups and deliveries.

• Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker, 428-3281, colbyhillinn.com) offers a local farmers’ cheese and charcuterie plate, which includes four local cheese and two charcuterie selections, plus house-made pickled vegetables, grilled bread, artisanal crackers, and other accoutrements like fig paste and honey.

• Concord Food Co-op (24 S. Main St., Concord, 225-6840, concordfoodcoop.coop) offers a cheese and cracker tray on its catering menu, featuring assorted domestic and imported cheeses that are served with candied pecans and dried cranberries.

• Copper Door Restaurant (15 Leavy Dr., Bedford, 488-2677; 41 S. Broadway, Salem, 458-2033; copperdoor.com) offers a charcuterie and cheese board on its starters menu, featuring hand-selected meats, cheeses and seasonal accompaniments.

• The Crown Tavern (99 Hanover St., Manchester, 218-3132, thecrownonhanover.com) offers a party platter on its starters menu, featuring soppressata, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella cheese, Vermont cheddar, feta, olives and wood oven focaccia.

Fig & Olive of Milford. Courtesy photo.

• Cured and Craved (Auburn, find them on Facebook and Instagram @curedandcraved) takes orders for charcuterie boards to go. The contents of each board may vary depending on availability but will typically include cured meats like prosciutto, salami and pepperoni, goat cheese, brie, sharp cheddar, Gouda and blue cheese, and additional items like Kalamata olives, nuts, and fruits like grapes, dates, kiwis or dragon fruit. Orders can be placed online through the Facebook page, with local pickups and deliveries available.

• Fig & Olive (Milford, figandolivenh.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @figandolive.nh) offers a variety of themed charcuterie boards to go. Selections include classic boards like “The Spicy,” “The Sweet,” “The Savory” and “The Smokey,” while owner Danielle Tedford has also done brunch boards and holiday cocoa boards. An advance ordering notice of at least five days is requested, to be placed online through the website. Boards can be picked up or delivered in Milford or surrounding areas.

• The Flying Butcher (124 Route 101A, Amherst, 598-6328, theflyingbutcher.com) offers deli platters featuring a variety of assorted meats and cheeses, including ham, roast beef, turkey, Genoa salami, and American, Swiss and provolone cheese. At least a week’s advance ordering notice is encouraged.

• The Foundry Restaurant (50 Commercial St., Manchester, 836-1925, foundrynh.com) offers local cheese and charcuterie plates on its starters menu, with the option to add house-made pickles or chef’s choice mixed nuts.

• Granite Slates (Stratham, graniteslates.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @graniteslates) offers charcuterie boards with hand-selected cheeses, meats, assorted crackers, seasonal fruits, nuts and more. Boards are available in three sizes (small, medium and large), with the most popular, the medium, serving four to six people. Ordering is done online, with pickup and delivery options within 25 miles of Stratham. Co-owners Sarah Thibodeau and Melissa Hayden currently have plans to open a retail charcuterie shop, where they hope to offer classes and provide seating to enjoy small boards with locally made baked goods, coffee and tea.

• Greenleaf (54 Nashua St., Milford, 213-5447, greenleafmilford.com) has a local cheese board on its starter menu, usually with other accoutrements like honeycomb, crostini or pickled cucumber.

• Hermit Woods Winery & Deli (72 Main St., Meredith, 253-7968, hermitwoods.com) offers a few charcuterie and cheese board options on its deli menu, featuring a variety of New England-sourced meats, cheeses and spreads that are served with crackers. Ingredients can also be packed individually for you to take home and create your own board with.

• Industry East Bar (28 Hanover St., Manchester, 232-6940, industryeastbar.com) has a charcuterie board on its starters menu that is available in small and large sizes, featuring an assortment of cured meats and cheeses, candied nuts, local honey, crostini, pickles, preserves and whole grain mustard.

• J&B Butcher (259 E. Main St., East Hampstead, 382-0999, jandbbutcher.com) offers a variety of Boar’s Head deli platters on its catering menu, like the Italian festival, featuring mortadella, salami, hot capicola, prosciutto and provolone cheese.

• LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst; 14 Route 111, Derry; 672-9898, labellewinerynh.com) offers an artisan cheese board on its holiday catering menu, featuring an assortment of artisanal local cheeses with dried fruit, nuts and The Winemaker’s Kitchen jam that’s served with crackers. Two sizes are available. The deadline has passed to place orders for Thanksgiving, but Christmas orders are now being accepted.

• Local Baskit (10 Ferry St., Concord, 219-0882, localbaskit.com) is now offering custom cheese and charcuterie boards, available for individual orders of small and large grazing platters, as well as individually portioned “jar-cuteries,” featuring sweet or savory items served up in small mason jars. Each order can be custom made with a 24-hour notice or less, depending on volume.

• McKinnon’s Market & Super Butcher Shop (236 N. Broadway, Salem, 894-6328; 2454 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 559-5714; mckinnonsmarkets.com) offers several types of cheese platters on its catering menu. The classic cheese platter, for instance, comes in 12- or 16-inch sizes and features hand-cut selections of cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack and colby jack cheeses, and is garnished with red and green seedless grapes and a port wine cheese ball with almonds.

• Moulton’s Kitchen & Market (10 Main St., Amherst, 673-2404, moultonsmarket.com) offers several types of snack platters on its catering menu, including a Calef’s cheese and cracker tray that’s available in small (serves six to eight people) and large (serves 12 to 15) sizes.

• Mr. Steer Meats (27 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 434-1444, mrsteermeats.com) offers a variety of meat and cheese platters to choose from, including the Italian festival, which features Genoa salami, capicola, mortadella, sopressata, pepperoni, your choice of two cheeses, and prosciutto as an added option. Platter orders require at least a 24-hour notice.

• Palette (Exeter, palettegrazeboards.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @palettegrazeboards) is a sister business of Laney & Lu in Exeter, offering several types of assorted boxes of artisanal cheeses, meats, crackers, fruit and more. They’re taking Thanksgiving orders now with a 48-hour advance notice. Orders must be placed by Nov. 22 for you to receive them by Thanksgiving Day. Free pickups can be made on Wednesday, Nov. 24, at Laney & Lu (26 Water St., Exeter), while deliveries can also be made within a 60-mile radius.

• Presto Craft Kitchen (168 Amory St., Manchester, 606-1252, prestocraftkitchen.com) is taking orders for charcuterie board platters for Thanksgiving, available in several sizes, including small (serves 6 to 10 people), medium (serves 12 to 18 people), large (serves 20 to 30 people) and mega (serves 50). Each board features an assortment of domestic and imported cheeses, along with Italian salumi, berries, crackers and breads. Order by Nov. 19. Pickups will be on Tuesday, Nov. 23, and Wednesday, Nov. 24.

• The Prime Butcher (201 Route 111, Hampstead, 329-7355; 58 Range Road, Windham, 893-2750; primebutcher.com) offers several platters on its catering menu, like a Boar’s Head meat and cheese platter with added garnishes, and an antipasto platter with Italian cold cuts and marinated vegetables.

• Revival Kitchen & Bar (11 Depot St., Concord, 715-5723, revivalkitchennh.com) has a New England-sourced cheese selection on its starters menu, which you can build by choosing add-ons like fennel salami, marcona almonds, marinated olives and more.

• Station 101 (193 Union Sq., Milford, 249-5416, station101nh.com) has a small selection of food items to go with its beer selections, including an assortment of cheeses, meats and crackers.

• TJ’s Deli & Catering (2 Pittsburgh Ave., Nashua, 883-7770, tjsdeliandcatering.com) has a variety of trays and platters on its catering menu, including a tray of assorted cheeses with pepperoni, and an Italian platter that has imported ham, Genoa salami, mortadella, pepperoni and provolone cheese, along with potato salad, pickles, olives and rolls.

• Tomahawk Butchery & Tavern (454 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 365-4960, tomahawktavern.com) offers charcuterie boards featuring four meats and four cheeses, along with bread, honey and bruschetta.

• The Town Cabin Deli & Pub (285 Old Candia Road, Candia, 483-4888, towncabin.com) offers several types of platters on its catering menu, like a cheese and cracker platter with the option to add meats, and an Italian platter available in two serving sizes, with imported mortadella, capicola, salami, pepperoni and provolone, served on greens with marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and kalamata olives

• The Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery (58 Route 27, Raymond, 244-2431, thetuckaway.com) offers several types of trays and platters on its catering menu, including assortments of meats and cheeses that are available in half tray (serves 15 people) and full tray (serves 25 people) sizes.

603 Charcuterie. Courtesy photo.

Brie cheese and jam cutout
Information courtesy of Theresa Zwart of 603 Charcuterie in Derry

• Choose a wheel of brie cheese with a diameter wider than your chosen cookie cutter.
• Choose a top side of the brie and carefully cut it off, about ¼ inch thick. You should have a wide circle base and a thin circle top.
• Use your cookie cutter to cut the shape in the middle of the thin top piece of your brie.
• Carefully remove your cookie cutter, keeping both the outside and the inside of the brie intact. Set aside the inside piece.
• Place a scoop of your choice of fruit jam in the center of your large base brie.
• Take your thin top piece of brie and place the intact outskirts back on the base (the jam is in the center and showing in the open shape). Gently “squish” the outside edges of your circle to the base to secure the jam in the center.
• Place the inside of the brie cut anywhere you want on your board and enjoy.

Featured photo: Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop in Manchester. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Brooke Danforth

Brooke Danforth

Dog groomer

Brooke Danforth is a dog groomer and owner of The Dirty Dog in Amherst.

Explain your job.

Anything that goes into grooming dogs: bath, blow dry, brush them out, do a haircut or trimming if it’s required, clip their nails and clean their ears. Then, I always take a picture of the dog at the end.

How long have you had this job?

I’ve been grooming for seven years, and I just opened my own business at the beginning of October.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I’ve always wanted to work with animals. … When I was 17 I got a job grooming, and due to unfortunate circumstances, [the business] lost a groomer, so I was kind of thrown right into it. I picked it up really fast. I was grooming completely by myself after about six months of working there. … Going into business on my own has always been something I’ve wanted to do. … I felt like it was finally the right time, so I did it.

What kind of education or training did you need?

There are no [training] requirements, but the company I used to work for would [participate in] grooming education classes, where we learned a lot about the different types of skin and coats that different dogs have and how shampoos affect them and things like that.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

I wear scrub pants and a grooming smock. For shoes, I have tried, like, 15 different types of shoes, and waterproof sneakers are the best.

How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?

Not much changed as far as the actual grooming [process], but we did stop allowing people who weren’t employees to come inside the building; we’d go out to their cars to get their dogs and take their payment. … The pandemic was actually good for us business-wise, because a lot of people were getting dogs. We were overwhelmed with the amount of clients we had.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

When you’re starting out in grooming, it can get very discouraging. You’re watching another groomer who has been doing it for years, and they make it look super easy, but then you go to do it and you’re like, ‘Ah! I just made a giant line in the dog.’ But you do get better. That’s why I always take pictures [of the dogs]; you can look back and see how much you’ve grown.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

When you say you’re a groomer, people instantly say, ‘Oh, you get to play with puppies all day long,’ and that’s only somewhat true. Yes, you get some really cute, really friendly dogs, but you also get dogs that hate you and just want to eat you. I’ve had really aggressive dogs that try to attack the clippers, and dogs that have bit me several times, but I actually enjoy grooming the difficult dogs; we just work through each issue and try to figure out what their triggers are.

What was the first job you ever had?

I’ve only ever worked with dogs. When I was 15 and a half, I started a job working as a kennel attendant, cleaning up after the dogs and feeding and watering the dogs.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

Some weeks will be amazing, business-wise, and some weeks will be slow. The first week I opened, I had 20-something dogs, which is insane. Then another week I only had 13. You just have to keep pushing through it, and it will always get busy again.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Marley and Me
Favorite movie: Bridesmaids
Favorite music: Country
Favorite food: Chocolate, brownies, cookies, cakes — all desserts
Favorite thing about NH: I love the constant change of the seasons, and I love that all of my family is here.

Featured photo: Brooke Danforth. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 21/11/18

Dear Donna,

I know this isn’t worth a dime, but any idea who made this? I found it last week while digging in my basement. It was probably buried some time in the 1920s. Had hoped to find more pieces, but this was it. Must have been pretty.

Benoît from Concord

Dear Benoît,

Your ironstone shard is very pretty. It’s not uncommon to find pottery shards (fragments of broken pieces) in older homes, mostly outside. That is where people would dispose of items from the home. There are collectors today who love digging for bottles and such on older properties.

Your fragment of ironstone is a transferware shard. This means the patterns were transferred onto the pieces. It’s tough to tell the maker by the prong marks; there were so many at the time. But it doesn’t particularly matter; you are right that there isn’t a value because it is just a piece. But it is a piece of the home’s history, and that is priceless!

Kiddie Pool 21/11/18

Family fun for the weekend

The Thanksgiving spirit

Get into the Thanksgiving spirit with a storytime and craft based on the 2003 book Grateful: A Story of Giving Thanks by John Bucchino, illustrated by Anna-Liisa Hakkarainen, at Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in Manchester; 836-6600, bookerymht.com) on Saturday, Nov. 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. RSVP-ing in advance (via the website) is encouraged.

See the trees

Not quite ready to put up your own holiday decorations? Check out the fully decorated trees at the 21st annual Fez-tival of Trees at the Bektash Shrine Center (189 Pembroke Road in Concord; nhshriners.org). The Fez-tival kicks off online this year on Friday, Nov. 19; in-person viewing starts Saturday, Nov. 20, at the center and runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m on Monday, Nov. 24; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23, through Saturday, Nov. 27 (closed for Thanksgiving); and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, with the drawing of the winners of the trees starting at 4 p.m. Sunday, according to the website. Admission costs $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and kids 12 and under get in free. Refreshments will be for sale in the Candy Cane Cafe. Visit with Santa Claus on weekends, according to the event’s Facebook.

Run for fun

As we enter the “turkey trot” season of road races, here are a few happening the weekend before Thanksgiving:

The Gobble Wobble 5-Miler, which benefits the American Legion Auxiliary Wesley Wyman Unit 16, will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Goffstown Parks and Recreation (155 S. Mast Road). Registration is $40 for ages 12 and up and $35 for runners under 12, with prices increasing after 9 a.m. on Nov. 19. The cost is $40 for the virtual option, with registration open through Nov. 27. See totalimagerunning.com.

The 23rd annual Novemberfest for Nashua Children’s Home will be held Sunday, Nov. 21, at 11:33 a.m. at Mine Falls Park in Nashua, near the Pine Street Extension entrance. The 4-mile race is followed by post-race fun at Martha’s Exchange (185 Main St., Nashua). Registration is $25 and closes on Nov. 19; see gatecity.org.

Find more races happening next week and through the rest of the year in last week’s story about road races. See hippopress.com to find the e-edition of the Nov. 11 issue; the story by Meghan Siegler starts on page 10.

Catch a show

As mentioned last week, Free Birds(PG, 2013), a Thanksgiving-themed animated movie about two turkeys trying to stay off the menu (featuring the voices of Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson) will screen as part of the “Little Lunch Date” series on Friday, Nov. 19, at Chunky’s Cinema Pub theaters in Manchester (707 Huse Road), Nashua (151 Coliseum Ave.) and Pelham (150 Bridge St.), starting at 11:30 a.m. Secure a seat by purchasing $5 food vouchers for attendees at chunkys.com, which said the lights will be only slightly dimmed for this kid-friendly screening.

• Kick off the holiday season with The Nutcracker presented by the Southern New Hampshire Dance Theatre at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Friday, Nov. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 21. Shows are Friday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 20, at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 21, at noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $46.

More than maples

Fall color is everywhere

New England is known worldwide for its fall color. People swarm here from all over, largely to see the color of our sugar maples. As a senior citizen I am legally entitled to drive around at 25 miles per hour, holding up traffic and enjoying every brilliant red tree I see. But I rarely do — I’m too busy in the garden, most of the time. But there is a lot more to see than maple trees.

For color I really enjoy the leaves of oaks and American beech. They hold on to their leaves much longer than the maples, often long into winter. Why is that? Probably because they have only migrated north after the last ice age, and where they came from — the American South — they did not have to drop leaves in the fall. That’s one theory I have read, anyway.

On sunny fall days the yellow leaves of beeches just glow. I enjoy them in the woods or alongside the road, but do not plant beeches or recommend them to others. There is a disease caused by the Neonectria fungus that is spread by scale insects. It mars their smooth gray bark and eventually kills the trees. So I advise enjoying them where you see them in the woods. Yes, there are systemic poisons you could apply to kill the scale insects and perhaps hold off the decline of an existing tree, but I don’t want poisons in my landscape.

Oaks vary considerably in their fall color. Deep reds, purples and browns are often mixed with reds depending on the locale, soil and species. Yellows and greens are often displayed on leaves, too.

One of the great features of oaks is their stamina: The “George Washington Oak” was only recently declared dead — at the age of 600 years. It grew in Bernards, N.J., and grew to have a trunk circumference of 18 feet and reach 100 feet tall. Oaks routinely live to be 300 years old if not abused by soil compaction and urban smog. Yet they are relatively fast growing when young: The pin oak can grow 12 to 15 feet in five to seven years.

Although I am tremendously keen on promoting native trees and shrubs, I do believe we can have a few imports, and one of my favorites for fall color is a large shrub called disanthus. It is listed as a Zone 5 plant, but I have had one in my Zone 4 garden for at least 10 years. Mine is now nearly 8 feet tall and wide. In the fall the leaves turn a brilliant purplish red, as good as or better than that dreaded invasive, burning bush, that was so popular before it was listed as an invasive. In October some years (but not every year) my disanthus bush has tiny pink-purple blossoms that you will only notice if looking for them. They come right out of the bark, without stems.

Witch hazel is one of the few native trees that flower in the fall. It is an understory tree that will grow in shade, partial shade or full sun. It has yellow fall foliage that pretty much obscures the yellow blossoms until leaf drop in October or November. Then the blossoms become prominent. The blossoms have four strap-like curly petals that are less than an inch across. Witch hazel usually has many, many blossoms.

Scientists have only recently discovered what pollinates witch hazel. Bees and other pollinators are no longer buzzing around when they bloom. But witch hazel produces nectar and brightly colored flowers to attract insects. No one knew what pollinated them until naturalist Bernd Heinrich discovered that it is the night-flying owlet moth. Apparently that moth can raise its temperature by 50 degrees by shivering. If only that would work for me!

The seven-son flower tree is another fall bloomer. It was imported from China in 1907, but sales never took off. It was reintroduced in 1980 and immediately became popular for its fast growth (I have seen stems grow 6 feet in a year) and fabulous shaggy bark in winter. Its mature height is said to be 25 feet, but I keep mine to 15 feet with pruning. It will grow in full sun or partial shade.

This year mine was still blooming in late October. The blossoms are small, white, lightly fragrant and appear in clusters of seven at the ends of branches. Later, if there is no frost, the sepals turn pink.

There is one other tree I grow that blooms in the fall each year, usually in September, and then only a few blossoms at a time. It is a magnolia, a hybrid called Jane, one of the Little Girl series. It blooms first in late spring, and then re-blooms once a month or so with a few fabulous deep pink 4-inch blossoms, with a light pink interior.

Jane grows in six hours of sun or more in moist, rich soils. The leaves are deep green and glossy, good enough to put in a vase. It is listed as a Zone 5 plant but does well in Zone 4 for me. Because it blooms in late spring, frosts in April do not affect it. It is a small tree, perhaps 15 feet tall, with a nice rounded shape.

Spring and summer will always be the best seasons for flowering trees, but I like to extend the seasons with trees that flower and look good well into winter.

Featured photo: Heptacodium blossoms are small, but lovely. Courtesy photo. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 21/11/18

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

“Fake News” by Rosemary Mack, featured in “The Dysfunction of Social Practice.” Courtesy photo.

• New art at the Mansion: The Kimball Jenkins Estate (266 N. Main St., Concord) will have an opening reception for two new exhibitions on Saturday, Nov. 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. “Salon 2021” is on view now in the Carolyn Jenkins Gallery in the Carriage House and features a curated collection of offbeat and experimental small works in a variety of media by regional artists with diverse studio practices and artistic approaches. “The Dysfunction of Social Practice,” which opens that Saturday, will be housed in the Jill C. Wilson Gallery in the Kimball Jenkins Mansion. A collaboration between Kimball Jenkins and Manchester art gallery Kelley Stelling Contemporary, the exhibition will feature paintings, sculpture and performance works by New Hampshire artists Zach Dewitt, Emmett Donlon, Rosemary Mack, Heather Morgan and Meghan Samson. The reception is free and open to the public, with masks requested. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with evening and weekend visits available by request. As part of the “The Dysfunction of Social Practice” exhibit, there will be an experiential dance performance presented in partnership with the New Hampshire Dance Collaborative at the mansion on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 5:30 p.m. featuring dancers Kelly Diamond, Alyssa Desruisseaux, Anthony Bounphakhom and Sallie Werst. The event will include catered hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Tickets cost $50 and are available on the Kimball Jenkins website. Attendees must be fully vaccinated. Visit kelleystellingcontemporary.com and kimballjenkins.com, or call 225-3932.

• Reimagined kids art: Local artist Curt McGill will be at the Weare Real Food Market (65 N. Stark Highway, Weare) on Friday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., doing his reimagined children’s drawings. Kids are invited to bring a piece of their original artwork to McGill, who will talk with them about their artistic vision, then create a new work of art inspired by their piece. Space may be limited, so RSVPs are encouraged. McGill is also available to do reimaginings remotely for families who are not able to attend that day. Visit realfoodmarkets.com or send an email to [email protected].

Reimagined children’s art by Curt McGill. Courtesy photo.

• Winter art classes: Art classes for teens and adults are starting up at Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester). The next five-week session begins on Nov. 29 and offers Pottery, Stained Glass, Intermediate Watercolor and Clay Hand Building. All classes meet for two hours each week. Call 232-5597 or visit 550arts.com for the full schedule and cost details.

• New York City artist exhibit: The Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester) has a special exhibition featuring the paintings and sculpture of New York City artist Emily Noelle Lambert on view now through Jan. 9. Lambert has shown her work nationally and internationally in solo exhibitions in New York City, Chicago and South Korea as well as a number of group exhibitions. “I love swimming in a kind of visual mystery of things between abstraction, landscape and figuration,” Lambert said of her work in a press release from Saint Anselm. “I search for interactions between materials, colors and forms and often switch things up to keep my curiosity fresh.” The exhibition was curated by Fine Arts Professor Kimberly Kersey-Asbury, with assistance from fine art students on the layout and installation process. Visitors must wear masks inside the gallery. Visit anselm.edu/dana-center-humanities or call 641-7700.

Van Gogh dance

The DanceWorks Movement Design Performance Company presents its fall performance of “Starry Night” at The Amato Center for The Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon Road, Milford) on Sunday, Nov. 21, with showtimes at 3 and 6 p.m. Performed under the artistic direction of Tanya Bosse, “Starry Night” is a visual representation of the life and works of Vincent Van Gogh as interpreted through dance. Tickets are for reserved seating and cost $30 for adults and $15 for children, students and seniors. They can be purchased at the door, but purchasing them online in advance is recommended. Visit buy.tututix.com/danceworksmovementdesign.

•​ Modern take on a classic tale: Peter Pan will run at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre (125 Bow St., Portsmouth) from Nov. 18 through Dec. 23, with showtimes on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. The classic tale will be performed with “a new treatment to modernize this magical piece of the Broadway canon,” according to the Seacoast Rep website. Tickets cost $32 to $50. Masks are required. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

Family first

The Majestic Theatre presents Over the River and Through the Woods at The Majestic Theatre Studios (880 Page St., Manchester), with showtimes on Friday, Nov. 19, and Saturday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. The play by Joe DiPietro follows the story of Nick, an Italian-American man from New Jersey who has been offered the job of his dreams in Seattle. Nick’s grandparents — both sets — with whom he shares dinner every Sunday, aren’t too keen on the idea of him moving, however, and the four of them hatch a scheme to keep him in New Jersey. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for seniors age 65 and up and youth age 17 and under. Call 669-7469 or visit majestictheatre.net.

ART

Exhibits

• JOAN L. DUNFEY EXHIBITION Features artwork in a variety of media by regional NHAA members and non-members that follows the theme “Portals.” On display at the New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth. Now through Nov. 28. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “WPA IN NH: PHILIP GUSTON AND MUSA MCKIM” Exhibit features a pair of 14-foot monumental murals painted by artist Philip Guston and poet and painter Musa McKim for the Federal forestry building in Laconia, New Hampshire, in 1941. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On view now through Dec. 5. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• “AROUND NEW HAMPSHIRE” On exhibit at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Visitor Center, 49 S. Main St., Concord, on view now through Dec. 16. Featuring the work of New Hampshire Art Association member Elaine Farmer, the exhibit features her oil paintings embodying New Hampshire’s iconic views and ideals, ranging from mountain lakes and birch tree woods to historic landmarks. Visit concordnhchamber.com or nhartassociation.org.

• “SLEIGHBELL STUDIO” Annual holiday showcase at Twiggs Gallery featuring a wide selection of fine art, jewelry, cards, books, honeys, soaps and more, all locally made and priced affordably for gift buying. Now through Dec. 18. 254 King St., Boscawen. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com or call 975-0015.

• “SMALL WORKS — BIG IMPACT” Creative Ventures Gallery presents its annual holiday exhibit in-person at the gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford) and virtually on the gallery’s website (creativeventuresfineart.com/product-category/small-works-show). The exhibit features non-juried small works of art in a variety of media and styles, created by area professional and nonprofessional artists, priced affordably for holiday gift buying. Now through Dec. 31. Visit creativeventuresfineart.com or call 672-2500.

• “BIG GIFTS IN SMALL PACKAGES” The Seacoast Artist Association’s annual holiday exhibit, featuring a variety of small works of art priced under $100 for gift buying. Now through Jan. 7. 130 Water St., Exeter. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit seacoastartist.org or call 778-8856.

• “AS PRECIOUS AS GOLD: CARPETS FROM THE ISLAMIC WORLD” Exhibit features 32 carpets dating from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On view now through Feb. 27, 2022. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• “1,000 CRANES FOR NASHUA” Featuring more than 1,000 origami paper cranes created by hundreds of Nashua-area kids, adults and families since April. On display now at The Atrium at St. Joseph Hospital, 172 Kinsley St., Nashua. Visit nashuasculpturesymposium.org.

• “NEW HAMPSHIRE NOW” A collaborative photography project presented by the New Hampshire Historical Society and the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists, on display in eight exhibitions at museums and historical societies across the state. Nearly 50 photographers participated in the project, taking more than 5,000 photos of New Hampshire people, places, culture and events from 2018 to 2020 to create a 21st-century portrait of life in the Granite State. Exhibition locations include Belknap Mill Society in Laconia; Colby-Sawyer College in New London; Portsmouth Historical Society; Historical Society of Cheshire County in Keene; the Manchester Historic Association; Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University; and the Tillotson Center in Colebrook; with the flagship exhibition at the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord. Visit newhampshirenow.org and nhhistory.org.

• GALLERY ART A new collection of art by more than 20 area artists on display now in-person and online. Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford). Call 672-2500 or visit creativeventuresfineart.com.

• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce present a year-round outdoor public art exhibit in Concord’s downtown featuring works by professional sculptors. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].

• “9/11” Exhibit features images of the September 11 attacks and the aftermath, taken by war photographer Jim Nachtwey. On view now. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

Tours

• NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

THEATER

Shows

• THE WEDDING SINGER Presented by The Peacock Players. Court Street Theatre (14 Court St., Nashua). Now through Nov. 21, with showtimes on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Visit peacockplayers.org.

•​ 9/12 New World Theatre presents. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Now through Nov. 21, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.

• THAT GOLDEN GIRLS SHOW: A PUPPET PARODY at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Sat., Nov. 20, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

• THE NUTCRACKER The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester) presents. Fri., Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 20, 11 a.m., 4 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.; and Sun., Nov. 21, noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets $39 to $46 for adults and $25 for children. Call 668-5588 or visit palacetheatre.org.

• DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Dec. 3 through Dec. 19. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.

• TRUE TALES LIVE Monthly showcase of storytellers. Held virtually via Zoom. Last Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., Now through December. Visit truetaleslivenh.org.

• SCENE CHANGES Produced by New World Theatre. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Jan. 7 through Jan. 23. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.

• MARY & ME Produced by Glass Dove Productions. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Jan. 28 through Feb. 13. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.

• LAST GAS Produced by the Community Players of Concord. Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord. Feb. 11 through Feb. 13. Tickets $18 for adults, $16 for ages 17 and under, $16 for ages 65 and up. Visit communityplayersofconcord.org.

• LIFESPAN OF A FACT Produced by Lend Me a Theater. The Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road, Concord). Feb. 18 through March 6. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.

Classical

• HOLIDAY BRASS Symphony NH performs holiday brass music. Sat., Nov. 27, 7:30 p.m. St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, 39 Chandler St., Nashua. Tickets range from $20 to $60 for adults, from $18 to $55 for seniors age 65+ and are free for children. Visit symphonynh.org.

• HOLIDAY POPS The New Hampshire Philharmonic performs holiday music. Sat., Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m., and Sun., Dec. 19, 2 p.m. Seifert Performing Arts Center, 44 Geremonty Drive, Salem. Tickets cost $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $8 for students. Visit nhphil.org.

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