Meet Lauren Barker | Charcuterie Artist/Woodworker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Barker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
A quote that has really stuck with me over the years, especially when it comes to navigating my business, is “anything worth doing is worth doing badly”. I repeat this in my head like a pep talk whenever I’m about to experiment with a new idea or take on a new skill. As a perfectionist, I often set my bar so high that I find myself in a creative paralysis. This quote serves as a reminder for me that imperfection is part of the creative process and that even though it might not turn out the way I want it to on the first try, I should still do it anyway. Giving myself the space to just be bad at things is really how I’ve taken the most important leaps in my life and what has helped me grow as a charcuterie artist, woodworker, and small business owner.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Cheese Garden is really a passion project turned business that has grown over the past three years from offering custom designed charcuterie boards to now also offer grazing tables, woodworks, charcuterie cups, a cheese-pun inspired merch line, and charcuterie classes known as “Boarding School”. I think part of what makes Cheese Garden so unique is that it’s ever evolving. I’m constantly exploring new service offerings and products and I don’t give my business a specific box it needs to fit into. I think that’s really how Cheese Garden has grown to where it is today. I operate under a “let’s see if I can pull this off” mindset and accept creative challenges as they come my way. Like the time I made a Barbie themed birthday charcuterie or the time I created a geode inside a resin board. It definitely hasn’t been easy and there have been times that I have cursed the day I ever decided to file those LLC papers. But something I’ve learned throughout this entrepreneurial journey is that the biggest challenge I’ll ever face and best resource I’ll ever have is myself. When I doubt my abilities, neglect to make time for rest, or let fear of failure seep in, that’s when it becomes hard to keep this business going. I’ve learned that the best way I can take care of Cheese Garden is by taking care of myself. So something I’ve been mindful about implementing, especially after going full time this past May, is to be gentler on myself and let myself take time away to recharge. It’s really helped me have a healthier relationship with my business and has helped me see everything I’m doing with a clearer perspective. In a lot of ways, I’ve grown with Cheese Garden and I still center everything I do in this business around my passion for art and cheese.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love whenever I get a chance to play tour guide for someone around Cincinnati because it really is such a fascinating, unassumingly vibrant place, both in the city itself and the surrounding area. Any visit to Cincinnati of course has to include a stop in Over-the-Rhine (OTR), the historic arts district of downtown full of delicious local cuisine, thoughtfully designed bars, and stunning murals. I personally love taking people on a self-guided street art tour of OTR or popping by Findlay Market for a bite to eat and some casual shopping. On a nice night, I also highly recommend checking out a view of the city from Rhinegeist’s rooftop bar. Pretty much any weekend between Labor Day and Halloween, you can catch me at the Ohio Renaissance Festival, usually dressed as some variety of fairy. I highly recommend during a fall visit making time for a day trip full of live jousting tournaments, pirates in a pub singing sea shanties, characters in garb, and even a guy who insults you while you throw tomatoes at him. Lastly, I have to call out my favorite place in the city to buy cheese – Jungle Jim’s International Market. I’m there pretty much once a week, often sipping a glass of wine from the in-store bar while I browse the “Big Cheese” section for something new to try. The dedicated cheese area is divided by country of origin and features cheeses from so many artisan creameries. Between the eclectic decor, the giant animatronics weaved throughout the store, and the ever-growing selection of foods from all around the world, it really does feel like traversing a jungle when you’re in there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I might officially only be a one woman operation, but truly every aspect of Cheese Garden has been a team effort in some capacity. I started an Instagram account for my charcuterie because my former roommate encouraged me to one day after I made us a Game of Thrones themed cheese board. I turned my charcuterie hobby into a business because enough people believed in my art once I began sharing it that I believed I could go for it. I learned how to woodwork because my dad took the time to teach me how to use his power tools and helped me figure out how to pull off all my crazy resin ideas. I began to think bigger, plan ahead, and know the worth of my craft because my boyfriend took the time to help me flesh out long term business goals in a way I had never thought to do on my own. I continue to expand my reach because a couple friends have offered me their professional knowledge in social media marketing, an area of expertise I previously knew nothing about. I have had so many friends and family members willing to drop everything and save the day when I call with a cheese emergency, from last minute store runs to a mid-charcuterie class prosciutto delivery to driving all the way to a wedding venue just to deliver the cheese I forgot. Cheese Garden is a collage of everyone who has offered their advice, expertise, ideas, and support along the way and I am continuously grateful for every person who has been a part of shaping this business so far.

Website: www.thecheesegarden.com

Instagram: @cheese.garden

Other: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100058561542467