Mother-and-daughter entrepreneurs Kelly and Alessandra Daniele are bringing their love for charcuterie to the masses with their new Lakeland-based concept Chicks N Cheese.
Operated out of Kelly Daniele’s home, the business sells creative, colorful arrangements of tasty meats, cheese, fruit and veggies, along with candies, nuts, olives, pretzels, crackers, flowers and other delicacies. She calls the charcuterie boards “kind of my love language.” The mother designs most of the arrangements, while her daughter handles social media and other day-to-day responsibilities.
“Literally one day we decided to just throw it out here and see if other people enjoy it as much as we do,” said Kelly, who has lived in Lakeland more than 20 years.
The term “charcuterie” originated in France in the 15th century to describe practices in pork butcher shops to process meat by grinding, sealing, and salt curing so the meat would last longer. Charcuterie boards with other foods to accompany the meats grew out of that, and different varieties of the concept have grown in popularity around the world.
She describes their product as easy, portable yet elegant food for special occasions like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries or even outdoor concerts and tailgating at sports events.
The hand-crafted boards and trays are perfect for social events. Smaller sizes are served on biodegradable, disposable bamboo boards while larger sizes come on wooden trays.
“I have found that with the trays it’s even more fun because it’s a bigger canvas to create,” Daniele said. “As time has progressed, I’ve learned what works better looks-wise and taste-wise.”
Alessandra lived in Los Angeles and studied fashion design at Long Beach City College until the school closed due to the pandemic. She moved back home and became a partner in the new business.
“We’ve realized that we’re extremely compatible as business partners, and it’s just naturally developed into something that’s become so successful,” the daughter said.
Although her move back to the Memphis area was initially temporary, the growth of Chicks N Cheese changed her plans.
“For something that was so minor in our heads when we created it, we didn’t really envision it to have grown so much into what it is now,” Alessandra said. “My hope is that it can keep growing in the best way, we can build a team of people, and it can just keep going and going.”
Kelly’s husband and Alessandra’s father, Antonio, owns two of Milano’s Pizza locations (in Millington and Covington), and Kelly’s involvement in the business helped her obtaining a food handling certification.
“I’ve helped my husband with Milano’s, so I’ve seen that business come up. And when he branched out to his own stores, I was there for that. So entrepreneurial ways have always been in our house,” Kelly said.
If Chicks N Cheese expands, the mother-daughter team might open their own storefront or work out of one of the Milano’s locations for commercial kitchen use.
“Lakeland is home to several unique businesses that have been derived from talented entrepreneurs doing what they love and what they are good at,” Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Brittney Buchanan said. “Chicks N Cheese is one of those businesses that creates a product you can’t find sitting on a retail store shelf.”
This year Chicks N Cheese has also participated in pop-up shops, including at Stock & Belle on South Main Street in Downtown Memphis. Their next pop-up will be at The Nutrition Spot in Lakeland on October 30.