Paulina Hernandez got an unexpected plus from starting her own charcuterie board business three months ago: she got her name back.
“When I was little, everyone called me ‘Pauline’ instead of ‘Paulina,’” she said. “It drove me crazy because that is not who I am. I told one of my teachers, ‘I don’t want to be ‘Paulina’ anymore. I just want to be ‘Lina,’ which is what people have called me ever since.”
When she was casting about for a name for her business, her husband suggested that there was “no better time to reintroduce yourself.” She licensed her business as Paulina’s Charcuterie Boards, and when she opened her stand at the Hollister Farmer’s Market three months ago, she cried when she saw the banner emblazoned with her real name.
“I was so proud of it,” she said. “It said my name. I even took a picture of the place marker on the street that marked my space. To me, it says, ‘This is me. This is who I am and this is what I like to do.’”
Hernandez is a native of Mexico who has been living in Hollister for four years and has been a financial operations manager at Classic Vacations for 15 years. She began working from home when COVID hit, taking care of her three children while still supervising 36 employees, and the idea for her business grew from that situation.
“I needed a way to de-stress,” she said, “so I started cooking. But I had the urge to be artistic as well, so I started crafting charcuterie boards for people. I started posting them on Instagram, and people would ask if they could order them. And things took off from there.”
One of her first creations was her signature cheese ball; four kinds of soft cheese with parsley and a varying selection of seasonings.
“I am really a fan of bacon,” she said, “I’ve always thought, ‘If it doesn’t have bacon, it’s not good.’ I had these herbs and garlic for a cheese ball, and I just decided the whole thing needed to be rolled in a lot of bacon. So that was my kickoff.”
The cheese ball is her most popular offering, and the blend is also used as the base for other creations, including mixing it with sour cream for her stuffed sweet peppers. The smooth tanginess of the cheese compliments the bacon, and the slight heat from the pepper brings the appetizer together nicely.
Her second creation was a simple skewer made up of a slice of salami, a cube of habanero cheese, and a grape. It is an odd combination that works remarkably well: the saltiness of the salami and the heat of the cheese are tempered by the cool sweetness of the grape, leaving just a little burn at the back of your throat.
“I was a really picky eater when I was young,” she said. “I would take something I didn’t like, and I ask myself what I could do to offset what I didn’t like about it. For example, I did not like the taste of cold cheese. And when I put it with just salami, it is too salty. So I added some fruit, just picking a fruit I liked. And I noticed that if I put a lot of fruit onto the boards, the really picky eaters will always find something to grab.”
Hernandez says she uses local products whenever possible, looking for fresh ingredients and unusual products, like locally made habanero jam.
“I get most of the fruit from the Hollister farmer’s market,” she said. “And I look for things in some of the cool little shops around here and try to find things that might be cool on my board, like locally made preserves, olive oils, and vinegar.”
Design and flavor go hand in hand with the boards Hernandez makes, and the distinctive designs are as eye-catching as they are delicious.
“I like making art out of my food because it needs to be visually striking to stand out and be different from the others,” she said. “And I am always looking for balance—if the colors don’t match, it does not go on the board. I have seen a lot of charcuterie boards with great pairings, but for me, it needs to be beautiful and at the same time really yummy.”
The Charcuterie Boards of Paulina’s
The Kiddie Board – “I noticed when I put a lot of fruit on a board,” she said, “the saltiness and sweetness here is what attracts children. I go with mild cheeses, which seem to hit better with them. And I put some tang on there too, for the teenagers.” The board features Boursin garlic and herb cheese, spicy habanero jam, tangerine spread, cheese and sour cream stuffed peppers, gouda and Havarti cheeses, prosciutto, and a salami rose. “Roses are my thing,” she said, “and I will eventually try to make roses out of any food I use.”
The Halloween Board – The face of a mummy, a decorated wheel of brie, is surrounded by blueberries, grapes, melon, manchego cheese, and some hummus that has been piped into the shape of a rose. “Halloween is my favorite holiday ever, and I thought this was a pretty cute idea,” she said. “I normally go with sweets on Halloween, and I designed this one for my grandmother, who likes blueberries and the cucumber roses that I make. And there are melon bites with prosciutto, which my youngest child likes.”
The “Let’s Chill” Board – Hernandez changes up ingredients on her boards to fit customer tastes and what is in season. “The important thing is not to be directed by what you see on social media,” she said, “or use what is considered the normal ingredients. You want to fill the board with things that you and your customers like. I take what they love and incorporate it into the board.” This version of the board combines manchego and Swiss cheeses with pineapple, kiwi, berries, figs, blueberries, figs, cucumbers, and pistachios. And, of course, there is a beautifully crafted salami rose in the center of the arraignment.
The Large Board – “This one has a little bit of everything,” she said, which is almost an understatement. Besides the salami rose and one of her amazing cheese balls, there is a rose made from lemon slices, gelled guava slices, goat cheese balls, habanero and cheddar, brie, and salami and prosciutto wrapped together, along with fig jam and honey. “I look at this board as kind of like my canvas,” she said. “I lay out everything I like to eat on my counter and then figure out how to put it all together. I spread the sweet and sour things so they do not clash. I put it together and then break it apart several times until it looks appealing. It is a lot of work, but eventually, I get it figured out.”
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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