TikTok’s ‘Board Events’ Might Have Reached Their Apex

One after the other, 10 grinning individuals stroll right into a room, elbows bent and forearms outstretched as they curtsy barely to indicate the digicam what they’re carrying. The primary is holding a board laden with potato-and-pastry-based beige treats; the second seems with a board stuffed with scattered chips and some jars of dip. The third particular person can also be holding a board—this time that includes slices of pizza.

The fourth particular person’s board has wings, the seventh’s is an artfully organized rainbow of sweet, and the ninth’s has probably the most recognizable board fodder: meat and cheese. This can be a TikTok of 21-year-old Rayann Prophet’s “board night time,” often known as a “deliver a board” night time—which is precisely what it seems like.

Removed from a flop period, boards are arguably of their imperial section after serving for hundreds of years as a steadfast flat floor for meals. In September, the web exploded when meals blogger Justine Doiron confirmed off one thing known as a “butter board.” It was a slathering of dairy throughout a slab of wooden that resulted in 8.6 million TikTok views, protection in The New York Instances, and a bonafide backlash (comic Chelsea Peretti begged “no extra butter boards” on Twitter). However one factor the protection missed was that this goes far past butter. Boards have been having their second—and social media is in charge.

The “deliver a board” development began on TikTok round Thanksgiving in 2021 and hit large peaks of recognition this 12 months. The premise is straightforward: Every pal brings a board laden with a special deal with and everybody tucks in. Crucially, the boards are eliminated out of your traditional charcuterie—one among Prophet’s mates introduced a McDonald’s board piled with nuggets and fries. “It’s like the brand new potluck,” says the Ontario-based pupil, whose board night time TikTok earned 6 million views and 1.2 million likes.

Why boards, and why now? Instagram birthed the grazing desk development in 2018, and the plateless yards of overlapping snacks grew to become so fashionable that celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Tom Hardy received their graze on. “Charcuterie influencers” then rose to prominence in 2020 with clever, decadent deli spreads. Over the previous couple of years, the development has seemingly trickled down, probably as a result of boards are accessible and transportable and subsequently TikTok-able (the app surpassed Instagram for Gen Z utilization in 2021). Not like a static desk, a board could be carried and introduced, making for a extra attention-grabbing video.

“An element that’s driving the recognition of boards is the truth that they’re visually spectacular—i.e. good social media fodder—however they don’t require ‘cheffy’ expertise to make,” says meals knowledgeable Shokofeh Hejazi, head of perception at developments company The Meals Individuals. Publish-lockdown, Hejazi says, persons are excited to share meals once more whereas additionally searching for “stress-free methods to host,” making boards ultimate.

“They’re a clean canvas for culinary creativity—there aren’t any guidelines on methods to make them, they usually don’t have to look ‘good,’ which makes them a enjoyable exercise for each host and friends,” she says.