Judging by the table, you’re industry so I will give you my thoughts as such. I’ve been chefin’ it up for 15 years, not the most, but maybe my experience can help.
First of all, I think you’ve got a knack for composition and the artisty part of things. That seems to be something your either born with, or you do enough hallucinogents to aquire. Sadly, this is my weakness.
So this is what my experience says, and I’m curious how others feel about my ideas. Charcuterie is classy, so lose the nachos. Mostly because it’s difficult to eat cleany, but also because nachos are difficult to get to table looking fresh.
I think the shrimp is a cool idea I haven’t seen. I would slice it on a long thin bias though to remain consistent with the other meats. And your bread looks raw. Toast it low and slow more like your dehydrating it and make sure to hit it with some oil or some kind of fat.
Also, don’t be shy. You’re portions should look abundant. These sorts of boards are meant to be a celebration. You can see the board between the cornichins so just pile more in there. Same with the bowl of your olives. It doesn’t need to be mounding, but fill that bowl up. You did this with the meat, so just carry that one throughout the board.
Finally, everything on your dish should be edible, so trim the flowers off of the basil. Usually, if your plant has “gone the seed”, meaning it has flowered, then you’ve waited too long for consumption. When a plant flowers, it has shifted it’s energies away from gathering sunlight(in the leaves where that flavor is) and into self preservation good by way of pollen in the flowers. So they aren’t as tasty. For example, brocolini: Pick the ones that don’t have the yellow flowers opening up.
I suspect there may be people who disagree with my last idea. Today’s tastes seem to be shifting more to the ascetic for the sake of it. Which is cool too! Progress is constantly happening, but there is romance in tradition as well.
Those are some good points, though some are impossible for me to change, since I’m bound by what my chef wants for the most part.
A bit of en explanation for the board; charcuterie board might not be the best name for it, but that’s what Google translate gave me. Another user in the comments called it a “snack board” which is probably is better name for it. It’s meant as a 2 person sharing platter for folks on our terrace.
The nachos are a new (and good selling item) on the menu that my chef wants on there in order to promote it a bit more.
Your point about everything being edible, those basil tops are still perfectly edible, but even if we where to use something else, say salad pea or some other cress, people won’t be eating it anyway. So we decide to go for looks over taste.
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