From elaborate charcuterie boards to pop-ups at Blackwood Brothers, Amanda Wisth finds joy in cooking for others

When Amanda Wisth misses her mother most, she finds herself cooking. She lost her mother to breast cancer five years ago, and cooking and finding joy wherever she can is how she keeps her mother’s memory close.

Wisth was working as an esthetician when the pandemic hit. She couldn’t go to work, so the kitchen became her happy place, and sharing her cooking on social media kept her connected to others.

She kept at it even after she went back to work. Her charcuterie boards in particular got a lot of attention, and she started getting requests. In March 2021, she launched Lemonyay! Charcuterie + Catering.

Over the past two years, she’s been teaching charcuterie board classes and making them for others, along with doing private chef work and creating cocktail infusion kits and weekly meal prep packages. Now she’s expanding her reach a bit more, moving from operating out of her home in Shorewood to a commercial kitchen space in Bay View.

Her first pop-up dinner was in October at Blackwood Brothers Restaurant and Social Club, 3001 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Next up is a pop-up brunch at Blackwood Brothers on Nov. 12. Look for future Lemonyay! pop-up announcements on her Instagram page (instagram.com/lemonyayayay). Wisth also is a new chef instructor at Glorioso’s Appetito, 1011 E. Brady St., where she’s teaching several classes, including Surf 'n Turf on New Year’s Eve.

Loss and love led to a new path

When I was 13, my parents bought land in Allenton. My first job at 14 or 15 was washing dishes at a truck stop. I graduated to prep cook and line cook. It was fun, and it was truck stop food.

I’m also a licensed esthetician and graduate from Alverno. One of the best ways to get money fast for school was to tend bar. I put myself through beauty school, lived in New York and Seattle... During quarantine we had off from the spa for two months.

I lost my mom over five years ago to breast cancer. Everything I do is in light of her. How can I wake up every day with the joy she had? I just wanted my mom. Let me get to cooking. Let me get to sharing. Who doesn’t love fun food photos and recipes? I got creative with everything on hand. I was cooking and sharing daily from my Shorewood quarantine kitchen. Then we went back to work. I kept on cooking.

One day I shared a photo of a charcuterie board. People were, "Oh, can I order from you?" Then people asked for catering, then weekly meal prep. It was a series of saying yes that got me to where I am now.

Food is her love language

It is about bringing people together in a joyful way. It stems from my mom’s love of cooking for others. We share the same love language. She was a classic Midwestern mom. It was about having all of us together at the table. That was ingrained in me as a child. As I grew into adulthood, I loved hosting and parties. It was seeing how much my mom cared about others, and she showed it through cooking. That is part of my DNA.

The meaning behind Lemonyay!

She was officially named Lemonyay in March of 2021. Yes, Lemonyay is a she, and she officially became a business in 2021. The name is a play on lemonade. When life gives you lemons, make lemonyay. It is finding the joy in weird times.

The name also lends itself to a memory of my mom. I called her and I was upset about something, who knows what, well before she was ever sick. I’m telling her and building up this great story. Right before the ball drop she says, “I love lemons.” What? “I do, I love lemonade, lemon bars…” Yeah mom, citrus is cool. Before I could tell her what I was upset about, she was so consumed with lemons, she hung up! I started laughing. It wasn’t malicious. She wasn’t aware I was upset. Whatever I was upset about, that gently lifted. So when I thought about the name for the business, it was paying homage to my mom and finding joy. I always respond to people, "Yay!" I write it, I say it. So long story short, “I love lemons” is too long. So, Lemonyay. Squeeze the day, instead of seize the day.

Her approach to creating menus

People want to eat delicious, tasty and beautiful food. For me, it is about paying attention to things with layers of flavor and textures, a party of the senses when you eat.

Her one rule for creating a charcuterie board

Let go of any fear of it. Just have fun. Essentially it is a platter of all delicious things people will absolutely enjoy. It can be daunting. Especially when I teach classes, people will say, “I’m not creative.” Yes you are, you’re here! So let go of that fear. Look at ones that inspire you, and see how you can put your own spin on it.

Top tips for making a better board

I always try to put a fun holiday, fun spin on things, like cranberry cinnamon goat cheese for fall, maybe a coffee flavor, those things that provide more depth of flavor for fall and winter. In summer it is lots of lavender and honey or brighter, citrusy vibes.

Just be aware of what is available seasonally. Then stick to some basics. If you can do a really good cheddar, especially in Wisconsin, you can’t go wrong. I usually add Brie to mine, because it is a beautiful soft cheese, and generally milder in flavor that has tonality to it, but less in-your-face than some other French cheeses.

Find the things that aren’t intimidating. Find things that already resonate with people. If green grapes are in season, get them and do the grapes next to the cheddar. The oranges and greens pop. Make sure everything is not just the same monochromatic color scheme. We want pops of color, freshness and seasonality, so a good salami, a good cheddar. And we want texture variation, so nuts are always an option, dried fruits for chewiness, dark chocolate for that bitterness, some fresh fruits. People want to eat pretty food.

The most essential tool in her kitchen

The love I have for cooking. Seriously. That and maybe a really good knife. I have an array of Japanese knives that get me through.

Meal prep must-haves

We provide individual, pre-packed, cooked meals, macro-friendly. They are as organic as we can get them. It is a very grassroots ordering right now. We don’t have a website. I have a mailing list, and weekly I send out the menu. I have fresh-press juices, our spin on Lunchables, both lunch and breakfast, and six different individual meal options. All can be made family-style.

It is a weekly service, but you don’t have to order weekly. We have delivery and pick-up options. You can order as little or as much as you want, but we have a delivery minimum.

How she found her first pop-up dinner

I work out of the Blackwood Brothers’ commercial kitchen in the back. It is a restaurant and bar, and they were looking to rent out the kitchen a couple days per week.

We just did our first pop-up with our own menu out of the Blackwood Brothers space. They will happen again, just watch our Instagram for the next dates. We plan to do brunch on Nov. 12. We’ll see where it takes us. I’m not interested in having a full-blown restaurant, so the hope would be to do these around the city in a few different places.

What she wants you to know

There’s nothing that brings me greater joy than to make food for other people.

Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email clewis@journalsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Amanda Wisth of Lemonyay! finds joy in cooking for others