Ask someone from the Lower Peninsula where they live and there's a fair chance they'll hold up a hand and point to a spot on it. The mitten is the most recognizable shape in the state. It also looks good engraved on a board that comes out every day instead of sitting in a drawer.
Here's what our Michigan boards are, what they're good for, and which design to pick. They're all in our Michigan gifts collection.
What the board is
Every Michigan board starts from the same blank: solid bamboo, 17 by 5.25 inches, cut in the silhouette of a wine bottle. The design is laser engraved into one face, so there's no ink or paint to wear off. The engraving comes out in shades from brown to near black, so no two boards look exactly alike.
What it gets used for
It's long and narrow, which makes it a serving and light slicing board rather than a chopping block. In practice that covers most of what a board does on a normal day:
- Cheese and crackers when people come over
- Bread, sliced end to end
- Fruit or a quick lunch at the counter
- A drinks tray for carrying glasses out to the deck or the dock
The slim shape stands upright against a backsplash or slides into a cabinet, so it doesn't eat counter space.
Pick a design
The Michigan wine bottle cutting board comes in our Michigan state designs. If it's the mitten you're after, these put the state shape front and center:
- Classic Outline, a clean outline of the state
- Engraved State, the full shape filled in
- Michigan Script, the outline with the name in script
- Home Sweet Home, with the state shape standing in for the O
Classic Outline draws the whole state, Upper Peninsula included, so nobody north of the bridge gets left off the board. For a wedding or an anniversary, LOVE Stacked and Hand-Drawn Love lean more personal. Est. 1837 marks the year Michigan became a state.
The Detroit board
For a Detroiter, the Detroit skyline wine bottle cutting board swaps the state shape for the city: the Renaissance Center, the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit River, with the city name engraved beneath.
Keeping it in shape
A board that gets used daily needs a little care to last:
- Hand wash and towel dry. No dishwasher.
- Don't leave it soaking. Standing water is what warps a board.
- Oil it with food safe mineral oil when it starts to look pale or dry.
- Store it upright so air reaches both sides.
Make it a set
A board and a coaster set in the same design make an easy matched gift. The Michigan slate coaster set comes as a single coaster or a set of 4, 6 or 8, in slate with hand chiseled edges, round or square, in the same Michigan designs.
Made to order
Each board is engraved after you order and ships within 1 to 5 business days in a plain box, so wrap it yourself if it's a gift. See every board, coaster and ornament on the Michigan collection page.
