Wine. Charcuterie. Camden Harbor. Allison Warren built a business around all three.
At 30, Allison Warren has already spent 11 summers working in hospitality on the coast of Maine.
The Rockport native graduated from Camden Hills Regional High School in 2014 and went to work at Flatbread, where she eventually began helping with weddings and events. Charcuterie became part of the job. Before long, she was making boards for family and friends, too.
Then, in 2025, she noticed a space for rent on Main Street in Camden.
“I went and looked at it and was like, ‘I’m going to do this,’” Warren says. “I kind of just jumped in.”
Two months later, Camden Charcuterie was open.
Warren raised about $15,000 through Kickstarter, enough to help buy coolers, tables and chairs. She hired a small staff and got to work, while continuing to work three days a week at Flatbread.
“I work so hard,” she says. “I’d been doing things for other people for so long, and I just wanted to do my own thing.”
This May, Warren moved Camden Charcuterie to a new home on the wharf at Lyman-Morse, opening the doors May 1.
Today, customers can build their own charcuterie boards by choosing their meats, cheeses and accompaniments, then enjoy them overlooking Camden Harbor or take them along for a picnic or day on the water. Warren also offers sandwiches, salads, beer and wine, along with sweet and savory boards designed for sharing. One comes with marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers to make s’mores right at the table; another lets guests warm cheese over a small tabletop flame.
The new location has also found a natural connection to the water. Schooners and private boats order boards for their passengers, and Warren creates party platters and grazing tables for larger events. Last summer, Camden Charcuterie catered a wedding for 180 people. She also leads build-your-own charcuterie workshops and charcuterie paint-and-sip events for private groups, with regularly scheduled public events planned for fall and winter.
She sources locally when she can, including Maine cheeses from Pineland Farms and other producers, and even dogs get their own option: the Barkuterie Bar, stocked with Maine-made treats and dog-friendly fruits and vegetables.
For Warren, one of the best parts of owning a business on the wharf is considerably simpler.
“It’s nice to come to work,” she says. “When it’s slow, you can just take it all in.”
From her front door, that means the boats, the mountains and Camden Harbor stretched out in front of her.
Not a bad place to build something of your own.
photos: Aaron Snow
