New Columbus business provides charcuterie boards and boxes for hot national trend
A new store specializing in charcuterie boards and boxes is providing Columbus with what is being called a hot menu trend by a national food organization.
Graze Craze opened its third Georgia location in Columbus a few months ago. Charcuterie boards are a “Top 3 hot menu trend” in 2023, according to the National Restaurant Association. The boards are part of a $950 million industry, according to Graze Craze, and it’s an industry that continues to grow as the boards become more popular.
Graze Craze offers four different styles of charcuterie boards and boxes in different sizes. Customers can opt for something as small as a cup or small board for an individual meal, or large boards that can be served at bigger parties or events.
A charcuterie board is a spread of different cured meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables, said Veronica Hutchinson, franchise owner of Graze Craze along with her husband, Terry.
“We make our own in-house hummus and dips,” she said. “And we bake our own bread.”
The store caters for a variety of events including weddings, birthday parties, corporate events or family get-togethers. Veronica hopes that when Graze Craze’s boards are laid out at an event, all the attendees will be able to get everything they want to eat off of it as they celebrate.
“It’s not catered to just one or two people,” she said. “There’s something for everyone.”
Having something for everyone is a priority for Veronica, who is a vegetarian. Graze Craze’s ability to customize the boards helps make it a good option for others who have dietary restrictions and want a different experience when eating out.
“I think it’s great that we can provide something that’s easy for people to get,” Veronica said. “(It’s) a healthy option. It’s not something that crazy, or going to make you feel bloated or gross afterwards. It’s a good, refreshing meal.”
Bringing the franchise to Columbus
Graze Craze was founded in 2018 by U.S. Air Force veteran Kerry Sylvester who had experience working in the food industry. Sylvester watched the popular charcuterie board trend grow, and decided to establish Graze Craze as an alternative to traditional eateries.
Terry and Veronica have been entrepreneurs in Columbus for over 20 years owning and operating Indoor Solutions, a heating and air company.
“(Terry) mostly runs that,” Veronica said. “So, we were looking for a small business (for me) to get into, and we found Graze Craze.”
They opened the Columbus location about four months ago, she said, and business has started off well. Working with other people in the community has been a rewarding part of doing business in Columbus, Terry said.
“All the businesses around town support each other,” he said. “(We) help everybody grow and back each other up as far as supplies or people.”
Some of their biggest challenges in opening Graze Craze was learning a new type of business, Terry said. While they’d had fun making boards at home before, learning about how to place the colorful items on the boards to make them look visually appealing was only one of the things they had to learn when starting Graze Craze.
“There’s just a big difference between Indoor Solutions, which we’ve been doing for 20 years, and this.” Terry said. “It’s a big learning curve. We had to reevaluate how we ran a business. It’s just different, but it’s gone pretty well.”
The couple hopes that people in Columbus will give Graze Craze a chance, Terry said, and enjoy their concierge-like service.
“The Graze Craze motto is ‘Celebrate Everything,’” Veronica said. “So, we just want to be here to help everyone celebrate everything. Whether it’s the small moments in life or the big moments in life.”
This story was originally published April 10, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
