It had to be fate: I’d just gotten a book on how to create charcuterie when an invite from Graze Craze hit my inbox.
Graze Craze, which had its opening on March 19, is a new franchise in Evans serving up charcuterie boards and boxes. And who doesn’t love charcuterie? It’s hugely popular, showcasing a gorgeous array of fruits, cheeses, breads, crackers, sliced meats, jams, dips and other condiments, artfully displayed on a board. It’s also a treat, both for you and any guests, who are sure to ooh and aah.
As a company, Graze Craze was founded in 2018 by an Air Force veteran and a mom with experience in private, corporate and government sectors who noticed the trend to the “graze” style of eating — snacking on little bites throughout the day or as a meal. Augusta franchise owners Cheryl and Clint Hardy have a similar story — both have decades working at Savannah River Site, Cheryl in IT and cyber for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and Clint in construction management for SRS (and later in property acquisition for Columbia County).
Cheryl’s nickname is Hardy’s Party in a Bag — “If there’s something to celebrate, I’m always there,” she says. And like Graze Craze’s founder, both were looking for their “next thing” — especially since they were thinking of retiring. Opening a small business is something Cheryl has always wanted to do, and when she happened upon a Graze Craze while on vacation in Key West, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Cheryl had already planned to build a huge charcuterie board herself to welcome friends and family arriving that day for vacation. But when she stepped inside, “The people were just so friendly and asked us what are you looking for. We told them how many people and any allergies — they were very specific to any vegetarians, no pork, any nut allergies. I was really impressed with how personable they were. We ordered a large board and I said, ‘So, what time should we pick it up?’ And they said, ‘No worries, we deliver.’ … Two hours later, they were knocking on the condo, delivering the board, and honestly it was the most beautiful piece, it was almost like artwork. … And everybody that came in just had rave reviews.”
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Social media tends to know what you’re thinking about, so after a few weeks of seeing links about opening a Graze Craze franchise, Cheryl clicked on one. After visiting the Buckhead location and the corporate office in West Palm Beach, she and Clint were both in. The papers were signed right after Hurricane Helene hit, with the Graze Craze rep climbing over fallen trees to make it to their home.
Located in a small shopping center on Evans to Locks Road, Augusta’s Graze Craze is a 1,200-square-foot space featuring a small table inside—with room for more outdoors. The highlight though is the gleaming stainless steel prep kitchen, visible through two large glass windows. It’s where Cheryl, Clint and daughter-in-law Brooke all work together to create every box and board for their customers.
Part of the franchise agreement includes two weeks of intense training, including how to build the boards. For Cheryl, with her eye for design and flair for a party, “It’s like having art class.”
The boards feature all Boars Heads meats and cheeses — varieties often not available in a regular grocery store. Cheryl and her team also prepare the breads, jams and dips in-house daily — and the recipes are secret. The chocolates are made exclusively for Graze Craze by a small factory in Oklahoma owned by the Chickasaw Nation, Bedré Fine Chocolate.
Multiple sizes are available, from grab and gos like the Char-Cutie-Cup—which includes a starch, meat, cheese, and fruit and veggie as a snack for one person—to the Large Board, which serves up to 20 and is available as Graze Craze’s signature board, or you can choose vegetarian, keto, desserts, brunch or just fruit, veggies and cheese. All boards can also be customized or upgraded — think truffle goat cheese, bourbon salami or beet hummus. Or, you can add a bread box, bread and cracker box, or gourmet pickle box. (While in store, I tried the horseradish pickle — it had a terrific zing that was also smooth and was super crisp.)
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The storefront also offers seasonal boards, such as the Game Day board for tailgating, and is planning future holiday and Masters boards. It already is partnering with Augusta Aviation to serve charcuterie after its sunset flights and is looking for other ways to put a local spin on its offerings, whether that’s other partnerships or even including local items on its boards.
Note: When ordering online, you can add specifics in the notes section or just call. Or, stop in to talk to the owners about an order or to pick up your board, but remember, delivery is free.
I got the unique opportunity to take home and taste a board specially curated for me. My daughter and I spread a cloth on the floor for an impromptu indoor picnic. The box has a clear plastic lid, but I also appreciated that it was shrink-wrapped so that everything stayed in place. It also came with a set of cutlery, a small plate, and small serving spoons, all made of recyclable bamboo. And of course there was Graze Craze’s signature handwritten note; mine said, “It’s a great day no matter how you slice it. Enjoy!”
With our dog sniffing interestedly next to us, I first sampled a slice of the housemade French bread, topped with a curl of paper-thin prosciutto. The bread had a bit of honey drizzled on it, which was fantastic with the buttery and salty dry-cured ham. Even my daughter, who usually isn’t a fan of lunchmeats, tasted it and pronounced it “very good.”
Next, I chose a plain white large rectangular cracker, the perfect neutral base for the fold of salami and a bite of Carmella cheese. The Genoa salami had a pleasant rasp to it, which was excellent with the smoky gouda cheese.
I popped in a couple of bites of three-pepper cheese — it’s a colby jack, flecked with red peppers. It leaves a smoky trail down your throat, a pleasant afterburn.
The dips on my board were the signature hummus, which was so flavorful and fresh — I could really taste the garlic and lemon and the nuttiness. I also loved the dill in the lemon dill mayo. But my favorite had to be the everything bagel dip, which mixes the seasoning with cream cheese. I put it on the crackers, dipped my carrots in it, and filled my yellow peppers with it — it was so smooth and creamy with an added bite from all those salty flavors.
My tasting even included a small slice of lovely smooth brie topped with toasted pistachios — I paired that with the house made raspberry jam, which was really packed with fresh fruit flavor. It was sweet but not cloying like some jams can be — it’s amazing the big difference you can taste with freshly made jam.
In fact, everything was so fresh — from meats and cheeses to the vegetables to the plump green grapes and blueberries and blackberries. My daughter’s absolute favorite though was that chocolate. It’s dark, but still tastes creamy and smooth, with pops of flavor from the dried cranberries and pistachios in it. (Fortunately, I managed to save a couple of squares for myself!)
My box was about the size of the Lone Grazer, which is meant to be a meal for one, but for my daughter and I, it was a very hearty snack. My husband also happened to come home and enjoyed some as an appetizer. And I still had enough left the next day to snack on as I was working on my computer.
During our conversation, Cheryl also told me, “My motto is, ‘Celebrate Everything.’” With Graze Craze, you can.
Make Your Reservation
Graze Craze
4118 Evans to Locks Rd.
Cost: From $9 for a snack for one to $185 for a large board for 20
A few other local charcuterie shops
Blooms, Boards & More
231 Fury’s Ferry Road, Suite 204
Board in Aiken
6160 Woodside Executive Ct., Aiken
Riverside Boards
North Augusta
www.facebook.com/riversidecharcuterie
Quterie Boards
Grovetown
