02-25-2024 Harford Mag - Flipbook - Page 14
E AT S
BY MICHELLE DEAL-ZIMMERMAN Harford Magazine
Dana Berbenich, owner, holds a charcuterie tray in the dining area at The Grazing Room, which specializes in charcuterie, artisanal cheese and locally produced
goods. A variety of cheese, cured meats, fruit and preserved foods make up a tray, below. PHOTOS BY BARBARA HADDOCK TAYLOR
All aboard
The Grazing Room is a booming charcuterie business in Bel Air
When Dana Berbenich was growing up with a big Italian family on Long Island, New York, the gatherings were a food lover’s
dream.
“We always had a ton of food,” Berbenich remembers. “And
we always had antipasti boards that was like, you know, at every
event, the meat and the cheese and the pickled veggies and
whatnot. So I grew up around that. It wasn’t quite charcuterie,
but same concept.”
It was a concept that stuck with Berbenich, who toyed with
the idea of becoming a chef before her mom, Kathy, steered her
toward college, noting that long hours and a difficult work-life
balance lay ahead along the restaurant path.
Instead, Berbenich went to school and received a degree in
business management and began a career in corporate human
resources. With a successful albeit “super demanding” profession,
she turned to cooking as her passion and a way to release creative
energy.
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| Spring 2024 | harfordmagazine.com