02-25-2024 Harford Mag - Flipbook - Page 15
When COVID-19 hit, she and her husband,
Joe, had just relocated to Bel Air from New
York to join good friends who had settled in
the area, and Berbenich, 36, said she had yet to
make strong connections to the community.
Since she had an employer that allowed her
to work from home, Berbenich started posting
images of food she had prepared, cooking
videos and recipes on social media.
“I’d post like pictures of my finished like
products and recipes and some of the things
I would post would be charcuterie boards.
And those were the ones that got like all the
attention,” she said.
“I would get … 10 likes on something and
then I’d get 150 likes on a charcuterie board.”
The popularity of the charcuterie posts
led to people asking her to make them for
parties and dinners. Her family encouraged
her to keep going with an enterprise that was
bringing joy to Berbenich during a time that
was stressful for everyone.
“It was like a creative outlet for me. And,
you know, I thought I wasn’t too bad at it,” Berbenich said. “It was just really awesome to see
how much reach I could have … and the way
the community was turning out [and] showing
up for me.”
From that strong start, she launched Boards
by Dana, an online website where customers
could place orders. Soon she had so many
clients she needed a larger kitchen space, and
she found one in nearby Joppatowne. It was
around then that Berbenich decided to leave
her job to pursue making charcuterie boards
full time.
“The business just kept growing and growing. And I would have to hire people and bring
them on for busy weekends,” Berbenich said.
“It was just getting to the point where even
with my rented commercial kitchen space,
I still had all my supplies overflowing in my
garage and my basement and my dining room.”
So a little more than two years after starting
her online business, Berbenich opened The
Grazing Room, a brick-and-mortar location in
Bel Air last October.
The 2,100-square-foot space was previously
a children’s art studio, so it underwent a complete renovation to create a restaurant/cafe
with a retail storefront. Berbenich said she has
hired a full team, including charcuterie artists
and instructors.
The Grazing Room offers charcuterie boxes
and boards that can be taken home or enjoyed
on site. Customers can also take classes on
how to make their own and purchase supplies
to create them at home. In addition, appetizers, sandwiches and salads are available.
Berbenich also offers catering and says
charcuterie boards that feed 30-40 people are
a “sweet spot.” The boards include a variety
of salami roses, meats, different types of
cheeses, fresh and dried fruits, breads, crackers, spreads, chocolate, nuts and many more
options.
“The beauty of a charcuterie board is
that there’s something for everyone on it,”
Berbenich said. “It’s something where you set
it down. And if you have guests that maybe
don’t love cheese … there’s still so many other
items.”
“The other piece is just the excitement
about like different flavor combinations that
you can create on a board,” she said. “Like every time you go back you can have a completely different experience.”
The Grazing Room at Boards by Dana
15 E. Churchville Road, Suite #109, Bel Air,
boardsbydana.com
57th Annual
Bel Air Festival for the Arts
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Sponsored by the Bel Air Recreation Committee
Sponsored by
Rain or Shine
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM • Location: Shamrock Park, Bel Air
Photography by Shawn Slater
harfordmagazine.com | Spring 2024 |
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