CLEVELAND, Ohio – Katie Hogan’s creative side kind of pushed her into what has become a successful one-woman business.“I always wanted to own a small business; I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” Hogan said. “I wanted to work for myself.”“I watched them work, and I found myself in the kitchen even though I was supposed to be out front,” she said. “I thought, ‘I really want to do something like this, but I’m not a baker. I don’t cook as well as they could.
That was her impetus. She dove in, researching everything from boards to the legal aspects of the business.Then two months in, someone sent her a Pinterest photo of a grazing table and asked, “Can you do this?” Grazing tables are setting her business apart, she said, and orders are flying in. Her first Christmas she did 10 platters; this past one – 35.She’s part of a fast-growing trend, these displayed culinary boards that are limited only by the maker’s creativity. And when she goes out to restaurants she keeps an eye on what’s offered. Variety is pushing the popularity of charcuterie boards. In fact, in the past year, several cooking and food books have come out focusing solely on boards.