Say Cheese, 30a

World traveler, business entrepreneur, and now charcuterie board connoisseur, Carly Council is making waves with her new small business, Graze30a, on Florida’s Emerald Coast.

But Graze30a offers more than a pretty platter; it is about Council’s goal of bringing friends and families together one charcuterie board at a time.

In three months of living in Seagrove, FL, Council successfully began delivering charcuterie platters and grazing boards to 30a during a worldwide pandemic. But for those who know Carly Council, her success is no surprise.

Council is a go-getter. Since graduating from the University of Georgia in 2015 with a Public Relations degree, Council has worked many different jobs ranging from a social media intern at Ogilvy to co-owning a cafe in Nicaragua.

She has traveled to ten different countries -- including Cambodia, Vietnam, and Australia -- and road-tripped across the U.S., all in the last five years.

“Failure is not an option for Carly. She makes mistakes, learns from them, and works hard for the result she envisions. Her constant love for God, family, and community is the driving force for all her endeavors,” said Joy Council, Council’s mother.

Inspired by the grazing tables she had while traveling abroad in Australia and New Zealand, Council wanted to carry that concept into her new company.

“I made the jump to start a small business in a new town during a worldwide pandemic, and despite everything, it’s flourishing.”

Council values the sharing aspect of charcuterie boards and its ability to bring people together.

“It goes back to the grassroots of how you’re supposed to come together around the dinner table and really enjoy each other’s company instead of just eating and running off to do the next thing.”

Council said she started doing graze boards and “playing around with things” while developing recipes and running her Nicaragua cafe back in 2017.

“We would do small, vegetarian/vegan boards for our catamarans trips.”

During this past summer, Council started a side business creating charcuterie boards for clients while working as a private swim coach in the Hamptons in New York. She became knowledgeable about the variety of flavors and quality of cheeses through a local cheese shop she frequented in Sag Harbour, New York, called Cavaniola’s Gourmet.

“It was in the Hampton’s that I learned how to price the boards and became cultured in the differences of cheeses. My next move was to bring it down here.”

Since opening in September 2020, Council has expanded Graze30a from creating sophisticated grazing boards and platters for events, parties, and picnics on the beach to hosting workshops, selling pre-packaged charcuterie boards at local stores, and partnering with other local businesses, such as Light Me Up Beach Bonfires.

Council also plans on selling handcrafted, custom stained wooden platters as an add-on to any charcuterie board purchased.

Her latest product offerings are “Chz Cakes” -- “cake” made up of different sized bries and decorated with fruits, nuts, and flowers -- and a Holiday DIY kit that serves six to eight people.

Council customizes each board to include everyone in the grazing, including vegans and those with dietary restrictions.

Due to Covid, Council takes certain precautions, such as serving biodegradable “small boats” made out of palm leaves that hold single-serving bites for non-sharing events, as well as making sure everything is sanitized and washed thoroughly.

“Everything that I use -- from the plywood for my boards to the wooden utensils and kitchenware -- is all compostable and sustainable.”

Each board provides an arrangement of artisan cheeses, meats, dried fruits, nuts and accouterments.

“I admire the way charcuterie boards highlight the beauty of food and each ingredient’s taste in its natural state.”

Council says she buys all her cheeses and cured meats through a locally sourced market in Seaside, Florida, and only uses organic fruits and vegetables purchased from local farmers’ markets, Whole Foods, or Fresh Market.

“Any opportunity that I have to partner with local businesses or support local businesses with items I’m putting on my board, I try to do that.”

This includes local honey by HoneyMed Honey, fresh baguettes from Black Bear Bread Co., a small cafe in Grayton, FL, and fresh smoked salmon dip from Destin Ice Market 30a. Council says she is always looking for ways to give back to the community. Over Thanksgiving, Council donated 15 percent of profits from Graze30a’s November sales towards Destiny’s Thanksgiving meal bags.

During December, Council is partnering with Live30a’s owner, John Jacoby, to donate 10 percent of Graze30a’s December profits towards giving Christmas gifts to the children at Butler Elementary.

“I have been quickly embraced by this community and am so blessed to have met so many different people that it is important to me to give back,” she said.

“The main focus of Graze30a has never been about the money. It’s about being able to provide a service for people and to support the community.”