We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah and Brookelyn Wingard and Avila and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah and Brookelyn, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
When we decided to pursue Eat Pray Charcuterie together, we took a budding friendship and turned it into a lifelong friendship/partnership that fuels the joy and creativity we are able to share with our clients today. When someone orders a board, books an event, or attends a charcuterie class; we want them to remember how much fun we have putting together boards and working alongside each other.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
One of the things that sets us apart is our pricing. We have made a big effort to always price our menu items to make them affordable for everyone to enjoy! We have come a long way from where we started, and it has been tough to overcome some challenges that come with busy weekends! But we have always put our heads together to create viable solutions to ensure that when a client places an order, they have a top notch experience.

One lesson we have learned along the way is that it is okay to have boundaries with clients. We used to accept a lot of last minute orders, and what we found was that it really impacted our ability to successfully complete a busy day. We hand craft every single board, and take a lot of time to ensure that the product our clients receive is of the highest quality. When we accept too many last minute orders, it affects our ability to plan which affects the execution of the product we are able to provide. Now we require a 48 hour notice for every order, and it has made a world of difference in the execution of our busier days!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We both live in The Heights, and we absolutely love it. We are actually neighbors so, outside of working together, we hang out a lot too. We do a lot of evening walks with my little family on the Heights Hike and Bike trail, there is a tortoise named Billy that lives at the intersection of Nicholson and 13th that we usually say hi to. She is 20 years old, and moves a lot faster than you would think! My favorite local place to grab a bite to eat is called Alma’s Latina. It is on shepherd and has the best mexican food and margaritas that you have ever put in your mouth! 10/10 recommend. Visiting our Natural Science museum is also a must. I have been told that we have more dinosaur fossils in our Houston Museum, than they have at the Smithsonian!

When Hannah is not out for a jog on the Hike and Bike trail, she loves grabbing brunch at The Travelers table. The restaurant concept is very unique, the owners have traveled all over the world and bring dishes and cuisines that they have experienced to Houstonian diners. You can also usually find her spinning at Cycle Bar. They really bring the heat! Houston also has a very wide variety of Farmers Markets, the evening MKT market in The Heights is her favorite. You can find Jane the Wild there, with her incredible selection of pies. She loves being able to support local businesses, and has led the effort to include items from local business on Eat Pray Charcuterie’s boards.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
One person that deserves a shout out is Hannah’s mom, Donna Wingard. My mom is one of the strongest, kindest, supportive, and intelligent people that I know. I would not be who I am today without her guidance, and support throughout my life. She is my rock, and my person and I am so grateful to be her daughter. Love you mom!

One person that we have to shout out is Brookelyn’s husband and our “logistics coordinator”, Pablo Avila. Honestly, I’ve been married to this guy for 5 years now, and I have done a lot of C-R-A-Z-Y entrepreneurial things during that short amount of time and, no matter what bumpy road I have decided to take us down, he has always been my biggest cheerleader. He helps us deliver boards when we’re busy, he makes last minute runs to the grocery store, he does a lot of taste testing (which I think he enjoys ;)), and he even helps us with our accounting because we suck at numbers. The guy is a freaking saint, and also the love of my life, so I think he’s pretty cool… even when he does manage to get on my nerves. 😉

Website: www.eatpraycharcuterie.com

Instagram: @eat.pray.charcuterie

Facebook: Eat Pray Charcuterie

Image Credits
@KelseyNicolePhotography

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