Meet Shelby Jonse | Wander + Graze

 @wanderandgraze

Tell us a bit about your back story leading to owning Wander + Graze? What was in the inspo for the name?

My name is Shelby Jonse and I started Wander + Graze 2019 as a fun side hustle that became WAY more than a side hustle. We initially focused on business catering and then quickly pivoted to smaller events and date boxes at the beginning of the Pandemic. About a year ago our corporate catering started coming back and our business exploded. We now have a team of 5 employees and our own storefront after only 3 years of being in business. It’s incredible!
When I started I wanted to find a fun name that felt like it represented Denver and the idea of grazing. By nature grazing tables are a unique way to have food at a party. People are often milling around and coming back to the table to multiple times to find new things. So Wander + Graze felt like a fitting name. 

What makes your boards unique? Your Environmental Consciousness when it comes to your boards? 

I think our boards are colorful and a little different from others for a few reasons. We arrnage our boards differently, we love to use fun seasonal fruits and we also have a fun assortment of edible flowers and herbs that we use for garnish. May thru October most of those flowers we even grow in our own garden! We are also very enviromentally concious. We never use any single use plastic, we use all recyclable, reusable or compostable materials in our packaging and serveware. And as you can imagine we create a lot of compost while we work and since we have yet to find a commercial composting company in Denver that currently looks like us hauling big bins full scraps home to put in our peronal compost. 😂

What are some of your most popular boards? What makes the Rainbow Board special?

Our most popular board is our Charcuterie board, but our FAVORITE board to make is the Rainbow board. We created them for Pride in 2019, but they were so fun we decided to keep them around year round. They are pretty popular, and the whole team loves making them. We have seen many people attempt rainbow grazing boards, but honestly, we think we’re the best at them. Also if you ever order a rainbow board with any other boards we will likely call you and convince you to let us make a rainbow grazing table because they are the best!

Anything upcoming events you want us to promote or let our readers know about? How can people find your company? 

We have started hosting charcuterie workshops in our store after hours. We occasionally have ticketed events, and we are starting to book a lot of private BYOB events as well. We can host up to 12 people, and the workshops are really fun! You can find us on Google, Facebook, and Instagram. You can place an order through our website at any time and while you are there sign up for our email newsletter to stay up to date with news and events. 
W: 720-222-9549
C: 512-297-6821
 

HOURS:

Tuesday – Saturday: 11am – 5pm

Sunday – 11am -2pm

Closed Mondays

 

What do you love about Denver?

I moved to Denver in 2013, and my husband and I fell in love with it. We enjoy the outdoors, and that Denver has biking and patio weather pretty much year round.  

Are you from CO? Why did you choose to call your neighborhood home and run your business here?

I’m originally from Austin, TX but have called Denver home for the last nine years. We live in Sunnyside, and our shop is in the West Highlands Neighborhood. We are lucky because we have so many friends in our neighborhood. There is something extraordinary about being able to walk over to a friend’s house and say “hey” whenever. We love everything about NW Denver, and the 1-mile commute down 38th ave from my house to the shop is pretty nice too.

What are your favorite local Denver businesses/places?

Oh, I have so many! I love El Jefe happy hour tacos or Local 46 for patio hangs with friends. I also love walking over to Locavore with my toddler and grabbing groceries for dinner. On the weekends, they usually have live music, which is his favorite. I love packing a lunch and wandering around the Denver Botanic Gardens for a bit of time to myself as well.

What do you love about Denver?

I love having seasons and sunshine and being able to find fun reasons to be outdoors all year round. 

How would you describe the personality of Denver?

I love that Denver is a relaxed city. I never feel self-conscious meeting up with friends in leggings and a messy bun. It feels like a city where people have the freedom to figure out who they are without the pressure of maintaining a particular “vibe.”

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