Elevate Your Memphis Staycation with a Gourmet Grazing Experience

By Kat Eftink

Forget the frantic packing, the airport hassles, and sky-high flight prices. Imagine evenings filled with delicious indulgence, stress-free relaxation, and the chance to explore the hidden gems your city offers. But how do you elevate an ordinary night at home into a staycation sensation? The secret lies in a beautifully crafted charcuterie board by Feast & Graze. 

Feast & Graze started in 2019 after Cristina McCarter saw the demand for charcuterie after hosting a cheese board inspired festival, the Craft Food and Wine Festival. She’s always made cheese boards at home and was shocked after realizing she could turn her love into a profit. 

“It blew my mind that people would buy what you just eat at home,” Cristina said. 

There’s a reason people buy them: they’re beautiful and delicious. Cristina offers catering with different sizes of charcuterie boards, grazing tables that look like a lush rainbow garden, small charcuterie boxes, and artisanal lunch at the Brooks Art Museum. 

Grazing Cristina’s charcuterie boards is an experience. She uses local ingredients like fresh herbs and edible, colorful flowers. She gets her meat straight from a small local butcher shop and her cheese from a local cheese maker. 

“We are all about local and supporting the small folks because we’re still small,” she explained. 

Her boards ignite all of your senses and are a way of congregation. She always tells people that good food brings people together, but it’s the people that make you stay longer. 

“We stay around. We hang out a little longer. We graze a little longer” she said. 

Feast & Graze is located in the Brooks Art Museum, but she is expanding her reach. A new location in Poplar Plaza is on the horizon, making her delectable creations even more accessible to Memphians seeking a staycation upgrade. Cristina said that the neighborhood is very split. It’s millionaires on one side and poverty on the other.

“And I want both of them to be able to eat something,” she said. “I want the kids from East High to come over here and get a little snack.”

She wants everyone to be able to enjoy her creations. And the good news doesn’t stop there. For those craving a taste of the magic Cristina first witnessed, mark your calendars! The Craft Food and Wine Festival returns on June 23, offering a vibrant showcase of local food and beverage. 

And lastly, if you are curious what Cristina’s favorite cheese, “Parmesan is the king of cheese.”