Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Chehayl.
Hi Angela, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Beyond the Board was born on a bicycle. It started in 2017 in the Mediterranean Region of Europe when Angela was working as an Active Travel Guide for Backroads, a world-renowned Travel Adventure Company. While leading bike tours through the villages and rural areas of Greece, Croatia, Spain, Italy, and especially France, she delighted in new flavors and discovered charcuterie, a whole new way of eating.
In the small villages in Southern France, the cuisine stole her heart, there rarely was a one-stop shop grocery store. Instead, there was a boulangerie for bread, a fromagerie for cheese, a butcher for meat, and a farm stand for produce, all of which Angela would visit to gather for herself and her clients for many of their meals while they were on their journey. While it might have taken a little longer than that one-stop shop, these community traditions of building a strong connection and shared experiences through food resonated with Angela.
It was these experiences that serve as a foundation for how Angela operates Beyond the Board. Just like her travels in Europe, Angela has to visit many places in her community and cultivate many relationships to gather all that goes on to each grazing table and charcuterie board. Each board or table is unique and different based on what is in season and what is delicious at the time.
Simultaneously while building BTB, I was also working in the wedding industry as an assistant wedding planner in Telluride, CO. As my love for curating a concept, space, and vibe grew, I began to dive more into wedding planning. A culmination of everything I had done and loved in my life and the dream was born! My husband and I bought a wedding Planning Business in Telluride called Simplify Telluride. We are now able to offer our clients full-service planning, a wide array of rental decor, grazing tables, and a mobile bartending service!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not an easy road. Food styling, co-creating the concept and vibe of a wedding, and logistics come very naturally to me… I had to learn how to run a business… (or 3 simultaneously!!) Bookkeeping and taxes are my worst nightmare and I had to learn the hard way to do it all myself because it just wasn’t in the budget to hire help for those sorts of things.
Also, time management is really tough when you have 3 businesses. I often find myself stopping to take a breath and realizing that I should probably tend to other parts of my life!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
All three of my businesses come from a creative space deep within me.
All 3 of them (Charcuterie, Mobile Bar, and Wedding Planning) are centered around curating a space for people to gather, bond, and celebrate. These are ancient traditions that have definitely changed over time but still come from the same roots. I think it is so important when people gather to make them feel both welcomed and wowed! We do a great job at that.
I am most proud of helping others create lifelong memories! What sets me apart from others in my industry is that I know multiple sides of the business.
Catering, beverage, planning, coordinating, creating. It makes a huge difference in how we go about communicating with other vendors because we have been in their shoes! It truly helps things come together easier with the dream team of vendors we have chosen to make an event happen smoothly and everyone is happy!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I don’t think charcuterie or weddings will ever go out of style!! I would like to see edible charcuterie centerpieces finally make their way into popularity! Interactive with a huge impact, yes, please!
I’m also loving this disco ball trend that’s happening and feel like you can incorporate them in so many ways in an event. Disco floral, yes. Disco ball on the dance floor, yes. Need more spice on the grazing table, add a disco ball. Hanging disco ski boots?! Ummmm HECK YES!
Also, we will never get tired of a good champagne tower or champagne + charcuterie wall!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.beyondtheboardco.com and www.simplifytelluride.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/beyond.the.board.co
www.instagram.com/simplifytride
www.instagram.com/thepearlmobilebar
Image Credits
Jason & Daris, Abie Livesay, Lisa Marie Wright, Micheal Morse, and Hannah Mayson
