Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Bourgeois.
Hi Natalie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
After working in the restaurant industry for years and years I found myself pregnant (surprise) with my second at 39 and decided I didn’t want to go back to working full time. A few beers and a hot tub meeting with my other half, and we came up with the idea of Showmeyourhootery.boards, a charcuterie business. I had done them for family events for a while and we just went from there. Funny story, Christian, my boyfriend, could never say charcuterie, he would always say “can we get one of those show me your hootery…. I was like that’s not what they are called, haha.
4 years later and I never thought we would be where we are today. We have an Alaskan saw mill and Christian makes all of our boards we use, so happily I might add, he loves nothing more then to come home and make all the boards after working full time himself and having a side business of his own, Prepared Property.
All of our boards are made and milled from local upcycled wood and you get to keep the boards we make for you when you place an order.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Starting a new business and all the struggles that come along with it and just trying to get into the industry is hard. There are so many amazing artistic charcuterie businesses out there! But I feel there is plenty of room at the table for all of us, everyone’s style is so different. But finding the clientele was definitely one of my biggest challenges.
As you know, we’re big fans of Showmeyourhootery.Boards . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We specialize in making edible pieces of art for your gatherings. I love a theme, and get so involved in the little details of making them look so perfect, I work with a amazing cookie lady, Onecreativemexican, who adds such a cool flair to my boards, and also work with an amazing cake and dessert lady, Inkedsweets, who adds the best cakes and personal touches for weddings and boards as well. I’m super proud of our boards and how different and cool they are, they are each hand milled, so everyone is different. We made a brand, drawn by my good friend Stacey and each one is hand stamped. Then burned and oiled to give them a one of a kind look. I also deliver almost every board and talk to all the clients so it’s a very personal service.
We have added a cone wall and a charcuterie cart to our venture so I’m super excited to get more business with these.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love it here, the sunshine, the weather the people. Who could complain? It’s definitely amazing. I’ve grown up here. We live a little more out there now in Santa Ysabel, near Julian, the mountain towns are amazing and have a charm all their own.
The traffic, I despise traffic, especially with all my driving and delivering.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Showmeyourhooteryboards.com
- Instagram: Showmeyourhootery.boards
- Facebook: Showmeyourhootery.boards
