Meet Carolina Aguilar | Charcuterie Board Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carolina Aguilar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carolina, what role has risk played in your life or career?
This all has been a big life career change, never in my wildest dreams did I think making charcuterie boards would lead me to where I am today. I was unfortunately laid off my corporate job as an Estimator in the oil and gas business back in March 2020 due to the Global Pandemic, I of course panicked and started thinking of updating my resume to send out as soon as possible. My husband sat me down and talked about possibly taking my charcuterie business to the next level. At the time, the thought had not crossed my mind. I initially started my charcuterie page as a hobby, people started asking if I was selling the boards and it all just went from there. I risked it all and focused on furthering my passion for my boards and making this my life long career. I’m truly excited with how great this venture is going. The support from my local community has been outstanding. I look forward to what the future holds with my small business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Hello, my name is Carolina and I am a Houston based cheese lover. Before the pandemic I was in what I thought was the all-time high of my Oil and Gas Career. Unfortunately due to Covid-19, I was laid off like so many others and quickly scrambled to update my resume and jump back into the corporate world. Little did I know, my love for cheese would have a different plan for me. I started @charcuterieboardhtx Instagram’s page in 2019 as a hobby. While stuck inside with not much to do and with a cheese obsession, I decided to take a leap of faith and transition my hobby to a small business. In the corporate world, I was stuck, all I knew was to work under someone else who told me what to do. Now, I am the boss! If I don’t push for what I want then things stay the same. My favorite part about what I do is how great Houston is. I’ve met some pretty amazing people that have helped me through this journey. It has been a blessing to receive the support from the community. Every holiday this year has been sold out and I am truly grateful for all of the support people continue to show me. Charcuterie has been a viral sensation recently and I am so excited to be apart of it. Being a first time small business owner is crazy, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that this is the career path I would be on. I am so ready to see what this journey has in store for me and my small business.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is super easy, I love the views at Buffalo Bayou Park. Something about a picnic (with charcuterie of course) at the park is just so perfect. If you’re looking for something indoors to do because we all know how Houston summers can get. Seismique is a mind-bending, interactive experience filled with immersive exhibits and stunning displays designed to both entertain and inspire your mind. It is so much fun. My favorite restaurant in Houston is True Food Kitchen, the food is spectacular. They have the most creative menu and drinks are delicious. A great outside patio bar I love to be at on a nice summer day would have to be Secret Garden. I’m all about presentation and they have the cutest drinks, totally Instagrammable. A nice way to wind down the night would be at 13 Celsius, the wine list goes on for days and of course charcuterie is on the menu, the perfect way to end the night would be with their famous Smores board. YUM!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve been fortunate enough to have 1,000% support around me from family and friends. It truly takes a village. The holidays were especially tough on me, being a first time small business owner, I had no expectations on being busy, I knew we would have a few sales but nothing like it was during the holidays. Which I am forever grateful to the community that continues to support me. I hired 2 assistants with help of my husband, parents and siblings. From deliveries, making the wooden boards, assembling the boards, shopping for supplies, prepping for early morning deliveries the night before. We had help around the clock. I would love to dedicate this shout out to them.

Instagram: @charcuterieboardhtx