Geist Charcuterie Customizes Boxes, Grazing Spreads and More, for Many an Occasion

Writer / Amie Drudge Photography Provided

Charcuterie - pronounced "shar-KOO-tər-ee" - involves preparing and presenting in the most diverse way.

This is a loose description that sums up Amber Ward’s company, and one that also feels much like her remarkable journey to becoming the founder and CEO of Geist Charcuterie. She has prepared for this moment her entire life, with a background in the food industry, teaching, becoming a mom to her two children, volunteering at her church and children’s schools, mentoring, serving, and giving back in many ways. What she has presented to the Geist community is not just food, but nourishment packaged in a beautiful, diverse manner.

Whether you’re going out on the lake with family or having a party of any sort, Ward will present a one-of-a-kind, unforgettable charcuterie box or table for you and your guests.

This is a family affair with her husband, Jonathan, and two children, Jalen, 21, and Meredith, 19, acting as her support staff. They live in Geist with their three dogs, Ollie, Tommie and Gus. When extra hands are needed, in true servant-leader fashion, she finds people in the community with unique and special needs to get the job done. She has utilized students from local high schools who need service hours, and her vision, as the business grows, is to hire people who need a second chance and mentor them along the way.

And that’s not all - her company just keeps on giving. She has found other small, niche food businesses and partnered with them to make her grazing boxes more diverse and delicious. One young business owner makes the cookies that go inside the boxes, and this has given the young woman belief in herself to continue her very own small business.

Geist Charcuterie has been in the making for more than 20 years, but officially became a company in 2022. Organic growth often yields the best product, and Ward’s roots in the food industry, teaching, volunteering, and serving her community have all come together to make this business what it is today - a food experience that is nothing short of spectacular.