Photo Courtesy of Chaya Keningberg
While many of us were hunkering down during the early days of COVID-19, 18-year-old Chaya Kenigsberg was reimagining her future.
A graduate of Katz Yeshiva High School in Boca Raton, Kenigsberg was planning to attend Baruch College in New York when she had to pivot.
To alleviate the boredom, she made a charcuterie board for her family. A few weeks later she made one for friends, then another, and another and soon her new business was off and running.
A year later she is owner of Chaya’s Craze Boards. She started with cheeses, but now offers a wide range of charcuterie boards filled with meats, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, dips, nuts or whatever else you can think up. Everything is kosher certified.
Kenigsberg has no background in food, but always has had an interest in presentation. “I love organizing in a way that is appealing to the eye,” she says. “It’s like art for me and the [charcuterie] board is my canvas.”
She funded the business with her own money that she earned over the years. Her mother, also a business owner, has offered advice along the way. She’s had hundreds of orders in South Florida and is currently working on shipping nationwide.
“If it wasn’t for COVID, I would be in school. COVID gave me the opportunity to create this business,” says Kenigsberg, who has not given up on her education. Like many students her age, she’s taking classes online, studying business administration and management.
Visit chayascrazeboards.com.