Meet Lisa Giunta of The Board Housewife in North Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Giunta.

Lisa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been in love with cheese for as long as I can remember. When I was really little my older brother used to tease me saying that I just mysteriously showed up on our doorstep, holding nothing but a tiny suitcase and basket of cheese! It’s probably not that far from the truth, as cheese and I have got a long history together.

I come from a big Italian family, and while it’s true of so many cultures, food was always at the heart of everything we did growing up. We would be sitting around the table eating lunch at my grandmother’s house when an animated debate would suddenly start about what we should cook for dinner later that night. What I learned early on is that food always brought us together and I loved that.

Over the past couple of years, I started making charcuterie and cheeseboards for family and friends. Everyone seemed to love the boards I brought them, and the occasional compliment quickly grew to people telling me I should turn my new passion into a business. I would just smile and say “thanks” because I didn’t really believe I could make a business out of this little hobby of mine. Fast-forward a few more years and with the encouragement of my husband I started to give that idea a bit more thought.

I was fortunate enough to be a stay-home mom for many years, but as my boys grew up and became more independent, I saw that as an opportunity to try something completely new. Whatever that new thing was to be, I knew I didn’t want it to be something monotonous or routine – I just didn’t want to be bored. So my husband and I talked about it, and making cheese and charcuterie boards was the first thing that came to mind. And just like that, this would-be bored housewife became The Board Housewife in November 2019.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Everyone told me to just start the business and figure it out as you go, but I was reluctant to do that because I’m too much of a perfectionist to just wing it. But I finally decided to just go for it. So I nervously changed the Instagram bio to tell my followers to “direct message me for pricing.” And it happened. I received a few orders before I was even ready to fulfill them.

It was really important to me that the presentation of my boards was impeccable. I wanted them to be presented as a special gift, in a fancy box, all tied up with a bow. So I searched for the style and sizes of boxes I liked, but of course, I couldn’t find boards that would fit them. So my husband who had never done any woodworking in his life had to learn how to make the boards I wanted, from scratch. Once we had the boards, everything else just fell into place.

Please tell us about The Board Housewife.
The Board Housewife is a local, female-owned business that provides custom-made, fresh and hand-delivered charcuterie, cheese and crudités boards for gatherings large and small. I try to set myself apart by creating something that is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat. Every time I make a board I try to improve on the last one, trying new ingredients and techniques. And if you look closely, you’ll see that I always sneak in something Italian as a tribute to my heritage. Most of all, I always include high-quality ingredients in abundance to ensure no one goes hungry!

Who else deserves credit – have you had mentors, supporters, cheerleaders, advocates, clients or teammates that have played a big role in your success or the success of the business? If so –who are they and what role did they plan / how did they help.
I had no idea until I started the business that there is quite a robust board-making community out there and they have been very supportive, helpful and encouraging. Everyone seems to be open about answering questions about business, ingredients they prefer, new techniques to try, etc. And since so many of us only do business in our local communities we’re not really competing with each other. We all follow each other’s work and cheer each other on. I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am as quickly if it wasn’t for their support.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @TheBoardHousewifeAZ

Image Credit:
The family picture is by Captured Moments By Rita

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