As a little girl, I used to “play restaurant.” I didn’t know it then, but looking back now, I think a little piece of Graze & Decor was already there.
Food, entertaining, and bringing people together have somehow always found their way into my life. I spent years working in hospitality while earning my degree in accounting and eventually working at an accounting firm. This incredible women I worked for loved throwing incredible parties, and I loved helping her plan them, style them, and bring all the little details together. Robin really took me under her wing and taught me so much!! Those are still some of my favorite memories, and they taught me something I’ve never forgotten: a great party isn't only about the food. It's about how people feel when they walk into the room and the memories they take with them when they leave.
 

Where It Really Started
One of the most important chapters of my story happened at the Tuckahoe Inn at the Jersey Shore. The Merryman family, Mrs. Jones, Vicki, and Tyson gave me opportunities, trusted me, and taught me lessons that I still carry with me today. At the time, I don’t think I fully realized just how much those years would shape the person, and business owner I would eventually become.
And this is where I have to laugh when I look at what we create today...
Back then, I would take fish buckets, turn them upside down, cover them with tablecloths, and use them to create different heights on the buffet.
Today, we have beautiful risers, florals, greenery, serving pieces, and an entire collection of décor, but the idea behind it is exactly the same.
Make the food beautiful. Create dimension. Make people want to gather around the table.
I didn't have fancy equipment. I just loved figuring out how to make something look special.

I didn’t leave the Tuckahoe Inn because I had some big plan to start my own business. I left because life was taking me somewhere else.

I met my husband at Tuckahoe, we got married, and I moved to Pennsylvania. I left behind a place I knew, people I loved, and a community where I felt at home and suddenly I was starting over in another state where I barely knew a soul.

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And it was hard. Really hard.

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I struggled to find a job and, for the first time, I wasn’t quite sure what came next. It was my family who kept reminding me of everything I had learned and everything I was capable of. They were the ones who encouraged me to stop waiting for someone to give me an opportunity and consider creating one for myself.

Starting a business in a place where I knew almost no one was terrifying. There was no built-in network, no long list of clients, and certainly no guarantee that any of it would work. There were plenty of moments when I wondered what in the world I was doing.

But little by little, one opportunity became another. One table became another. People trusted me with their celebrations, told their friends, invited us back, and helped Graze & Decor grow in ways I never could have imagined.

Looking back, I realize that Tuckahoe gave me so many of the tools, but my family gave me the courage to use them.

And somewhere between those upside-down fish buckets at the Jersey Shore and the grazing tables we create today, Graze & Decor became my story.

Why Graze & Decor?
The name “Graze” came from something that is still very much me, I love sharing food, and I will forever be the person who orders too many appetizers because I want to try everything.
There is just something about a table filled with food that brings people together. Passing plates. Trying a bite of this and a little of that. Talking, laughing, going back for one more thing and lingering around the table longer than you planned.
That feeling became the heart of Graze & Decor.
We absolutely love charcuterie, it will always be part of who we are, but over the years, we began creating grazing tables in our own way. I guess one could say we took it to another level. We added our homemade appetizers, handcrafted bites, skewers, fresh seasonal foods, beautiful cheeses and meats, and all of those unexpected little things that make guests stop and ask, “What is that? I have to try it.”
And, of course, the Decor matters just as much to me. The flowers, greenery, textures, height, serving pieces and tiny details are what bring everything together. I want the table to feel like part of the celebration, not simply a place where the food is served.
 

It Was Never Just My Dream
As much as Graze & Decor is my dream, I could never tell this story and make it only about me.
My mom and my brother have given up more for me than I could ever properly put into words. Their sacrifices gave me opportunities and a life that allowed me to dream bigger. Their love, support, and belief in me are a part of everything I have built, and I will never forget what it took from them to help me get here.
And then there's my husband.
If you've been to one of our events, chances are you've seen him. He's beside me at almost every grazing table. What you don't see are all the hours before we ever arrive—the late nights preparing, packing, loading, building, fixing, figuring things out and somehow helping me turn whatever idea I have in my head into something real.
He has put just as much heart, time, and hard work into this dream as anyone, and Graze & Decor simply would not be what it is today without him.
My kids were little while so much of this story was unfolding. Now they're adults, and you'll often see them right there with us. I don't think I could have imagined years ago, while “playing restaurant,” that one day I would look around at an event and see my husband and my grown children working beside me.
That part means more to me than I can explain.
Behind every beautiful table you see is a family that has carried boxes, washed dishes, stayed up late, loaded cars, listened to my crazy ideas, encouraged me when I questioned myself, and believed in this dream right alongside me.
Graze & Decor may have started with my dream, but it took a family to build it.
 

Graze It Forward™
One of the parts of Graze & Decor closest to my heart is Graze It Forward™ our way of using what we do to uplift, support, and celebrate others! I have been incredibly fortunate to have people throughout my life believe in me, teach me, encourage me, and give me opportunities. Graze It Forward is one small way we can pass some of that kindness along.
Because I believe the best things in life really are meant to be shared.
 

And Here We Are...
What started as a love of food and entertaining has grown into more than I ever imagined.
Whether we're creating something intimate for a family celebration or building grazing tables for hundreds of guests, I still get excited about the details. I still want people to walk into the room and say, “Wow.” And I still believe the best part comes a little later—when everyone is gathered around the table, eating, talking, laughing, and celebrating together.
Because at the end of the day, that's what this has always been about for me.
Every moment, big or small is worth celebrating!!! 
So let's gather. Let's graze. Let's celebrate. 
And most importantly…let's eat and enjoy the life we have!
xoxo, Mel
#lovewhatyoudo