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An elevated Lunchable: Graze Craze opens Sparks store

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There once was a store on Kietzke Lane called Graze Craze. But a while ago, that charcuterie-based catering company closed. However, thanks to the franchise model of the parent business, Graze Craze is back again, this time with a Wingfield address.

Graze Craze has taken the popular charcuterie board trend and created a multi-level business out of it. The owners of the Sparks shop have a few successful operations in Las Vegas and split their time between the two Nevada cities to oversee operations.

Diane Reyes, Mary Sischer and Nicole Manson at Graze Craze in Sparks.
Diane Reyes, Mary Sischer and Nicole Manson at Graze Craze in Sparks. Image courtesy of Graze Craze.

The store functions mostly as a catering company, offering charcuterie boards and boxes in a variety of sizes and configurations. You can order small, medium and large boards for gatherings like corporate events and birthday parties, or you can grab individual-sized treats for yourself or a small get-together.

My favorite way to use this business is perhaps not in the way it was intended. Graze Craze serves individual picnic boxes out of its small storefront next door to Raley’s, and while they don’t keep a lot of extra boxes stocked, you can order ahead for an individual serving.

The picnic boxes come in the four typical layouts that all boards offer, featuring everything from a classic setup complete with meat, cheese, fruit, vegetables, spreads, nuts and seeded bread to a sweets tray heavier on fruit with bits of chocolate. The four main boards are the Grazey for Keto, Vegegrazian, Sweet & Grazey and Gone Grazey Classic.

They also cater brunch and dessert boards upon request.

If you order ahead, that perfectly sized individual picnic box (which runs about $15) will be yours for lunch, and what millennial doesn’t dream of eating charcuterie on their lunch break? It is, after all, an update to our childhood classic, the Lunchable.

Regardless of what size you order, the ingredients are the same. I was lucky enough that, when I stopped in, there was a finished picnic box I could grab and try. The Gone Grazey Classic was filling, with slices of pepper jack, cheddar and Swiss cheese; two slices of seeded bread; prosciutto; salami; an assortment of nuts; a couple of chocolate-covered pretzels; a pepper; a handful of grape tomatoes; some fresh fruit and two spreads.

While the cheeses felt more run-of-the-mill than gourmet, the fruits and vegetables were so fresh and crisp I was honestly impressed. You could tell the board had been assembled day-of, and everything was laid out to be as aesthetically pleasing as it was tasty.

While charcuterie boards should taste good, we know how they look also matters, especially when on display at a party. Having a team of experts put everything together in a pleasing order takes a lot of the effort out of the hands of the party planner. And these boxes and boards are nothing if not artfully designed.

If you want to try it out for yourself, the website offers full ordering capabilities, whether you’re after a small picnic box for yourself or catering services for a large gathering. You can also stop into the shop—which reminds me a bit of Edible Arrangements, where you can pick up an order but aren’t really shopping inside—to place an order, browse board sizes or just ask questions.

If you live in Spanish Springs or Sparks, the store is conveniently located next door to Raley’s in the Pioneer Meadows Marketplace on Wingfield Hills. If you’re farther away, a phone call or online order may be more convenient. Regardless, Graze Craze serves the entire Reno-Sparks area and beyond.

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2399 Wingfield Hills Road, Sparks
(407) 489-1801
Website

Nora Tarte
Nora Tarte
Nora Heston Tarte is a long-time Reno resident living on the southside of town. In addition to food, her hobbies include wine, hiking, yoga and travel. She is also the managing editor of a regional, lifestyle publication and freelances for other publications most frequently in the travel space. Nora received her bachelor's in Journalism from California State University, Sacramento before graduating from University of Nebraska, Lincoln with a master’s in Professional Journalism. You can follow her travel adventures, and local exploits, on her Instagram account @wanderlust_n_wine.

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