ROCK ISLAND, Illinois — Inside Samantha Bebber's home, her kitchen is also her office. That's where she runs her new business called "Char-Cute by Samantha."
She says she's always enjoyed putting together charcuterie boards for friends and family, and she noticed that there wasn't a business that specialized in just the meat and cheese boards in the Quad Cities.
So, when her full-time job at a local insurance broker transitioned to fully remote work for the rest of the year, she jumped on the opportunity to turn her passion into a business.
"I thought it would be a good time to focus on starting my own business," she says.
In just her first month, she says she's had about 30 orders and has begun to make a small profit after just breaking even at first.
"I didn't really think it was gonna take off like it did," she says.
She owes her success to a changing market because of the pandemic.
"People are looking for more things to do at home and aren't always comfortable going out to eat," Bebber says. "A lot of the people that have bought a date night boxes from me say 'This would be a cute idea to take home to my husband or wife so we don't have to go out to a restaurant."
Bebber says she hopes to break into the wedding industry with grazing tables for receptions and bridal parties. She has one wedding already in the books next year.
Orders for multiple charcuterie board sizes and varieties can be found on the business's Facebook.