For years, Toni Hewitt and her husband, Julio, talked about building something of their own.
It was one of those conversations that lived comfortably in the future.
Maybe one day.
Maybe when the timing was right.
Maybe when the right idea came along.
In the meantime, Toni built a long career in financial technology, spending more than 25 years in the industry and nearly 19 of them with Chase. She and Julio married in 2010 and built a life together with their son, Jackson, filling their home with the things they loved—good food, good wine and friends gathered around the table.
They hosted multi-course dinners, Toni created grazing tables for family Thanksgivings, and even their Chateau Elan wedding reflected that shared appreciation for food and hospitality.
So when the couple began seriously exploring entrepreneurship in 2024, they knew they wanted something that felt like them.
Finding it took a little while.
They explored several franchise concepts before a sandwich concept brought them closer to the world they naturally gravitated toward.
Then, almost by accident, Toni found Graze Craze while researching something else.
And for the first time, the idea did not simply look good on paper.
It felt familiar.
“I've always loved charcuterie,” Toni says. “When I discovered there was an entire business built around something I genuinely enjoyed, I was immediately intrigued.”
The timing was becoming important.
Toni’s corporate life had grown increasingly demanding. The five-day-a-week commute to Buckhead was wearing on her. Stress was high. Rumors of layoffs circulated.
Then, in October 2025, Toni was among those laid off from Chase.
By then, she and Julio were already seriously considering Graze Craze.
What could have been a moment of uncertainty instead became a decision point.
The thing they had talked about for years was no longer somewhere off in the future.
It was time.
Smyrna became part of that decision, too.
Toni saw a community that felt both close-knit and energetic, where neighborhood and business life overlap. Families celebrate birthdays and graduations here. Companies gather teams and thank clients here. Schools, nonprofits and civic groups keep calendars full.
For someone drawn to hospitality and community, it felt like the right place to begin.
But more importantly, Toni did not want simply to plant a storefront in a good market.
She wanted to know the people around it.
That lesson became clearer once the doors opened.
Like many first-time business owners, Toni admits she carried at least a little of the “build it and they will come” idea into entrepreneurship.
Reality arrived quickly.
Much of the work happens away from the counter—in conversations, community events and relationships formed one at a time.
“It’s been much more work than I imagined,” she says, “but it’s also been one of the most rewarding parts of this experience.”
That may be because relationship-building feels connected to the reason Graze Craze Cumberland appealed to her in the first place.
At its best, food creates a reason to linger.
A board arrives full and colorful, layered with meats and cheeses, fresh produce, breads, crackers and small bites tucked into every available space. People reach in, try something, pass something else across the table. Conversation moves with the food.
Toni loves that.
Her favorite item is the Classic, but what she most enjoys creating is a grazing table, where the arrangement itself becomes part of the occasion.
Today, Graze Craze Cumberland extends that same idea across everything from individual and shareable boards and boxes to catering, gifting, grazing tables and hands-on workshops.
There are heights and textures to play with. Color. Shape. Abundance.
And then there is the moment the host sees it.
“Before anyone takes the first bite, the presentation has already become part of the celebration,” Toni says.
That reaction still gets her.
Her advice for creating a spread at home is less about perfection than generosity.
Choose a few things you genuinely love. Mix soft and firm cheeses, sweet and salty bites, crunch and color. Fill the empty spaces. Let it look abundant.
Most of all, enjoy it.
There is no single correct way to make a beautiful board.
There may be no single correct way to build a new life, either.
For Toni, this chapter arrived after decades in one industry, years of conversations with Julio and a layoff that might have closed one door but also removed the excuse to keep waiting on another.
Now, success looks different.
Yes, she hopes Graze Craze Cumberland grows. But when Toni talks about the future, she talks just as much about belonging.
A few years from now, she wants to see a business people know and trust—one woven into the community around it.
“We didn't want to simply open a business in Smyrna,” she says. “We want to become part of Smyrna.”
It is a fitting goal for a woman whose next chapter was built around gathering.
After all, the best tables have never really been about what is on them.
They are about who pulls up a chair.
“Before anyone takes the first bite, the presentation has already become part of the celebration. That’s probably the part I enjoy most.”
“We didn’t want to simply open a business in Smyrna. We want to become part of Smyrna and genuinely know the community.”
GRAZE CRAZE CUMBERLAND
From shareable boards and boxes to grazing tables and workshops, Graze Craze Cumberland offers plenty of ways to gather around something good.
3599 Atlanta Rd. SE, Suite 7
Smyrna, GA 30080
470-308-7088
grazecraze.com/locations/cumberland-ga
Instagram: @grazecraze_cumberland_ga