A Taste of Family, Creativity and Resilience: Crafted Nibbles Finds Its Place in Baton Rouge
What began with a family gathering, a charcuterie board, and a mother-daughter idea has grown into a Baton Rouge business built around food, family, creativity, and community.
BATON ROUGE, La. — Step inside Crafted Nibbles on Perkins Road and it quickly becomes clear that this is more than a place to pick up cheese and crackers.
It is the result of a mother and daughter taking a difficult season in their family and turning it into something that brings people together.
Valencia and Michelle Anderson, founders and owners of Crafted Nibbles, launched the business in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea emerged after the death of the family's matriarch and a gathering where the two found themselves enjoying a charcuterie board and imagining what they could create themselves.
That moment eventually became a business.
What started with a single social media post featuring a charcuterie box has grown into a full-service operation offering handcrafted boards, custom boxes, catering, workshops and a storefront where customers can build their own cheese boxes.
The Andersons opened their first brick-and-mortar location at 4631 Perkins Road in December 2024, expanding what had previously been an online business into a physical destination.
The concept is intentionally interactive. Customers can select cheeses, meats, fruits, nuts, jams, crackers and other accompaniments to create a box suited to their tastes. The shop also carries specialty retail products, including cheeses, jams, crackers, nuts and beverages.
The business has also built flexibility into its menu. Crafted Nibbles offers gluten-free selections along with crudité boxes that can accommodate dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian requests. Its regular cheese selection includes Brie, smoked Gouda and green onion cheddar, with featured cheeses added periodically.
For larger gatherings, the company provides catering for weddings, corporate events, birthday celebrations, baby showers, open houses and other occasions. Its offerings range from individual charcuterie cups and small boxes to large grazing arrangements. A current large round board, for example, serves approximately 10 to 12 people and includes assorted meats, cheeses, jam, seasonal fruit and nuts.
The company's growth has also placed it within Baton Rouge's expanding community of minority- and women-owned businesses. Crafted Nibbles is listed in Louisiana's certified DBE directory as a minority women-owned catering business.
For Valencia, the Baton Rouge connection runs deep. She is a Southern University Laboratory School graduate, Class of 1981. Her daughter, Michelle, is a Christian Life graduate and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
That shared Baton Rouge connection is reflected in the company's philosophy: locally rooted, community-minded, and intentionally connected to its customers.
The Andersons describe Crafted Nibbles as a two-person operation driven by creativity, integrity, and a desire to make each customer's experience memorable. Their website emphasizes intentional sourcing, thoughtful curation, exceptional service, and the fact that the business is women-owned.
And their ambitions extend beyond selling food.
Crafted Nibbles has become a place for people to gather, learn, and experience food differently. The business offers tasting experiences and workshops while continuing to develop its custom catering services. The company has also been recognized by local publications and organizations as part of Baton Rouge's growing food and small-business scene.
Perhaps the most compelling part of the Crafted Nibbles story is that its foundation was never simply cheese, meat, or presentation.
It was family.
A difficult moment created an idea. The idea became a social media post. The post became a business. And that business eventually found a home on Perkins Road.
For the Andersons, every carefully arranged box represents more than a collection of ingredients. It represents what can happen when family, creativity, and resilience are placed on the same board.
Crafted Nibbles is located at 4631 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The store is closed Sunday.
