Meet Ingrid J. Henson: Charcuterie Artist and Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ingrid J. Henson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ingrid J., every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I came up with the idea for my business due to my love of cheese and entertaining during social gathering, feeding my friends and family.

Together with an idea from one of my good friend Cashmere Jefferson, who was once my Soldier in the Army, she suggest that I create a cheese board for a gathering. It was an excellent idea to say the least. My guests loved it, it became the topic of our conversation.
I posted pictures on my social media pages, and the rest was history. People were asking me to create one for their event, and then more people wanted one. It actually blew my mind. I quickly came up with a name for my business; Bougie Board PHX.

I registered my business with the state of Arizona, took the food handlers course, order business cards, and began taking orders.

It was truly a blessing.

What should our readers know about your business?
I was a Soldier in the US Army for 26 years and it has taught me how to be disciple and to never give up. Being a Soldier taught me to stare adversity in the face and to have a plan B. In the Army things would change at a moments notices and many times there was no time to think about, but to have an answer for the challenge and make it work.

Throughout my career, I was in personnel sometimes working for general officers, meeting dignitaries from all over the world, so I had to always smile, be patient, adapt to any situation and customer service. My mom always told me that kindness goes a long way; I can catch more bees with honey than I could with vinegar. She also told me that there are too many people in the world to have my own way all the time.

God has sustained me through my challenges in life and with my business, and I always depended on God. Prayers and faith have helped me weather the storms.

People have placed orders from as far as Northern Ireland, The Philippines, Texas, and California as a gift to a friend or loved one right here in Phoenix, Arizona.

People have placed orders for office parties, luncheons, engagements, Christmas, birthdays, graduations, styled shoots, picnics, social gatherings, book clubs, new moms, and new homeowners.

I am excited for the future, and to watch me business grow. So far this is nothing short of being amazing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friends Phyllis and Tanya were here visiting Phoenix, I would take them on a tour of the city, show them different landmarks.

I’d take them to beautiful Scottsdale and do a little shopping in the 3 level mall where ritzy people hangout.

We’d go hiking in out beautiful mountains to watch the gorgeous sunset; Arizona has some of the most beautiful sunset in the US and of course we’d watch the sun come up as well.

We’d drive up to Sedona to visit the red rock country, and grab a bit at the bistros and shop the fancy boutiques.

Finally, I’d take them to the Grand Canyon where we can admire the beauty of it all and take pictures like girlfriends always do with a picturesque background like no other. And come back home to drink tall glasses of water and adult lemonade to beat the heat, because I know that they’ve never experience heat like Arizona with our 100 degree plus temperatures.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout goes out to God first for blessing me with my craft. Even in the mist of the pandemic my business still survived. I did not have to shut down.

My husband who helped me deliver orders, did supermarket runs for me at anytime of the day or night. He never complained about me taking up so much space in the refrigerator, or nearly taking over the entire house.

My mom for flying back and forth from back home in Atlanta just to lend a helping hand.

My daughter Destinee for supporting and encouraging me, giving me different ideas, and being my cheerleader.

My granddaughter Alyson, for hanging out with me for sometimes hours at a time. Many times she would say “grandma can we just go home so I can chill out and play with my Nintendo”, that’s when I new I had to call it quits for the day.

My sisters for no complaining when I sent them picture after picture to critic my work.

Finally my friend Cashmere He for giving me such a brilliant idea.

Website: www.bougieboardphx.com

Instagram: bougieboardphx

Linkedin: bougieboardphx

Facebook: bougieboardphx

Yelp: bougieboardphx

Image Credits
Sara Cummings