Meet Marjani Aladin | CEO of Boards & Platters / Public Speaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marjani Aladin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marjani, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Boards & Platters was genuinely the product of being surrounded by a tribe that supports your authentic self. My girl friends and I would have wine nights and get togethers and I would bring charcuterie boards on occasion. My friend is an amazing hostess and would invite us over so I always loved bringing something different and that everyone could enjoy. Plus were were entering a stage in our 20’s where we we leaning into elevating our experiences and curating moments with our friends.

All that to say, when i brought boards they were such a hit that my friends began asking me to make them for their celebrations and friends. Once I realized people were interested on a consistent basis my entrepreneurial brain kicked in quickly and the brand was born. The intent is to curate elevated charcuterie and grazing experiences that create mindful and breathtaking moments and we have had so much fun being apart of our clients special occasions and events.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Boards & Platters began in May of 2020, as lockdown was beginning to set in. We focused on creating small yet luxurious charcuterie boards that aimed to provide a moment of peace and happiness in what seemed like a crumbling world at the time. It was therapeutic for both myself and my clients to have something simple and beautiful still accessible in a time that was filled with a-lot of hopelessness. The focus was simple, artfully curated boards with high quality ingredients, and even higher quality customer service.

We did not focus on marketing, just the client and the product and we grew through word of mouth. The business began to grow however, at the time I was working full time in a corporate position and hosting a personal development podcast and show for my brand Becoming You. The challenges we faced early on were time based, figuring out how to grow the business and still do my job. As the business grew I found it became more and more difficult as we went from an order a week to getting requests for 100 boards at a time. As a team of one, it felt like a lot to juggle but my professional background helped with creating an exit strategy in a time that made sense for myself and the business.

What I want the world to know about Boards & Platters is that every board and experience that we create is based in love. It comes from the desire of wanting to share the feeling of connection, happiness, and a little luxury that I felt during my girls nights. I want couples to have a moment to connect and share over a cheese they never tried before. I want them to know that life has so much beauty in the moments we slow down and appreciate something as simple and beautiful as the pairing of a double cream brie and orange marmalade.

Life come and goes fast. So we create beautiful moments as a reminder and a exploration of the magnitude of mindful experiences through food.

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.
Atlanta has so much to offer.

Things to do — High Museum for sure, thats always at the top of my list. Go to Truist Park for a game if it is the season and grab chorizo empanadas.

Spice House is hands down one of my favorite authentic west indian experiences. At night my number one place is always Havana. If you want to dance and love latin music… its the place to go. I have never had a bad night there.

As a plant lover, I would recommend checking out Tropical Express because a day that you buy a plant is a great day. The owners are amazing and its black owned so we love that.

Lastly, if the weather permits I would grab a bike on any of the trails and go for a ride or a hike. As much as the city has to offer , connecting to nature and seeing what the state of Georgia has to offer from that vantage point reminds us to slow down and appreciate the earth around us.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My entire network is unbelievably supportive. I am incredibly blessed in that space however there are days I would not have survived the process without the support of my mother. Support looks so different for so many people but more than anything it means showing up how you can.

My mother has been on the phone with me as I did deliveries in a storm. She has called me from NJ at 2:30 in the morning as my back up alarm clock for days I had extremely early orders. She has listened to me ideate for hours and learns the names of my clients as I share the stories of the wonderful people I meet. She flew down to help me execute my largest order. The list is endless.

But most of all, she speaks life into me. Reminds me to clap for myself and always has my back no matter what. I could not have built this without her support and I feel overwhelmingly blessed to have that relationship and love in my life.

Website: boardsandplatters.com

Instagram: @boardsandplatters

Twitter: @boardsandplatters

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/boards-and-platters-charcuterie-atlanta

Other: Tiktok : @boardsandplatters