By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Catering company Grater Whey has opened a new storefront and kitchen at 3005 Hall in Hays.
Krystan Stinemetz, 38, owner, started the business out of her home in 2020. She specializes in charcuterie boards, platters and grazing tables.
The charcuterie boards start at about $35 and increase in cost depending on how many people customers wish to feed.
Grazing tables are like giant charcuterie boards, Steinmetz said. Imagine a table filled with cheeses, bread, crackers, jams, meats and honey.
She also offers entree catering, buffet and food bars, as well as box lunches. The lunches will likely run $10 to $12 each. This might include a soup and salad. Offerings will be changed often.
Steinmetz said she plans to start offering individual take-out lunches from her Hall location after the holidays. These will include an entree, side and small dessert.
The business' new home on Hall had been a dentist's office, an advantage for Stinemetz because multiple rooms were plumbed for water. Stinemetz has been working on the remodel for almost a year.
Stinemetz of Hays was a home cook. She had been a stay-at-home mom with her five kids. Her youngest, who are 4, are now in full-time preschool and she decided she wanted to strike out as an entrepreneur.
"I've cooked my whole life, and it's always been a passion," she said.
Stinemetz worked in the corporate world as a headhunter and said she didn't want to go back to that. She said she likes the flexibility of being her own boss.
She is able to express her creative side through her charcuterie boards, which have fun themes, including "Hocus Pocus" and Octoberfest.
Stinemetz will have Halloween-themed charcuterie board options in the coming weeks. In the past, these boards had been geared toward kids, but she also is planning something more adult-oriented this year.
The holidays are a busy time for Grater Whey with lots of sales of boards and boxes. Stinemetz also offers gift certificates. She will deliver for a fee of $5 within the City of Hays.
She said her food boards have been popular sympathy gifts as an alternative to flowers.
The name Grater Whey was a play on words that came to Stinemetz over a glass of wine. It's a play off of cheese references as well as a "greater way."
In the future, Stinemetz hopes to add a limited line of food and gift items at the storefront.
Grater Whey's website is under construction but will be up soon at gwhays.com. You can find Grater Whey on Facebook.
Grater Whey is open by appointment. You can call Stinemetz for orders at 785-432-3188.