NEW BERN, N.C. (WNCT) — With one year of storefront business under their belt, Bites on a Board owners Stacy Rhinehart and Colleen Iacch have learned a lot.

Their business venture has allowed them to make friends with customers and other business owners in the area. Now they’re celebrating their success.

“I would say, this was probably the best move for us. We needed a kitchen. There wasn’t a space where we were gonna find a kitchen that suited us. We had to find a space and start from scratch. And we built it out,” said Rhinehart.

Their friendship was accidental but sparked a business partnership with a desire to bring something new to the New Bern area. They both enjoyed eating and critiquing restaurants, right down to the decor of the dining rooms.

When COVID-19 shut things down and they weren’t able to go out to eat, they decided it was time to create their own version of a restaurant.

“It’s meats. It’s cheeses. It’s fruits and veggies, so it’s still healthy. We incorporate a hummus for your veggies, a jam. Fig is our favorite. And then some form of a mustard. And then we always put crackers on the side so they don’t get soggy,” said Rhinehart.

The two started running their charcuterie board business in Iacch’s kitchen in Oct. 2020 and quickly realized they were going to need a much larger space to work in. A year and a half went by and they were offered an opportunity to open across the back wall of Jenna’s Just-In Boutique.

“Looking back at this past year I’m like, where did it go?” said Rhineheart.

Rhineheart moved to New Bern from Detroit in 2018. Iacch and her husband moved to New Bern from Chicago just a month after Stacy and her family. They didn’t run into each other there, though. Stacy met Colleen’s husband at Atlantic Beach while taking a family trip with her own husband and kids.

“So me, the spontaneous one, I go up to him and I’m like, ‘Hey, what are you doing here looking so tan? Where are you from?” said Rhineheart.

While talking they found that both of their families had just moved to the same area in New Bern. Iacch’s husband took Rhineheart’s number to share with her, but he forgot to save it on his phone.

“All I can think of is very typical of my husband to not save the phone number. Cause he came home and he said, ‘Gosh I met the greatest girl and her husband at the beach,'” said Iacch. “I thought it was hilarious that we didn’t meet for another year.”

Bites on a Board is located at 2025 Glenburnie Road in New Bern.