Meet Desiree Gonzales of The Bries Knees

Today we’d like to introduce you to Desiree Gonzales.

Hi Desiree, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
So, as it is, I actually work a day job, an 8-5, and never really had any plans to start a business, quite the opposite in fact. I just really enjoyed making cheeseboards for myself, as it had become a sort of therapy for me, and posting them to social media. For about 6 months I fielded messages about where they can be buying a board like mine, or if I will just please start making them, so here I am, a year later, coming to valentine’s Day, making snacks for people and loving it!

The boards themselves tend to be on the more ‘bougie’ side of things, just how I like to live my life! After I decided to do a trial run, which sold out in hours, a good friend of mine approached me about doing a grazing table for her wedding. That was so much fun and turned out so well, we added that to the menu as well. I’ve been really fortunate to have an amazing support system of both friends and family, and we are excited to see what year 2 has in store for us!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think there is such a thing as a ‘smooth road’ when it comes to small business, especially when you weren’t planning on start one to begin with, but I DO feel as though the bumps in the road have been on the speed bump side rather than the roadblock side, so I’m definitely grateful for that! For me personally, self-promotion is the closest to a roadblock I have run into, and that is a lifelong one, not just in regard to business, but I really do hate to talk about myself and what I’m doing.

I actually get embarrassed by some of the attention I get when I’m putting a large table together and the party has started, but am so incredibly proud to watch people react, so I “muddle” through. Lol. Again, I do work outside of this, 2 jobs actually, and sometimes the schedule juggling is an act in itself, and I know long term, some decisions about that will be coming into the conversation!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Bries Knees Denver?
We are a Latina Owned Lux Charcuterie Company, specializing in “extra” charcuterie boxes and grazing tables. We are also shopaholics which have learned a special skill to we do, making every table, board, and box different! We also really enjoy being a part of someone’s special occasion, because we know that food holds some very special memories for people, and we get overjoyed thinking that our creations can be a part of that! We try to make our creations as personalized as possible, with little ‘thoughtful’ surprises in every corner, really making eyes light up when they are seen for the first time!

While we pride ourselves on being a little bougie, we also feel as if everyone should be able to have a beautiful table or box for their event, and we try to work with all sorts of budgets to make that happen! We have also been able to accommodate any dietary restrictions, preferences, or beliefs, which we also felt very important from the start, as there is a large community that felt unable to participate due to the charcuterie board’s typical ingredients. We also try to incorporate locally sourced products and utilize other small businesses, which has really been icing on the cake, meeting so many amazing other small businesses and being able to show their products as well!

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
With the cost of inflation and some of the other things going on in the world, I really don’t know what the future holds, not just for my business, but as far as the specific industry goes as well.

I personally, hope to try to maintain as closely as possible to what I started as, price and service wise, and hope in the midst of whatever is going on that we continue to celebrate the small things and the big things and we hope to continue to be a part of it! Luckily, with what we do, we are going to be able to weather changing trends relatively easily with a little creativity and amazing clients who trust us to make whatever their order may be extra special!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thebrieskneesdenver.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_bries_knees_denver/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBriesKneesDenver
• Other: tiktok.com/the_bries_knees_denver