Meet Ilona Rennert | Chief Grazing Officer

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

Hi Ilona, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Growing up I always wanted to have my own bakery and I’ve always had a love for art, so I started making charcuterie boards for friends and our cul da sac parties because it was a fun way for me to be creative in both areas. I never really thought it would turn into a business because, to be honest, I didn’t think I really had the CEO mindset. But it was a friend of mine who kept encouraging me to pursue starting Bits & Bites that pushed me out of the hobby phase and give it a go. I’m a mom of two, and it was right around back to school time, so I posted on social media I was making back to school boxes and things just started to take off.

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?
Totally! So I make artisanal charcuterie boards filled with bits and bites of everything nice. I really pride myself on making edible art. I know it easy enough for people to buy cheese from the store and toss it on the plate, so I really pride myself on making something that’s visually stunning, delicious and has ingredients you wouldn’t normally buy. I want my customeres boards to feel special and really impress their guests. I love adding my own personal touches like homemade candied walnuts, pickled red onions or my chocoalte gouda bark to give you something that’s as unqiue and beautiful as it is delicious. And I’m all about the little details too! Rather than just putting dip in a cup, i’ll add fresh herbs and flowers to create a lovely, fragrant wreath. I’m mindful of the distribution of colors, so the board really pops. Oh, and I can’t forget my special touch of adding edible glitter. Oh yea!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh man, so much to do, where do we even start?? I have to preface, I’m a pretty chill, go with the flow kinda girl so a lot of what we enjoy are the small things. I live in Carlsbad, so to start we would go to one of my favorite breakfast joints, either Beach Break in Oceanside for the Kelly Bagel with an egg on the side or Crackheads in Carlsbad for their breakfast sandwich. From there we would get on our electric bikes and ride down the coast, stopping in Encinitas for a coffee at Better Buzz and then continuing for as far as our battery will take us. For dinner I would take my friends to Wrench & Rodent in Oceanside for some of the best sushi ever.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for my friend Clare Ananias. Clare believed in me before I did, she encouraged me to pursue a dream I had every doubt of achieving. She has been my cheerleader from day one and continues to be today. I am so grateful and thankful for Clare, and tell her often but to have the opportunity to let the world…or whoever is reading this, is even more special. Thank you so much Clare, you are an incredible woman, friend, mother, wife and gift to the people in your life.

Website: https://bitsandbitessd.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitsandbitessd/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BitsandBitesSD

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bits-and-bites-carlsbad

Image Credits
Janelle Aloi Photography (profile picture)