Meet Emily Shimwell

Emily is the Co-Owner of Graze Wilder Charcuterie (grazing options for all your special occasions made with high-quality charcuterie meats and cheeses), and Founder of Dine Wilder (a roaming dinner retreat in a thoughtfully chosen setting).

Tell us more about who you are and what you do.

Hi, I’m Emily - one half of Graze Wilder Charcuterie, alongside my friend and co-owner Rosie. We’ve known each other since we were three years old, when we met in daycare. 

Rosie grew up on a dairy farm in a big farming family, so she’s always been fascinated by the origin of food and where it comes from. I come from a background in marketing and hospitality - I’ve always loved the front-of-house energy, while Rosie thrives in the back-of-house, making beautiful food and building epic platters. 

Her passion for creating is unmatched, and I’m the one who loves showing up at the events, connecting with people, and watching them enjoy what we’ve created. That’s really how Graze was born - I kept delivering platters and never wanted to leave. I loved watching people gather around the food, and I wanted to be part of those moments.

The idea for the business actually came during COVID. I remember casually saying to my husband, “What if I started a charcuterie business?” At the time, delivering graze boxes to people’s homes wasn’t that common - there was a gap in the market. I took Rosie for a walk, asked if she’d be into it, and we just kind of went for it. We had no clue about food regulations or what it would take to get started, but we figured it out together - and here we are.

What is Graze Wilder Charcuterie?

Graze is really all about bringing people together - to celebrate, connect, and enjoy good food in beautiful ways. 

We started in 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic, when people weren’t comfortable going out to eat in Squamish. So we brought the celebrations to them. We were delivering graze boxes right to people’s doorsteps - everything from cozy date nights to mini elopement picnics. Most of the time, we wouldn’t even see the people we were delivering to, but later we’d see photos of their setups and feel so connected to these special moments we helped create.

Rosie, my co-founder, is actually a full-time pediatric nurse, and somehow we’ve made this whole thing work. As the world started opening up again, people were ready to celebrate everything. We were doing baby showers where people were spending thousands, when they used to be super low-key. Backyard weddings became a big thing too - people realized they didn’t need to drop all their money on a big venue. Instead, they were turning their gardens into these stunning spaces, and grazing tables became the perfect centrepiece for those kinds of celebrations.

Now, we’re also leaning more into the corporate side of things. We’re working with companies to offer graze boxes for offsite events - like pairing a picnic box with a team rock climbing day. It’s such a fun way to bring something fresh and elevated to team experiences.

You also work with our client, Two Rivers Meats - a She Summits partner committed to quality and community. What drew you to using their products on your charcuterie boards?

Honestly, when we first started delivering graze boxes, the very first thing people would ask us was, “Are you using Two Rivers Meats?” We heard it constantly - every single week, someone would mention it. That kind of demand made it really clear early on that people not only knew the brand, but they trusted it.

So pretty quickly, we started ordering their products. 

From day one, it’s been really important to us that we source as close to home as possible. We work hard to use local produce and support other businesses in our community, so using Two Rivers just made sense - it’s quality, it’s local, and it’s what our customers were asking for.

What are some of your favourite Two Rivers products? 

There are a few staples we use on literally every single product we sell. Their trio of salami is a must-have on every platter, and we’re obsessed with the finocchiona pepperoni sticks. We also love their prosciutto. 

Depending on the season or what’s available, we’ll switch it up and order some of their other offerings too - like the bison, which is always a hit.

You also founded the business, Dine Wilder. What is it and what can someone expect at your events?

People have started calling it a “dinner retreat for women,” and honestly, that feels pretty accurate. Dine Wilder is a full dining experience - but it’s about so much more than just the food. It’s designed to create real connections. There’s always a theme, but what really matters is the feeling in the room - it’s about conversation, community, and that sense of belonging we’re all craving.

Most of the guests come solo, and they usually don’t know anyone else attending. So we put a lot of thought into the seating plan - I do a little behind-the-scenes Instagram stalking to figure out who might vibe well together and have meaningful conversations. It’s all very intentional.

Each dinner features incredible local collaborators - a florist, a calligrapher, a chef - and we weave in a theme that sets the tone. We’ve used words like imagination, confidence, community, abundance, and joy as the anchors for the evening. There’s usually a guest speaker too, but it’s not someone talking at you - it’s more like they’re facilitating something deeper, something that invites everyone in.

We use conversation prompts to take away any awkwardness, and we always choose a beautiful, unexpected venue to keep things fresh and surprising. There’s a flowy, feminine vibe to it all - from the visuals to the energy. And we bring in a photographer so guests have gorgeous memories to take with them.