➡️ This article is one of the FREE preview articles included with our free membership option, we hope you enjoy this free content!
➡️ Do you love reading stories from Ponca City Monthly? Don’t miss a single article, sign up for our email newsletter and get them delivered directly to your inbox. You can subscribe here.
Walking into Amazing Graze is like walking into a bright, delicious hug. Customers are instantly greeted with the delightful smell of freshly-baked goods. The space is adorably decorated with creative touches added by owner Shelly Olsen. It features a whimsical mural by local artist Red Dirt Rosie that can’t help but make one smile.
Amazing Graze specializes in homemade cookies and charcuterie boxes. They also cater these items for special events like weddings and other celebrations. The storefront is located at 1904 Jane Street in Ponca City. It’s tucked into the east side of the Hartford Shopping Center. Shelly owns and runs the business alongside her husband Greg. Their son Trystan is the lead baker, and his wife Emma runs the retail side of things. Also on staff are Cheryl Suiter, Rylee Littrell, Chayce Hendrix, Gaby Welch, Buffy Friend and Maddie Frost.
Olsen started baking out of her home in 2022 as a side job. At the time, she was also working as a teacher. After a short period of time, she was encouraged to attend our local Farmer’s Market and sell her baked goods there. When her son got married in 2023, Olsen created a huge charcuterie grazing table for that event and knew she had happened upon an idea that would be a good fit in our community. She has always enjoyed helping people with their big days and has planned many weddings, so bringing her cooking skills into the catering world felt like a natural progression.
For the last few years, Olsen has been baking out of her home with her Cottage License and working out of the professional kitchen at the Renfro Center for the grazing side of the business. As the business grew, it became clear that Amazing Graze needed their own space where the two arms of the company could come together. When the space in the Hartford Shopping Center opened up, Olsen was excited to make it her own.
Amazing Graze offers up a unique variety of items with the menu changing each week in order to keep things new and exciting. On the sweet side, they offer six different kinds of cookies. They are massive! They also have a variety of other baked goods each week like cupcakes, brownies, mini bundt cakes and more. A super fun addition to the menu is their soft-serve ice cream. They keep two flavors available and these change weekly as well. Shelly says the ice cream offerings are really going to ramp up over the holidays when they will have some really over- the-top treats available.
The other popular offering is the graze boxes. These are made to order when a customer calls or comes in. There are a few sizes to choose from and the customer gets to decide what goes in their box. The sandwich and dip offer change weekly. Additional items available include a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, crackers, honey sticks and more. These boxes are totally customizable and are great for corporate meetings or other events when lunches need to be brought on-site. Olsen adds that they can also accommodate special requests if given advanced notice.
When asked where her love of baking comes from, Olsen credits hours spent in the kitchen with her “Mema” baking. Her grandmother always welcomed her grandkids into the kitchen and encouraged them to help her bake. Amazing Graze has incorporated several family recipes into their repertoire today, including recipes from Olsen’s Mema, Greg’s mom and Emma’s mom.
In addition to the baked goods and the graze boxes, the shop also features a small selection of locally made items and gift items for sale. When picking up sweet treats for a celebration, customers can also find cute candles, plates, napkins and greeting cards to go along with their order. Amazing Graze is also carrying Swig Life cups and coolies.
In addition to all the offerings available when you walk into the store, Amazing Graze caters events and takes special orders as well. As far as charcuterie, they offer grazing boxes, boards and tables depending on the size of the event. As far as sweets, they have 14 different cookie flavors that can be ordered in standard size or the larger size they sell in the shop. They also offer cookie cakes, stackable wedding cakes and cupcakes. By year-end, they will have catered around 40 weddings and events.
Olsen has also partnered with Pioneer Technology Center to offer some cookie and charcuterie making classes. She first taught classes in the spring of 2025 and will be back at PTC in the spring of 2026. These classes can fit around 25 students, last around two hours and fill up fast. In cookie classes, attendees learn things like basic cookie recipes and how to make buttercream frosting. Charcuterie classes include topics like shopping, pairings and techniques all needed to help build beautiful boards that will wow friends and family.
As Olsen talks about her business, she shares about how our community has truly rallied around Amazing Graze and helped her and her family be successful. Being invited to be a part of our local Farmer’s Market gained Olsen her initial following. Ben Evans, Entrepreneurial Services Coordinator at Pioneer Technology Center, helped her set up the business and get her LLC and has been there to answer any business-related questions she’s had along the way. Partnering with Derion Schieber, owner of Harvest Hall, as a Preferred Vendor has also helped grow the business. The community support since opening their doors has been overwhelming in the best possible way. Olsen shares, “I read something that says, ‘what a blessing to be so exhausted from something that you prayed for’ and that’s how I feel. We’re exhausted, but we’re also very, very blessed.”
As for the future, the team at Amazing Graze is planning to build on the foundation they’ve created. They will continue to feature new and delectable items on their weekly menus. They will continue to cater events and think of unique and creative ways to wow their clients. And they are considering some sort of loyalty program for their most consistent cookie connoisseurs. If you haven’t been in to see them yet, this is your proverbial sign.
For more information about current offerings, visit the Amazing Graze Facebook page or better yet, go see them in person. They are open Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. They close on the weekend to cater events.
In addition to delicious treats you can also pick up some great gift items from these local vendors:
Keli’s Creations
Free Your Mind Soap Works
The Farmer’s Wife
Red Dirt Rosie
Little Lemons Designs
Wild Grace
Making Ends Meet
➡️ Opt in or out of different newsletters on your “My Account” page.
➡️ Learn more about Ponca City Monthly+
Ponca City Monthly is a locally owned media company that delivers hyperlocal news through in print and online.
Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and tell a friend.
Sponsorship information/customer service: email editor@poncacitymonthly.com
 | A guest post by
|