Children First: Kravings by Kari

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- 20-year-old Karina Ramirez created her own charcuterie board business in Visalia.

"I love the aesthetic of the colors, the different kinds of boards I can make with that. And I actually love to cook," she says. "I love to bake. I love to be in the kitchen and I always love to whip up something new."

Karina enjoys making charcuterie boards.

"It's little crackers, cheese, salami, fruits... I usually do different designs with the salami. I like to do little roses, and little squigglies with them," she says.

Karina's friend encouraged her to turn her passion into profits.

Charcuterie is derived from the French words 'chair' and 'cuit,' which translate to 'flesh' and 'cooked.' It goes back to the 1400s but is a recent Instagram hit with young adults who love the eye-catching creations.

"I sell Keto platters, I sell vegan platters, I sell meat-based platters," Karina says.

Valley Lahvosh Baking Company in Downtown Fresno sells crackers that are popular on boards.

"They're able to customize their boards with either a celebratory event or a holiday and then they can use our hearts to tie into that customization. They are also able to customize individual boxes, especially now with COVID they are able to have personalized boxes. They can do little cones... individual really delicious pieces of food that can either be shared amongst people or held individually," says Agnes Saghatelian with the Valley Lahvosh Baking Company.

Karina paid her own college tuition with profits of her new business Kravings by Kari.

"My inspiration was having to take that burden off my dad and being able to help him out help myself out and help my family out."

Karina's parents immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico.

"It was always a struggle for me growing up, not knowing English, not understanding certain things. I remember for a long time my only word that I knew was 'cherry' and 'pink' and 'dolls'," she says.

Karina wants to expand her business and become a teacher. She wants children to know they can overcome obstacles.

"If any Latina little girls are watching this, I hope you guys know that anything is possible. You guys can do absolutely anything that you put your mind to restrictions are temporary," she says.