Caterer to the Stars

Marilyn Kopansky

Owner, Edible Planet Catering, www.edibleplanet.ca

by Tara Lee

photo by Jaime Kowal

Imagine serving spinach salad to Brendan Fraser, veggie burgers to Richard Dean Anderson, and wheat grass to David Duchovny. Sounds pretty glamorous, but for Marilyn Kopansky, it’s all part of a day’s work. “Brad Pitt was a doll. He was fun, generous, lively, and loved good food,” she says.

Kopansky started her film-catering company with business partner Lisanne Collett in 1994. From the start, Edible Planet has been committed to creating and serving nourishing food to both the film and the larger social communities. “I really wanted to make a change in the way people ate. I realized that if you are serving 1,000 people a day, you can make an impact on how much waste is produced and on the integrity of the food source,” she explains.

As a member of Green Table, Edible Planet runs energy-efficient facilities and uses only biodegradable and recyclable containers. Kopansky also insists upon sourcing fresh, local products. “People can eat intentionally. It can be purposeful,” she says.

Kopansky creates further purpose by lending a helping hand to her Downtown Eastside community. She has used her catering trucks to distribute food on the streets, began the annual film industry- sponsored dinner at Oppenheimer Park, and is on the board of the Potluck Café.

Kopansky gets especially excited about future plans that include setting up lunch programs in the schools and daycares in her neighbourhood.

“If I think about what my job is, it is not as a caterer or as a business owner. It is really about raising vibration.”

—Tara Lee