COOKING UP BUSINESS
AND SERVING THE NEEDS OF OTHERS WILD BLUEBERRY GOURMET EATS CATERS TO CUSTOMERS AND DEVELOPS LIFE SKILLS BY KRISTINE SALZMANN PHOTOS BY ALI RODDAM
I
magine taking a hobby and transforming it into a small business that also offers a way for people who face barriers to employment to learn valuable job skills. Kathryn Guenette did just that when she started Wild Blueberry Gourmet Eats two years ago. On the surface, it’s another catering company that serves weddings, corporate gatherings, and other special events in Campbell River
10
W A V E M A G A Z I N E | W I NTE R 2 018
and the surrounding area. Like more and more chefs on the Island, Guenette creates seasonal menus that celebrate the region’s bounty and support local producers. Dig a little deeper, and you discover that Wild Blueberry Gourmet Eats gives Guenette an opportunity to connect with people, especially other women, through food in ways you might not imagine. Prior to training as a chef, Guenette worked with North American
Indigenous Ministries (NAIM), a Christian non-profit (she continues to work with NAIM part-time as a mentor). It was during a yearlong sabbatical from NAIM that she decided to take what was an enjoyable hobby – cooking for others – and turn it into a career. She enrolled in culinary arts school in 2009 and it wasn’t long before she realized that running her own business would be a great way to help women who could benefit from training that prepared them