DEBRA LYKKEMARK DEBRA LYKKEMARK

Debra
Lykkemark
CEO, Culinary
Capers Catering
and Special
Events
Taking the
right path
By Steven Chester
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Canadian Trailblazer
Following a path chosen by many teenagers, at the age of 14 Debra
Lykkemark started bussing tables at a local restaurant for spending money.
She soon began blazing her own trail forward, climbing the front-of-house
hierarchy to the positions of hostess, server, and bartender, eventually
becoming a restaurant manager.
“I loved the business,” recalls Lykkemark.
“I was supposed to go to university, but I
decided I didn’t want to go; I would rather
be a cocktail waitress. My mom was a little
upset, but it all worked out, just like I told
her it would!”
Indeed, it did.
Now CEO of $10-million catering
company Culinary Capers, Lykkemark’s
adolescent inklings couldn’t have been
more correct. Headquartered in Vancouver,
B.C., her business reaches all the way to
Beijing, and has nourished the crowds at
three Olympic Games. She has been
featured by Profit Magazine for several
years as one of Canada’s top 100 women
business owners.
Lykkemark’s entrepreneurial spirit
awoke in 1986, as she talked a group of
friends into purchasing a coffee shop.
Having just finished cooking school, her
desire was to open a full-service restaurant,
but the funds weren’t available. So she and
her friends opened a coffee shop instead and
began catering to local business as a way to
expand their offerings.
Focus on success
“It was right around the time that Martha
Stewart put out her first book, called
Entertaining,” recalls Lykkemark. “It was
also at the time that The Silver Palate
Cookbook came out, and they were caterers
from New York. It was sort of a new trend
that was happening, so I decided to capitalize
on that because I didn’t have the
infrastructure for a proper restaurant.”
The catering end of the business took off,
far exceeding the profits of the coffee shop.
Eventually, a new kitchen was required to
accommodate the volume of business; the
coffee shop was sold, and the sole venture
into catering began.
Lykkemark’s Vancouver sales team, the
liaisons between the clients and their
food-and-beverage experience, have a
strong culinary background. Four of the
six have worked as chefs for the company
prior to joining the sales team. This
powerful knowledge base is a big reason
why Culinary Capers can deliver
Lykkemark’s goal of restaurant quality
food in a catering situation.
“I need the people that are selling to
really understand the kind of equipment
they will need to execute the menu, what
is doable and what is not for different
sizes of parties that often take place in
venues that do not have a kitchen,”
explains Lykkemark. “We create a
personalized menu for the client around
their likes and dislikes and what they
want to accomplish with their event.”
Life imitates art
Events like a recent fundraiser at the
Vancouver Art Gallery showcase the
knowledge and artistry of Lykkemark’s
group. The $1,000-per-plate dinner
featured local and sustainable food that was
created to match the colour palate of the
showcased art. Dessert featured 12 different
components – a piece of artwork in itself –
created just for this event.
Culinary Capers’ claim to fame includes
catering for the Torino, Beijing and
Vancouver Olympic Games. Despite doing
$3 million in business in three weeks
during the Vancouver Games, the
company’s most notable success was in
Beijing, which spawned a catering company
and the two full-service restaurants
Lykkemark once coveted – albeit on the
other side of the globe. The two restaurants,
called SWITCH! and SWITCH! Grill,
feature fresh, modern cuisine that has
garnered an international reputation for the
Culinary Capers brand.
Rapid Growth
“The China contract for B.C. Canada
Pavilion was five months,” says Lykkemark.
“I had an amazing time and found a
partner over there who was very
entrepreneurial and a chef. And so we kept
the catering company going after our
contract was over. It’s going to be as large
as my company in Vancouver by next year
– it is growing so fast!”
Managing the company’s global footprint
is a big focus of Culinary Capers’ business.
With a goal of zero waste, the company has
a comprehensive recycling program for
paper, glass, cardboard, metal and plastic
containers and cooking oil. The company
has installed a new high-efficiency hot
water tank, low-flow aerators in the kitchen
and washroom sinks and uses biodegradable
cleaning products.
The company’s ef forts around
composting may lead to yet another
business – turning discarded salmon skins
into treats for a very different clientele - of
the tail-wagging variety.
“My executive sous chef came up with
this idea,” says Lykkemark. “We use a lot
of salmon, and he trains dogs on the
weekend, and he was making pet treats
out of the salmon skin that the dogs
were crazy about.”
The product is currently in testing
stages for food safety and shelf stability.
Staying Innovative
Plans for the future also include producing
healthy food for vending machines in
Vancouver businesses and schools.
Lykkemark is hoping to help businesses
and school boards break away from the
snack-food varieties that are currently
being sold with more meal-oriented foods
like sandwiches and salads.
Lykkemark enjoys travelling with her
spouse of 35 years, Michael Harries, who is
managing partner and COO of the
Vancouver company. She’s a fitness
enthusiast, a firm believer that a healthy
body can maintain the stamina required for
running a business.
When asked if she could offer any
advice to young people, Lykkemark
replies: “The catering business is really
a rewarding business, but it’s extremely
demanding. Every job is different, and
there are so many details. So you need to
be really creative and like lots of
challenge and lots of hard work.
“If you’re going to get into this
business, find yourself a really good
mentor and join organizations like the
Entrepreneurs Organization, the
International Caterers Association and
t h e C a n a d i a n R e s t au r a nt a n d
Foodservices Association. These groups
have staff and members that will share
their expertise and experience with you.”
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