About Umbrella Kitchen
LONDON‑BASED & HOME‑COOKED
Umbrella Kitchen is a London-based, home-cooked catering business and custom meal prep service. Food is at the heart of everything we do, and we wish to share our passion with the community, one bite at a time. We take every opportunity to consider environmental sustainability of our process – from sourcing, to cooking and packaging. Local farmers are always prioritized for our meats and fresh produce. A portion of each sale is donated to a charity every few months. We focus on those that support indigenous community growth, homeless and women’s shelters, soup kitchens, environmental groups, childcare services and safe spaces. Our motto is to “do as much good as you can, with what you have, every day.”
Our menu for custom catering options is a rotating list of seasonal items to highlight the most delicious ingredients available throughout the year. Standard meals are larger than the average catered or meal prepped plate, however, we offer smaller portions at a lower price for students, seniors, or anyone that wants to try a new food or dietary lifestyle without committing to a full plate.
How We Do It
Every dish that is prepared can come in a vegan or gluten-free version, and all items can be further customized to please your palette or dietary needs. We can also prepare large meal prep orders for families and those wishing to have a private function catered. Additionally, you can speak directly with our chef to create a meal customized to fit needs of any complexity.
Whether you are looking to feed an army or just have a specialized diet that you want a few personal-sized portions for – anything is possible – all we ask for is the notice to make sure we can properly accommodate your requests. Food is our life, let us share in it together!
ABOUT THE CHEF
Catrina Coppolino has been working in the food industry for twelve years, with a background in Italian and North American traditional cooking. She studied Culinary Arts at Niagara College and upon graduating, began working in a variety of establishments. With her previous experience in everything from fine dining and catering to diners and fast food, she opened her own restaurant with a partner in 2015 called Zyla’s Music & Menu.
Zyla’s was a thirty seat jazz bar and restaurant, with the entire menu rotating seasonally. Catrina had full control of the kitchen and its menu, creating a variety of dishes that showcased the large range of her culinary abilities. In addition to creating the menu and executing it daily, she also grew some of the seasonal produce herself in a garden behind the establishment. She wanted to have certain menu items be as fresh as possible before preparation and, in the fall, preserved items from the garden for later seasonal use. She also created the cocktail menus and worked behind the bar during some of the busier events. Zyla’s was known for offering affordable and delicious food, with a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. All around, Zyla’s was successful and quickly became a community hub for local artists and comedians. The business ended up closing in 2019 due to a change of heart with the partner, and Catrina moved to London shortly after. Zyla’s closed with a nearly five-star rating on Google, and a large musical community faced with the unfortunate reality that their ‘home’ was no more.
After exploring a different career path for a year, Catrina quickly realized that the culinary industry is where she belongs, and Umbrella Kitchen was born. The business was created with a desire to showcase food that is healthy and affordable, while allowing people with a variety of dietary needs to realize a convenient alternative to cooking for themselves.
Catrina also wants to combine positive community involvement with her passion, since she believes in giving back whenever possible. Being part of the green movement that is entering professional kitchens everywhere is a source of pride for Catrina. She believes that now more than ever, it is important to take care of our one-and-only Earth. With Umbrella Kitchen, she hopes to achieve the same level of success as with Zyla’s and become increasingly influential on her community as the business grows.
The Holistic Nutrition program through the Institute of Holistic Nutrition, a private college that specializes in this area of study – is where Catrina is currently enrolled. She is hoping to further advance her culinary enterprise to offer more wellness-focused meal plans. This will enable her to make supplement recommendations in the future to clients that will improve their overall health and maintain personal goals, while continuing the philosophy and current meal diversity already offered. She will be graduating in 2024 as a Certified Nutritional Practitioner (CNP) and looks forward to the additional benefits she can bring to clients with her designation through Umbrella Kitchen.
