03 Dec Get to know: Megan Czerpak
Meet Megan, FoodMesh’s Head of Communications. When she’s not busy sharing stories about FoodMesh and the impact of the amazing organizations we work with, chances are you’ll find her dancing in the kitchen with her kids or trying to paint yet another piece of rescued furniture bright turquoise.
Read on to find out the values that drive her, her favourite places in the city to visit and her top tips for reducing food waste.
When you started working at FoodMesh
I started doing some freelance work for FoodMesh in 2019 but became full-time in November of 2020.
What you do at FoodMesh
I am responsible for telling the story of FoodMesh and the impact of the outstanding organizations we get to work with.
The top three values that drive you
- Kindness
- Authenticity
- Striving to be better, to do better
Where you were born
Cambridge, England
Where in the world have you lived, outside of Canada
Your top tip for reducing food waste
Every Sunday night, my husband and I write a menu for the week ahead. We use that to inform exactly what we buy from the shop, so we have a plan for everything we get.
Sometimes we deviate from our plans, in which case, I love to swizz up our leftover fruits into a smoothie (adding any spices we have in the cupboard like cardamom or cinnamon), or cook up our leftover veggies into stock.
Your favourite place to visit in the town/city you currently live
More than anything, I love to be out in nature – either in the forest, up a mountain or on the water. I’m so grateful to have these beautiful places on my doorstep.
In the city though, there are so many gems – too many to list. For a delicious coffee, I head to Cafe Lokal or Arbutus Coffee. For a good movie, the Hollywood theatre. For the best sushi in town (in my humble opinion), Green Leaf (if you haven’t tried their Aburi Eggplant Oshi Sushi, try it. Immediately).
Your favourite thing about the job
At a time when it feels like the world is in crisis, I am so proud to be part of an organization that is contributing to a solution.
Your favourite way to use up food in your fridge
Depending on what’s in there, I love frying leftovers up in butter (lots of it), white wine (lots of that too) and Dijon mustard. A fried egg on top never goes amiss, and lashings of HP sauce to finish it off.
If you could eat only one cuisine for the rest of your life, it would be…
That’s a toughie. Today, I’d say Mediterranean food. I know that’s cheating because that technically includes lots of different cuisines, but I will gladly eat all of it.
Oh, and Mexican food. And Indian. And Japanese. And whatever my mum cooks… Okay, this is an IMPOSSIBLE question to answer. Next..?
How you like to recharge
Your favourite quote
I’m going to cheat again, and share two:
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou
“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
― Roald Dahl, The Twits
Who inspires you, and why
What makes you laugh
My kids are perfecting the art of sarcasm. They make me laugh. A lot.
Also, anything from Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement or Bret McKenzie is guaranteed to have me in stitches.
The most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date
Take care – of yourself and of those around you. Work is important, but the well-being of the people doing the work is more important.
A fun fact about you
I have an obsession with turquoise – especially things that are rustic. I paint a disproportionate amount of my rescued furniture in the colour, and if I see anything turquoise in a thrift store or yard sale, I am often compelled to buy it.
Three words to describe you
Like this? Get to know other members of the FoodMesh team!
