FoodEx dispatches feasts to wherever you need to feed a crowd

This mobile caterer can serve gourmet meals almost anywhere

by Virginia Rasch — October 24, 2014

The FoodEx mobile catering truck brings you gourmet food wherever you need it. — Rene Schupbach photo

How appetizing are cold and dried-out salmon steaks or chicken breasts?

Would you prefer hot chicken breasts with a Thai curry sauce or freshly poached salmon steaks with an exotic fruit salsa?

Rene Schupbach of Kimberley, B.C., is a foodie and a caterer—but with a tangy twist. He runs his catering business out of a custom-designed truck that allows him to serve the freshest and warmest meals possible.

FoodEx caters an event in Kimberley, B.C.

His business is called FoodEx, a takeoff on the FedEx courier services company with its big, white, boxy delivery trucks.

Most caterers preheat the food in their own kitchens but then have to keep it warm for several hours before it is transported to and then served at the event. Schupbach’s FoodEx truck allows him to cook the food and serve it immediately. That’s a “huge advantage,” according to Schupbach.

What also sets him apart from other food trucks is that most truck food vendors serve only one type of food, such as fish and chips.

“I can do a whole range of dishes,” said Schupbach, adding that he serves those dishes with his signature fresh sauces, such as peppercorn sauce on filet mignon or champagne sauce on a beef roast. All of his dishes are made with fresh ingredients as Schupbach has a distaste for all processed foods.

This food entrepreneur opened The Village Bistro in Kimberley in 2002 but sold the business in 2006. Schupbach worked at several different jobs for a few years afterwards, including roofing, but he missed cooking.

A custom built mobile kitchen

That’s when he got the idea to take a truck and turn it into a mobile kitchen. He went to Calgary to have his truck custom built complete with convection ovens and shiny stainless steel counters.

“I have a full kitchen with me,” he said.

The truck has a generator, but most of the equipment runs on propane. This allows the mobile caterer to serve gourmet meals almost anywhere.

“Basically, when you want something special in a cool location, I can go there,” said Schupbach. “I just need a road.”

Schupbach has catered a wedding on the shore of St. Mary Lake outside of Kimberley and has served many parties and birthdays in people’s gardens and backyards. His services are in demand for larger events too, including serving 140 orienteerers at Kimberley’s Riverside Campground as part of the 2014 B.C. Orienteering Championships.

He generally works in the East Kootenay region, including Creston and up to Golden, charging customers for the mileage. The business is seasonal, running roughly from mid-May to mid- to late October.

The business is just over two years old, and Schupbach said he is still figuring out what works. But there’s no doubt that Schupbach and his truck are unique. This mobile caterer can dish out a freshly prepared six-course meal right at your back door.

“I am trying to build up a demand (for the mobile catering business),” he said.