Earlier this spring, Mary Gillespie wiped down and locked up her rental kitchen for the last time.

She had big plans to build her very own kitchen for her small catering company, “Ketchup With That,” on her property in Midgic. 

Little did she realize that in a matter of weeks, COVID-19 would shut down most of Canada. 

Nonetheless, Gillespie pressed on with a small team of tradespeople and has managed to build a functional catering kitchen over the warmer months. 

Her specialties are vegan and vegetarian food, as well as homestyle baked goods “with lots of cream and butter.” Rest assured, there are vegan options for baked goods, too. 

Gillespie read “Diet For a Small Planet” when she was young, which had a large impact on how she eats.

Gillespie is vegetarian to this day, and enjoys sharing tasty vegetarian food with vegans and omnivores alike. 

"When I was younger, there was a lot of bean sprouts... things have gotten a lot better. I think there's a lot more options around for people, and certainly for vegan food. There's just so many more different things you can use to cook with, and it's a lot more interesting," she says. 

Some locals might remember Gillespie’s cooking from the Dorchester Sandpiper Festival, where she prepared the chowder. 

Sharing is a big part of Gillespie’s food, regardless of dietary preferences and needs. 

Her full food philosophy is available here: 

For updates on “Ketchup With That” and not-so-secret recipes, visit ketchupwiththat.com or the “Ketchup With That” Facebook page.