Edible Ottawa

The Big Picture — Mandi Lunan

• Photo by Jamie Kronick

  Lunan holds up a photo of herself as Auntie Loo, back when she ran her successful vegan bakery. Behind the smiles and pies, Lunan was hiding her struggles of being an entrepreneur and coping with mental health issues.

• The Big Picture is a portrait series of people, such as Mandi Lunan photographed here at The Arts House Café, who have a vision for food beyond the plate.

• In the privacy of the “confessional” booth at The Manx pub, Lunan finds her safe space. She spends much of her time writing posts, professional tips she illustrates with personal confessions, for her food coaching business, This Charming Mandi.

• Lunan coaches her clients that true success comes with a work-life balance that focuses on self-care. “I compare being an entrepreneur with being a parent,” says Lunan, who meets with many business owners who are juggling both, “you go about it blindly, trying to do everything right in hope that your child, and your business, will thrive — but in the early years, you are the last priority.