About Our Team
The BDP Team is comprised of talented and dedicated event producers, chefs, servers and bartenders who bring energy and pride to their work.
Heidi Moorman Coudal | Owner + Culinary Director
She/Her/Hers
Heidi's interest in food began with a copy of her mom's Officers' Wives Club Cookbook. Born in Munich, Germany while her family was living abroad, Heidi lived your typical military kid lifestyle, moving often and to a crazy menu of places: Germany, California, Greece, Alabama, Oklahoma, South Georgia, etc. Wherever they moved, so went the latest copy of the OWC Cookbook and new recipes for her to make with her mom for "bridge night" or dinner parties. Her favorite childhood memories were the summers spent traveling and camping around Europe in the family's red VW bus with her mom, three siblings, art books and a Michelin Guide to help them find good places to eat in the towns they visited.
After college, including a semester abroad in India, Heidi moved to Chicago and began working in film production as a production coordinator and producer, and later worked with a rock & roll caterer to help make ends meet. She noticed there was a need for catering to film sets and backstage at concerts, so Big Delicious Planet was spontaneously founded in 1994. BDP's first job was catering backstage for the band Aerosmith at the newly opened United Center, and the company spent 19 years catering at venues such as The Riviera, The Chicago Theater, Alpine Valley, the Aragon, the venue in Tinley Park and many more. During that time, and to this day, BDP catered film and photo shoots, private events, weddings and regular corporate accounts.
Heidi constantly seeks new sources of inspiration to ensure the company's culinary and event teams are evolving and staying passionate in order to be anything but your typical "catered food". Her impulsive nature and mantra of “you’ll never know until you try it” inspired her to open a cafe, the Canteen, in the front of their West Town kitchen in 2011. That same year Heidi's dream of having a “little” herb garden was realized when she planned and built a small garden in an adjacent undeveloped corner of the parking lot. The incredible BDP Urban Farm was quickly expanded to three city lots with an event space. Most notably, Heidi wanted transparency with BDP’s sustainability and in 2013 went through the process of green certification. BDP became the nation's first caterer to earn 4 Star Certified Green Restaurant status, and was named "The Greenest Caterer in America," a title BDP still holds.
Heidi enjoys dreaming up new concepts from her travels around the world, and the diverse ethnic culture and cuisine of Chicago. She enjoys throwing dinner parties for friends, hiking near her home in Wisconsin, planning fun trips, and hanging out with her family. Heidi and her husband, Jim, have three adult children: Isabelle (in grad school in London), Grace (a photographer) & Spencer (University of Colorado Boulder). They each came to work with Heidi until they were around 6 months old. To learn more about Heidi, check out her "Seriously Badass Women" feature and Voyage Chicago Magazine story.
Photo by Madi Ellis
Chelsey Bobella | Director of Weddings + Events
She/Her/Hers
Chelsey joined BDP's Weddings + Events team in 2017, as a recent hospitality graduate from the University of Illinois. She produces wedding and events, including many of the events held in BDP's urban farm and Canteen. Before graduating, she'd already spent many years in the industry, from working in country clubs where she managed a small staff, to serving in Chicago restaurants like Presidio, she gained an appreciation for attention to detail and service that makes every experience unique. When she’s not working, you can find her taste (and sip!) testing all over the city or jet setting to the West Coast. Entertaining friends in her home and all things plants are where her passions lie.
Photo by Nicole Defilippis
Jasmine Vukmarkovic | Wedding + Event Producer
She/Her/Hers
Jasmine joined BDP’s Wedding + Events team in 2021 after years of private dining + service management across Chicago’s dining scene. Driven by detail, flow, and feeling, she enjoys every aspect of event production, from the initial stages to the day of the event. BDP’s focus on sustainability and seasonality inspires her on a daily basis, and when she isn’t working on one of BDP’s many events, she enjoys cooking for her loved ones, long walks around the city, and traveling.
Photo by Madi Ellis
Annilee Taylor | Assistant Event Producer
She/Her/Hers
Annilee joined BDP in 2022 as a Catering Coordinator. After obtaining her BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies with a Minor in Small Business Administration from Indiana University – Go Hoosiers – she spent over a year in New Zealand working in the tourism, food, and coffee industries. Her passion for great food began as a teen and has developed over the years experimenting with everything from mixed cocktails through main courses to intricate desserts.When she’s not planning events for work or dinner parties for friends, she loves to spend her free time traveling and has visited Indonesia, Taiwan, Australia, Romania, Austria, Singapore, and Mexico (just to name a few!). These global experiences have provided wide exposure to various cultures and culinary experiences. When at home in Chicago she enjoys gardening, going on long walks through her neighborhood, and attending concerts in any of Chicago’s amazing venues.
Photo by Grace Coudal
Lauren Skillen-Varley | Social Media + Marketing Manager
She/Her/Hers
Lauren joined BDP in September 2021 and manages the team’s social media and marketing efforts. Her interests in food system sustainability and photography drew her to BDP and she loves being in a creative role. She has an educational background in food studies and has worked various food jobs at environmental nonprofits, a PR firm, wine retail, and even a cooking school for kids. Outside of work you’ll likely find her developing her own recipes, sipping on wine or cocktails, and hanging out with her dog, Bambi.
Photo by Grace Coudal
Bryan Sierminski | Head Chef
He/Him/His
Bryan became interested in cooking at a young age. Every family gathering was always centered around a big dinner or lots of food. Wanting to be a catalyst for all the fun at these special occasions meant providing what brought people together—food! Born and raised in Oak Park he attended Oak Park River Forest High school before entering Kendall College in 2004, specializing in culinary arts. After a couple years in the restaurant world, Bryan moved to catering where he spent time in both front and back of house. He has been catering for the past 13 years and loves that BDP gives him the opportunity to work with the freshest and most sustainable ingredients. Inspired by Japanese, French Vietnamese, Spanish and Italian cooking styles and ingredients, he prides his cooking on being authentic, in any style. When he’s not cooking up a meal for family or friends, he’s out walking his cute boxer dog, Rogie, keeping tabs on the Detroit Red Wings or relaxing on the couch enjoying a documentary.
Photo by Tuan B & Co.
Hannah Winterscheidt | Pastry Chef
She/Her/Hers
Hannah joins BDP after 12+ years producing wedding cakes, pastries, and desserts for various bakeries and restaurants. Having eaten a primarily vegan diet for the last 8 years, she specializes in making vegan (and other allergen-avoidant) pastries that aren’t just “good, for something vegan,” but overall spectacular. Hannah can often be found at home with her two cats.
Photo by Grace Coudal
Dylan Hayworth-Weste | Urban Farm Manager
He/Him/His
Dylan joined BDP in 2018 after spending two years with the McCormick Convention Center Rooftop Farm as farm manager. As BDP’s farmer, Dylan oversees the entire operation from seed to harvest. He enjoys giving tours of our urban farm to students and groups interested in sustainability and urban agriculture.