- A precursor to our upcoming Women’s Investment Webinar 2022.
Women in the culinary business should be celebrated for their vital role in our food industry. As Guyana continues to develop and tourism booms, our unique blend of food from the rich cultural backgrounds of six races is at the forefront. The food business/industry continues to grow rapidly, whether it is gourmet, creole, or what we commonly call ‘street foods’. No formal statistics are available; however, from my feasibility testing, women are considered the vast majority that offer foods from the kitchen to hungry, curious tummies. Food entrepreneurs are making delicious, wholesome, nourishing food for our people, each in its own way.
First Assembly of God Wortmanville (FAOGW) Editorial Unit sought to highlight the accomplishments and contributions of women in food. There are three visionary women entrepreneurs within our local food sector that are succeeding with great strides. Georgeanna Roberts, Thandi Cumberbatch-Osbourne, and Angela Leacock are all members of FAOGW church, that have flourishing businesses in the culinary sector. These women are taking legacies and adding their own from the kitchen to the table in creole food, pastries and cakes. They are raising the bar and setting higher, newer standards as they pave the way for other women to take the baton and follow in their footsteps. Learning about them and their work ethics and highlighting their work will allow for significant change. Overflowing with perseverance, tenacity, and humility, all three of our chefs indicated that they work hard, and if not for the love of food deep down in their hearts, they would not have stood a chance in the culinary business.
Georgeanna Roberts is a woman with a full-time corporate job who passionately loves food and all things relating to food: the preparation, the drive to perfect anything edible, and the desire to meet the craving needs of anyone. Her brand, Gia Exquisite Cuisine, offers customers satisfaction for every dollar spent.
She started from a humble beginning assisting the Women’s Ministry canteen by contributing snacks and taking snacks to her full-time job, where demand was always more than she could have supplied. She then expanded by delivering lunch specials on Fridays, which also wasn’t enough to meet the demand. Growth was so exponential that she quickly progressed from selling from a bag to a fixed location with a staff complement of three employees presently.
Though a thriving business, it does not come without its challenges. Georgeanna’s major hurdle is finding staff that is committed to her vision and cause and at times, having to finance her business out of her own pocket. However, those setbacks will not put a damper on her vision since she believes that her journey as an entrepreneur is empowering as she found her purpose and the opportunity to use her God-given gifts.
Nineteen years and counting of being self-employed have been more a cultural fact of life than just a way to figure out what to cook and sell for Thandi Cumberbatch-Osbourne. She eloquently puts it: “Food has been a family affair, stemming from my great-grandmother to my grandmother and now to me”. Thandi was blessed to start her business with the help of her parents. They assisted her in acquiring the necessary assets of stove, fridge, and like. Having completed one year at the Carnegie School of Home Economics, she commenced her entrepreneurship journey.
No successful business operates free of challenges, and Thandi’s major test is orders not picked up by customers. Those stocks remaining on her hand incur opportunity costs, losses from selling the items at below cost, or high wastage costs. Even with the setbacks, it does not deter the determined and enthusiastic Thandi from pursuing her dreams of one day owning her own restaurant. Cooking is not just a business for Thandi; it is her lifestyle. With the help of family members, mainly her mother and son, Thandi is pressing on to that dream of having her brick-and-mortar restaurant.
There is no more an iconic woman in Guyanese food than Angela Leacock. From her local Meadow Brook Gardens home, she caters to the delectable curries, the famous Guyanese cook-up, and pastries. Also, a product from the Carnegie School of Home Economics, having completed several courses; she also worked at a bakery for some time.
Being involved in cooking from a tender age, she fearlessly entered the kitchen at the passing of her mother, Mrs. Glenys Leacock, whose passion for many years was cooking and serving. Though tested by the constant rise in the cost of living, resulting in fluctuating product prices, Angela is confident in the longevity of her business and the high quality of service she offers at home and abroad. Angela is complemented constantly as being a woman of time and exceptional service. She continues to nurture her gifts and talents as she daily relies on her favourite Scripture that she can do all things through Christ who strengthens her.
All three women collectively echoed that though it is challenging at times, they believe they are precisely where they belong. Their encouragement to women is to go after something for which they have a passion. It will be worthwhile.
Let us support our women in the culinary business and support independent women to achieve their goals. When you support, you are helping Georgeanna to materialise her dream of exporting her specialty of “eggless black cake”; you are assisting Thandi to open her dream restaurant and helping Angela expand her business and promote her authentic Guyanese “cook-up”. The next time you have an event of any size and type, kindly remember all things food, pastries, and cakes can be ordered from these industrious women.
These women have not only shaped their families’ legacies but are also inspiring women in food and doing their part in improving the world. We want to wish them all the best in their culinary career dreams. You also can achieve your dream of becoming an entrepreneur, simply register at the following link bit.ly/faogwiw2022 and attend the Women’s Investment Webinar (WIM) 2022 to receive your nuggets.
