Young chef aspires to open her own restaurant

At just age 21, Dionne George is already running her own home-based catering service. A venture she embarked upon two years ago, has grown into a successful business which will not only provide endless possibilities for her, but to those seeking employment in the field of culinary arts.

She shared that the establishment “Edible Treats by Georgie” aims to provide toothsome meals to customers while delivering satisfaction and keeping within their budgets.
Born and raised in Sister’s Village on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD), she shared that she realised her love for culinary arts when she was 15. But although this was her passion, it was a “no, no” for her parents.”
“The reason for me entering this profession is because of the love and passion I have for culinary arts. When I was around 15 years, I realised that this is the field I would Like to get into. When I told my parents that I wanted to enter this field, it was a no, no for them both. I remember vividly hearing my parents saying to me, “well if you want to do it then you will have to work and save your money to do it but we aren’t taking our money to send you to Carnegie.”

“For me, that was my desire. As a Christian, I believe in the scripture that says “delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart,” George said during an interview with Guyana Times.
But despite the disapproval here and there, she was determined to pursue her dreams. She recalled that after leaving high school, her drive and passion for catering as well as being a businesswoman grew. She landed her first job at a radio station where she worked for a year.
However, one night she recalled standing outside of a church waiting on some friends who were attending a crusade when Pastor Sean Sobers called her to the altar. “The institution that you want to attend, go and sign up. Don’t worry about who will support you or who will not support you. God will place people in your life and your path to help you achieve that which you set out to achieve. And even those that had refused to support you will start,” she recalled the pastor telling her.

The young entrepreneur added that she heeded the advice of Pastor Sobers, and signed up for catering classes at the Carnegie School of Home Economics. In 2019, she graduated from the institution with a Diploma in Catering and Hospitality Management.
“I did what he said and had the faith that God will do exactly that. I signed up for the programme and was selected. I resigned in August to pursue my Diploma in Catering. In November of 2017, I met my boyfriend and he supported me. He was always there to cheer me up when the odds weren’t in my favour. Long story short, my parents also decided to assist me financially.”
George said in five years’ time she sees herself graduating with a Diploma in Baking and Pastry Arts from the Academy of Baking and Pastry Arts, Trinidad and Tobago while pursuing her MBA and having a large catering establishment.
Asked to share a few words of advice to persons at home during the lockdown, she said, “This is the perfect time to perfect your culinary skills. I believe this is an opportunity to learn something new and to perfect your craft. I think we need to develop a mindset to see opportunities in crisis instead of panicking. I believe this is an opportunity to learn something new and also to perfect your craft. I have a cousin in Canada who is currently at home making her favourite Italian fish. She even said to me when all of this is over, she wouldn’t have any cause to go back to her favourite Italian restaurant as often. I think we need to develop this mindset to see opportunities in crisis. Instead of panicking.”
In the meantime, her favourite item to bake is macarons. A macaron or French macaroon is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and food colouring. George explained that while macarons have been dubbed one of the most complex desserts to make, she has mastered the art of baking them.

In fact, she admitted that the end results make her satisfied. “They are fun to make and do not require much ingredients. There are times when I bake macarons and I honestly don’t want to send them off because I can’t stop admiring them.”
For her, being an entrepreneur is way beyond the profit that comes with it. It is also about creating jobs and helping to improve the standard of living of someone. The young woman disclosed that she currently has two persons working with her who are certified food handlers. It, however, is her view that these days, entrepreneurs have this idea that you need a large company with hundreds of workers in order to contribute to your country.
“For me, that’s not true. Open a business, employ a few people and you will contribute to your country. Persons usually say unemployment is one of the major contributing factors for criminal activities. Hence, employing the unemployed will definitely do something to reduce such activities.”
The young woman’s advice to upcoming entrepreneurs is, “Own your stuff. You don’t always need a seat at people’s tables. Prepare your own. However, be selfless at it.”
While she confessed that this is a rewarding and wonderful field, she cautioned that there will be challenges along the way to success. But once you develop the heart of a champion, she believes that you can overcome everything. Apart from cooking, George, who is currently pursuing a diploma in Business Management at Nations University, enjoys reading and jamming to calypso music.
Her favourite quote from Angela Bassett goes, “There will be times when you will face insurmountable obstacles, but that’s when you dig deep down within your soul for the courage and fortitude to keep going and never forget that despite life’s detours, you are destined for greatness.”
Follow her business page on Facebook at Edible Treats by Georgie.