Entering this restaurant I was pleasantly surprised by the ambiance of the room. The outside is brightly painted but the inside gives off a warm and somewhat, homey feeling. I was happily greeted by the wife of the owner, Dawn, who was more than happy to speak to me about her husband’s accomplishments as a culinary chef. The owner of this fine establishment is named Sherlock Shepard.
Veganism is not just a trend it is something that has been practiced for years. It includes people who are just looking to have a healthier diet and living. People switch to vegetarianism for a variety of reasons, including their health, their religious beliefs, their concerns about the welfare of animals or the use of antibiotics and hormones in cattle, or their desire to eat in a way that minimizes the use of excessive amounts of natural resources.
Early Life
When he was around 14 years old he started to hang out with Rastafarians and those people who held, similar beliefs which appealed to Sherlock. He grew up in North East LaPenitence. His parents were quite skeptical about the company he kept and were not quite permissible but, as any young, rebellious teenager would he still continued to go out with those friends and developed a close bond with them.
“It wasn’t my parents’ fault. A lot people during that time were stereotyped, especially people with dreadlocks and some were even punished for it but it is nice to see people being doctors and lawyers and what not today being able to wear their hair in that way.”
He grew up being a meat eater, he did not have a choice really since he needed to eat whatever was given to him, In 1991 he visited Linden with his friends and that was when he began his journey to becoming vegan. He decided that it was time for a change. Since then he has kept up that lifestyle and never, one day has he had any craving for meat. In 1994 he moved to North America during the season of winter and he began to become very ill and was advised by doctors that he needed to eat fish. He took the advice and tried to consume the meat but was repulsed by the taste and the rancid nature of the fish.
Sherlock attended Dolphin Community Highschool where he graduated and soon after he began selling in the market with his mother. His aunt, who was at that time a prominent figure within the Ministry knew that he possessed untapped potential that was being wasted by selling in the market and she insisted that she would have him enrolled in the University of Guyana which he attended for a short period before dropping out. He started going out and networking among a lot of people, socializing and gaining important contacts which would help push start his first career path of Cosmetology. He received some negative feedback at times that his business would not become anything worthwhile but he did not let that negativity deter him from his passion.
He started the first hair show in Guyana and went by the name of ‘Punk Sherlock’. He brought together a lot of hair stylists and barbers from various salons throughout Georgetown and they created the hair show. The people were elated to have their talent showcased and recognized and held with such regard. The hair show was held at ‘The Library Disco Club‘ on Camp Street. They had planned for a small crowd but they were blown away by the number of persons who ended up showing up for the viewing, they had to quickly make accommodations to house everyone. Some people even climbed the trees and sat on the branches just so that they could have a look. He was greatly encouraged by the turnout and the positive reviews he received. He held the second hair show at the National Sports Hall.
After going to Canada in 1996 he attended a Cosmetology school in Toronto called “Brunos”. After three months, his potential had shone through and he was the first Caribbean who received a scholarship to study at the National Institute of Cosmetology in Washington DC where he studied for 4 years. He only has an associate’s degree in Cosmetology because he didn’t get the chance to complete his degree.
Before his culinary lifestyle he started off as a cosmetologist where he also opened a salon in Canada, not far from his restaurant, it is called ‘Celebrity Touch Hair Studio‘ which he owned for 23 years.
However, when it comes to cooking he has always been around chefs. His entire family is in the culinary arts and he would have developed a liking for the art as well. Two of his brothers have their own restaurants in North America and his sister is also a chef. But most of his inspiration when it comes to cooking has been drawn from watching his mother prepare meals for them at a young age.
“Cooking is in the genes and I’m telling you, man, it’s just a blessed thing. I prepare twelve to fourteen dishes a day.”
Early Business Developments
Early on Sherlock realized that most North Americans were becoming quite health-conscious and were looking for healthy and tasty alternatives to add to their diet. Prior to this realization he himself has been vegan for many years and developed and refined his skill in creating finger-licking cuisines. He never saw himself opening a restaurant but he did realize that when a door opens suddenly it’s a path created for you to step right in.
His business was started in Toronto, Canada, in 1476 West Ontario. The business has been established for four years. Sherlock is the main chef but he has taken some amateurs under his wings whom he showed the ropes to so that they can be able to the same, flavourful cuisines that he can provide. In 2020 when the coronavirus was at its peak, the business began to experience a loss in sales, and he has always wanted to come back to Guyana so that seemed like the perfect opportunity to head back to his home country where he could venture out into establishing his very own vegan restaurant in Guyana.
“Food depends on taste, I cannot start off with one taste and then travel and it becomes a whole new experience so I ensured that there is staff in place who are able to continue that.”
His restaurant in Guyana opened in April 2022 and although it is fairly new he has seen an influx of persons who are interested in the food coming to enjoy their lunch or dinner. It wasn’t easy having to find a space to rent in Georgetown to suit the visions and plans in which he had in mind. There were a lot of renovations that had to be done, and a lot of elbow grease was put into making his dream a reality.
“A lot of interior and exterior work had to be done on the place to take it to the standard we wanted it to go to. Knowing that we are coming from North America we cannot come here just ‘flat’ so we knew we had to spend a lot of money and we knew it will be of a lot of cost.”
One of the major benefits that he pointed out about having his business established in Guyana is that you are able to source fresh vegetables and fruits. People from all over the country would deliver organic greens, and persons from the East Coast, Highway, and Linden would make the journey to provide him with the proper, raw vegetables he desired. This also contributed to the farmers who were selling. Most times they would have to resort to selling on the streets which is a harsh, economic gamble but when they noticed that the business was going to be opened they quickly contacted Sherlock about selling their produce to him. He thrives on ensuring everything is organic.
“The beauty with here that is different from North America is that here you can have fresh greens you can get every morning. We got people who deliver greens, organic greens…”
The African community, in particular, admired Sherlock for, not only his culinary skills but his ability to be open to everyone that comes to his restaurant. He related a story to me in which two Jamaican men were shocked when they peered in through the glass to see a Chinese and a Jewish man enjoying the food in the restaurant. They said “Wuh you a do behind that a dah kitchen deh to make them man a come inna yuh place? Professa, yuh a bruk record a foreign, yanno? Meh nah know wuh you a cook bai but keep cooking dah food deh, don’t leff Toronto.” they were taken aback because they were not too accustomed to seeing other races so openly supporting an African restaurant owner.
The Business Now
Sherlock enlightened me on the fact that there are many Guyanese who are vegan or vegetarian but because there has been a lack of facilities they had no choice but to order whatever veggie meal was being prepped in restaurants that predominantly serve meat which should not even be classified as veggie or vegan food. Sherlock is not at all worried about the support that he will receive from health-conscious consumers who will finally have a place in which they can happily enjoy, real, organically made cuisines.
“You cannot cook vegan in a meat pot and if a restaurant is a cooking meat we don’t work with that contamination.”
Each day, Sherlock tirelessly (but zealously) prepares a variety of dishes and beverages. His most popular dish is the split-peas cook-up rice and the stir-fried veggie. Three main beverages which you can choose from include: Spirulina Smoothie and Moringa powder create a lovely juice and a variety of fruit beverages. I also got the chance to taste the spirulina beverage which is made from seaweed and other organic herbs and it was one of the best, health smoothies I have had in a long time.
“The food here is absolutely different, purely organic. Vegan for life!”
Some of the dishes and beverages you can expect when dining
Future Plans
Sherlock plans to once again revive his passion for cosmetology by training persons in Guyana. He plans on opening a school in the early parts of 2023 where he can joyfully impart his knowledge to those who are eager to learn. He said that he has observed that many Guyanese lacks the proper knowledge in the field and they would speak contrary to what he was taught so in an attempt to remedy that situation he will open his own Institute of Cosmetology.
In regards to his restaurant, he also plans to expand to every region of the country.
If you are in Georgetown be sure to check out Celebrity Pure Vegan located at 198 Camp Street, South Cummingsburg.
Contact Information
Phone Number: 227-6061/644-5664/660-5099
Email: [email protected]
All photos are credited to Nirmal Kawall
