Minute on the clock: Jenny Campbell, founder, Guava Kitchen, London

04 March 2022 by
Minute on the clock: Jenny Campbell, founder, Guava Kitchen, London

As a recipient of the UK Black Business Fund, the founder of Guava Kitchen in Forest Hill, London, speaks to Caroline Baldwin about her Caribbean restaurant and diversity in the eyes of Michelin

Can you tell me about your journey from corporate career in the City to launching Guava Kitchen in Forest Hill?

I was in banking for many years and when the company I was working for had a reorganisation, I took early retirement and then thought ‘what am I going to do next?'.

I've been vegan for nine years or so and I've always been very passionate about healthy eating, but I couldn't find the Caribbean food I grew up with offered in a vegan style.

So I took to the kitchen, created some recipes and my family really liked them. I thought, maybe this is something I could try, so I opened a market stall on Brick Lane and people seemed to love it. I never thought I'd go down the road of hospitality, but it just spiralled.

I was never one for bad weather, and after one winter on the market stall I decided I needed to get inside, and that's how Guava Kitchen was born. We're now a team of 10 with around 30 covers at full capacity.

What does it mean to be one of 10 recipients of the £50,000 UK Black Business Fund, set up by Uber Eats in collaboration with Be Inclusive Hospitality and Enterprise Nation?

It's a huge opportunity, but receiving £5,000 isn't the biggest part of it, although financially it's welcomed as we opened the restaurant just before the pandemic hit.

For me, the best part is receiving hospitality mentoring for six months. People are going to tell me exactly what I'm doing wrong, and give me guidance to drive the business forward.

What are some of the highlights on your menu?

A favourite is the plantain lasagna, or pastelon from South America. I've always been so passionate about discovering new food and Guava Kitchen presents these recipes in their original format with authenticity. Another dish which is popular in the Caribbean is oxtail and butter bean stew – our vegan version is called voxtail and we do the same sauce and butter beans, but the ‘bone' is actually cassava, which is similar to yams from the potato family.

The great thing when people come to Guava Kitchen is they discover things they've not known about, and we like to educate.

What are your thoughts on the lack of diverse cuisines within awards like Michelin?

I appreciate the Michelin-star world is at such a high level, but for me, I feel the reason is that we're not getting a real voice at the table, and there isn't enough of us doing what we need to do at that level. Diverse businesses now need to step up, and I know this is already happening, but they're not being given that opportunity to shine, and despite being around for many years, no one is really hearing about them.

Often Caribbean food is just thought of as corner shop food, but take someone like Collin Brown, he's an international chef cooking this cuisine. It's time for us to come to the table. That's why I work so hard with Guava Kitchen and implement the brand in the way I do, because you don't need to be a chain of restaurants or be in the middle of Mayfair, it should be the quality of your food, the standard and the consistency.

I'm adamant Guava Kitchen isn't seen as a vegan street food. It's our twist on fine dining and we strive to create an experience.

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