Richardo "Ricky Ten" McFarlane of Grants Pen is cooking his way to success. - Contributed
WHAT DOES it take to build a community? It takes belief in your neighbours, determination, guts and help when it is most needed.
Twenty-four-year-old Richardo "Ricky Ten" McFarlane has what it takes to do just that. He is one of many trying to reshape the Kingston community of Grants Pen into a positive, viable and energetic area. And like other successful people throughout Jamaica, his big dreams started from a small entrepreneurial seed.
On Grants Pen Road, directly across the street from the Shortwood Seventh-Day Adventist Church, sits a work in progress known as "Ricky Ten's Food Shop". It is a bustling take-out restaurant for the surrounding area.
Don't let its dark wooden planks, its unfinished ceiling, or the fact that it sits on the side of a gully bank fool you. Indeed, this restaurant seems to be the heartbeat of the area, with its home cooking, reasonable prices, smiling faces, and just about 24-hour service.
"We started on the last Friday in April 2000 and it was just a cook shed until we saw that it could work, so we took our time and developed it little by little," a proud Richardo McFarlane said.
Originally, the major food item was based around fish dishes. Today, the restaurant has added much more to its menu including, chicken, curried goat, stewed beef, steamed vegetable, ackee & saltfish and dumplings. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with operating hours spanning the early hours of the morning to late at night, sometimes as late as 3 a.m.
The Grants Pen resident says he is also a DJ who creates positive music for the people. It is from his work as an artiste that he started his business. He soon saw the need for expansion. That is where Development Options Ltd. (DO) came in.
DO, is a privately-owned consulting company which conceives, designs, manages and reviews development opportunities to facilitate social and economic improvement for its clients. The company works with organisations, individuals and in many communities, including Grants Pen, in small business development and consultation.
DO, under contract to the government manages MicroFIN, a programme that takes a non-traditional approach to providing credit for micro entrepreneurs. In 2000 it disbursed $152 million to more than 3,000 businesses. It is through this programme that Mr. McFarlane acquired the funds that allowed him to expand his business.
Maureen Webber, president of DO, said one of the micro finance organisations (MFO), smart financial services that operates under the MicroFIN programme consulted with Mr. McFarlane, then visited the shop to review his operations and determine whether his enterprise would benefit from a loan. His loan was approved.
With a $30,000 loan, the young entrepreneur was able to add to the physical structure of the shop on the piece of land that he leases. He is now also able to buy goods at the wholesale.
"Before, I couldn't buy in bulk, but now I can get just about anything from a wholesaler either by cash or credit...Because of this I have learned exactly how to run the business, and I have no problems paying back my debts," Mr. McFarlane said.
"I've achieved much more than what I started out with, and I am grateful," he added, explaining that wholesalers now deliver the goods to his shop, no longer making it necessary for him to take taxis each day to make his purchases, as was previously the case.
This young man has taken his business acumen in addition to the help he received through the credit programme and created a business that now employs four additional people. His mother, Lorna Rose, helps him to cook and generally manages the business, while three young men from the area help to serve customers and clean the restaurant.
Mr. McFarlane has plans for further expansion. Blooming flowers and plants will soon beautify the front of the take-out cookshop and there will also be a comfortable sitting area for those who want to eat there. The business owner also hopes to add three other employees to his staff to provide a delivery service to the community and wherever else his service is required.
Mr. McFarlane is well known in the Grants Pen community, as he serves not only the families in the area but the school directly across the street, the Little Angel Basic School.
"For as little as $10, a child can get a meal at the food shop," he said.
Grateful for the community's support, the entrepreneur has plans for an appreciation day that he wants to use as a platform for promoting community development.
On May 4, the street directly in front of the shop will become an avenue of music, fun, games, sports and a spirit that will bring the entire Grants Pen community together.
Not just a restaurant, Ricky Ten's Cook Shop is a symbol of hope and unity in a community where its owner hopes to be a positive force for change.
