Our Story
THE MISSION
To establish Lemongrass Catering and become recognized as the premier catering, concierge service in the British Virgin Islands, we have created an entity dedicated to showcasing and utilizing the finest range of locally grown and sourced ingredients in order to highlight the diversity of our cultural food ‘ways’ while utilizing and nurturing the talents of our community.
THE PASSION
Chef Dervin Stoutt and his teams’ love of food, shared with dedication to community, afforded an opportunity to create a unique business model in which we could devote decades of experience in the industry as well as our love and commitment to our BVI home to nurture not just a business, but to support and become part of an uprising of talented and passionate cooks, farmers, fishers, foragers, potters, conservationists, and other stewards of the land and culture.
THE METHOD
During the first year(s)of business the plan is to focus on building the fundamentals of the business. That core depends wholly on the relationships created not solely with our clients (of which we anticipate being mainly private and public caterings during this period), but on the relationships we create with our team members. Speaking of team, a community is envisioned! Lemongrass’ team of chefs, stewards and trainees. Our team of farmers and growers of meats, vegetables, fruits, and flowers for our menu creations. Our team of fisherfolk who understand the need for not just the best quality but also the most sustainable seafood from our waters. Our team of artists and artisans whom we will call upon to provide beautiful music, pottery, dance, and the myriad of cultural riches necessary to the final ‘design’ of our product. The need to develop this network is integral to the success of Lemongrass, as the vision for the future hinges entirely on the support and development of these building blocks. Without the sustainability of both our human and ecological resources our mission will fail. Foremost to the success of Lemongrass Catering will be the quality of our ‘product’. The level of cuisine, the professionalism and personality of our team members and our attention to the smallest of details.
THE VISION
As with any “startup” it is understood that neither the success nor the fulfillment of the longer-term plans for Lemongrass will occur without much hard work, planning and careful management of its resources. To that end, the plan is to finance 10% of all gross income back into a “growth fund” which will allow expansion of the Lemongrass brand into a fully mobile catering facility with 18-24 months. By year five we anticipate building/outfitting a dedicated facility to house our operations. Certainly, we will need to have already made significant investments in human capital (our team will need to have grown to at least 10-15 persons) in order to realize these plans. Another integral and significant investment Lemon grass needs to make is into our community. To that end 5% of profits will be earmarked to return into the community which supports and nurtures us through charitable contributions, with a particular focus on supporting and mentoring children and youth.
