Eddison Layne has risen to being a well known name in several communities. He’s most well-known for his contributions to youth development and crafting flavourful vegan cuisine. Eddison is an executive member of the National Youth Council (NYC) as Public Relations Officer. Prior to that, his youth journey started with being a member of Junior Achievers in primary school and then RBC Young Leaders at St. Mary’s College (SMC). For his contributions to Young Leaders he earned the “Spirit of SMC Award”. Here’s everything we discussed with Eddison Layne!
Dazzle: Tell us about your business…
Eddison: My business is Cardinal Vegan Cuisine, it started in July, 2019. It was birthed out of the demands of my network and friends. Initially I was doing this for free and they encouraged me to go forward with it as a business that could cater to many more people.
Dazzle: How did this journey begin for you?
Eddison: It all started at Camp Kalinago which was primarily an NYC Event. The other attendees were the first to see what this business would eventually become. At the camp I would cook for myself using their kitchen. A number of people would come around and sample foods and I took that opportunity to discover what people’s palettes were like. Everyone was really impressed from then on. A few months later I started with deliveries and marketing the business. I’ve been a vegan since 2016 so preparing that type of food came naturally to me, even though I wasn’t always a cook. From my SMC days I started going to the gym and because I wanted to change my lifestyle back then I needed to know how to prepare food for myself. Following that I did massive amounts of research. I’d eat from the popular vegan restaurants locally to see what it’s like.
Dazzle: What made you decide to go vegan?
Eddison: One of my mentors, Channing, who is a musician nudged me in that direction. On his recommendation I took a few days to research people of our ethnicity in the United States like: Dr. Sebi, Dr. Llaila Afrika and Dr. Umar Johnson. They were all interesting to say the least. I realised that a lot of the standards I held were simply handed down to me and were not things I’d figure out on my own, including my nutrition. After listening to a particular video by Dr. Afrika at around 10PM I said to my mom, “I’m not eating meat anymore.” And that was it.
Dazzle: How were you able to educate your peers at SMC about healthy eating back then?
Eddison: It was about the authenticity of what we were doing. Initially we weren’t pushing for it but people were curious about why we took on that lifestyle. I say we because a good friend of mine, Allin Fevrier, caught on as well. I was always interested in keeping my food flavourful, that’s why people like it. Coming from my background, my family could always cook so I’ve always had good taste.
Dazzle: Tell us about your family background…
Eddison: My sister is a great cook and is very passionate! My mom is also a great cook, but she’s more reluctant and isn’t always in the kitchen. One of my aunts is always catering, cooking for family lunches and so on. Another aunt of mine was an F&N teacher (Food and Nutrition) at the Entrepot Secondary School. That background really drew me into wanting to eat food that was of the same standard that I was used to from home.
Dazzle: Where did the name Cardinal Vegan Cuisine come from?
Eddison: I’d go out camping with two friends, Ngugi and Kuanza, and this one time I wore a long sleeved top with the cardinal points on it and that was my favourite thing at the time. Being at the top of Donkey Beach, where the North-East trade winds hit the island. Everything going through my mind at the time drew me into this concept that it’s all about direction, placement. Cardinal felt like the right thing coming in at the right time. I had already begun using Cardinal Creations on my own Instagram and it was something I decided to stick with.
Dazzle: What makes your vegan cuisine stand out from all of the other vegan cooks that are out there?
Eddison: My food is much more liberated. I don’t have any religion or secular beliefs about cuisine that would hinder me. I open myself to the wide array of fruits and vegetables that are available to me. Every dish that we make is made with acute care, texture and flavour. It’s an international quality of Indian street food, St. Lucian staple ingredients and of course the flavours that I could get from China, Thailand, whatever it is that I can get my hands on. And I’ve been studying this for about 4 years now. I make my foods from the perspective of someone who wants to eat the best flavourful foods. I don’t think I’ve achieved that all along the journey, but when I began producing food with Cardinal Cuisine it’s been spectacular. My work has been able to hit such a wide variety that a large number of my customers aren’t even vegan. The goal had always been to make something of an international standard that both vegan and non-vegan people could enjoy.
Dazzle: Where do you find inspiration to infuse all of these cultures in your cooking?
Eddison: I had to study the market; who was doing what, and who did it best. It didn’t come all at once but I eventually got onto the guys who do this at the highest standard. Learning from them and then taking inspiration from both local and regional cooks, I was able to create my own style from that.
Dazzle: How did your clients find you initially?
Eddison: When I started up, I would call at least 30 people for each delivery given. I was also marketing on Instagram and through my friend groups. Months later I started to get calls. Being willing to give samples at NYC events and so on also helped propel me as well. Overall it was a lot of organic growth because they all really loved and wanted to promote my cuisine to others.
Dazzle: What cuisine are you most known for in particular?
Eddison: My Indian cuisine is most popular. In particular, I do something called my Special Vegan Roti. Our Italian foods are also popular because we’ve been able to take loved foods and make them work for a vegan diet.
Dazzle: What else do you do aside from vegan cuisine?
Eddison: I love working with my hands. That part of my business is called Cardinal Creations. I made bracelets while at a previous job and people would come in, see it and want one for themselves. I’m also into crystals and herbology, and how it benefits the body. In terms of my youth work, I believe advocacy is something that needs to be done in every generation. We’ve been conditioned from early on into adulthood to believe certain things. And the fact that I could assist in bringing this clarity to others, and be influential is something that’s been a pleasure for me.
Dazzle:Where do you see yourself/your business in the next 2 years?
Eddison: We just released our first digital product, Cooking with Cardinal. It’s an online course that teaches people how to prepare our style of vegan cuisine. So far, locally it’s been doing great. It’s something that I plan on continuing moving forward. I’m also looking to expand and serve people all across the market on the island with ever improving quality of food. Coming out of the COVID era, it’s no secret that restaurants can be quite expensive, so the delivery strategy is something that we believe we can continue with and improve on. Currently we deliver anywhere from Castries South to Cap Estate. While I do believe that e-products are a great idea right now I also like the idea of physical expansion, possibly to another island where we can have an impact there too. Overall I’d say that I want to make meaningful impacts on people’s lifestyle.
Dazzle:What advice would you offer to young entrepreneurs like yourself?
Eddison: I’d advise all entrepreneurs to find your people, love them and focus on service. It’s all about the people that we serve, with business, ideas and so on. And don’t be afraid to use your personal brand and your ideas to build it into what you want it to be.
