'Food is a spiritual thing'

IT has been scientifically proven that parallel lines meet at infinity. When parallel lives found their point of infinity in 1979. Eldon and Jackie Thompson combined their deep culinary passion and embarked on a journey together.

The humble couple, owners of Eldon’s Catering Limited, have come from serving thirsty pedestrians to catering for their corporate clients which include TSTT, the Unit Trust Corporation, Republic Bank, bpTT and PCS Nitrogen. “When you are born you are placed in circumstances, you are put on a particular path, and the similarities of our paths only became clear the other day when a friend highlighted it to us,” said a jovial Eldon.

Jackie is a La Brea native who was forced to move to Princes Town to be cared for by an aunt, at a very young age, due to her mother’s financial woes in raising her eight children. She also spent a lot of time at the Tobago homes of her grandmother and great-uncle. “My grandmother was a well-known caterer actually. I remember working alongside her as a little girl, stuffing prunes with peanut butter when she catered for weddings.  In addition, my uncle owned and ran “Fairly Maid” restaurant in Scarborough. I was involved in all of this and never had any intention of getting into hospitality as a career,” laughed Jackie.

A young Jackie could also be found running her mother’s parlour when she returned to La Brea after her aunt’s death. She credits these early childhood activities for her business savvy. “One of my uncles, Hollis Lynch, who owned ‘Richmond Great House’ encouraged me to study the specific field of hospitality. My family was poor and it was very difficult to leave home at 5 am to commute to the Hotel School in Chaguaramas. This was life-training for me as I learned to work hard for everything making the best out of the little that I had. I have no regrets regarding the experience,” Jackie said

At seven, Eldon was forced to leave his Mount Lambert home after “misfortune” befell his father who had to sell their house. “The experience caused the family to split. I lived at the home of some relatives in Barataria while some of my eight siblings moved to Woodbrook and Port-of –Spain until my father was able to recoup and pull the family back together. We all moved to Four Roads in Diego Martin. My father was not a man to work for anyone and decided to open a second-hand furniture store in town. However, with the advent of hire-purchase the business declined, and he just landed head first into food because he said that the people must eat. He split the store into half food and half furniture and I had to assist in selling mauby, sandwiches, punches and my siblings reflect on those days fondly,” said Eldon, the other half of the Catering equation.

Another fond memory which Eldon shared was his affinity towards the girls at the home economics class at Diego Martin Secondary who would always save him a portion of what they prepared. “One of the girls from the class knew of my love for food and told me about a related course which was being held at the Hilton International Institute. My interest was a disappointment to my father, however, because he envisioned us being doctors or lawyers,” added Eldon. “After two years at the Hilton I applied for and was granted a government scholarship to pursue a diploma in Hotel Restaurant and Resort Management at Saulte College of Applied Arts and Technology in Canada.  When I returned I became a teacher at the Trinidad and Tobago Hotel School where I met my wife who was a student at the time.” Eldon was actually one of the people who interviewed Jackie before her enrolment at the school. The couple wed in 1979, one year after Jackie had graduated.

The uncanny similarities seem almost theatric, with fate as the director and love as the stage. Jackie had already been granted the contract to run the cafeteria at St Francois Girls’ College, Belmont, when in 1981 the couple opened Eldon’s Creole Skillet on Henry Street, Port-of-Spain. The business slowly grew to prominence with increasing demand for the creole lunches that adorned the restaurant’s menu. The business was closed in 1985 when the two entrepreneurs acquired the contract to cater for the Central Bank’s cafeteria. “We are very grateful to the Central Bank because they offered us the first opportunity to showcase our work on a corporate level. When different firms held functions at the Central Bank we were asked to cater for these events and that is what really introduced us to the world of corporate catering. When the Twin Towers were officially opened we had the privilege of preparing dinner for many prestigious persons in the country including the then prime minister (George Chambers).”

How has Eldon’s Catering managed to survive 25 years of economic fluctuations in the country, management changes of major clients, and the constantly changing culinary interests of Trinidadians? According to Eldon, “we are both people oriented. We don’t try to be high profile, what we do comes naturally. Passion is a gift from God, if you find it will bring you success. If you love cutting hair all you need to do is work hard and give your best. Too many people are chasing the dollars. We need to do what we love.” With regard to their success Jackie added, “We maintain a high level of integrity and spirituality. Food in itself is a very spiritual thing. We have a love, a passion for this. We get a great sense of satisfaction from a job well done and well appreciated. It is not about the money. Money is a factor but we love what we do. We keep seeking the next level by trying not to ever be repetitive. I see this business as similar to fashion with constant changes which you need to keep up with and adapt to. That is why we keep close to nature. That is the greatest source of inspiration. We also purchase a lot of books magazines and attend international seminars to this end.”

In speaking about his greatest aspiration, Eldon’s usually amiable look became earnest. “Ultimately I want to influence people especially the youth. We have sectors of the society which are lost and will continue to be lost. That’s why I like to talk to young people, trying to ensure that they have a proper view of life and keep focussed.” Two of these young people are their daughters, one of which is currently being ushered into the management of the business. A serious-faced Jackie agreed and said, “We have achieved so much in terms of knowledge, We have a lot of people to thank, all the friends and family who have influenced us. Life right now for us is all about giving back.”