A new restaurant in Cayman hopes to have the recipe for success with a menu based on simple and fresh ingredients.
Mohan Manivannan, who runs downtown George Town’s Fresh Up Cafe, said he had trained as a chemical engineer, but had always loved mixing it up in the kitchen.
He worked for several years at the Paperman’s chain of coffee houses, recently as a team leader, before he struck out on his own.
Indian-born Manivannan said, “It was always my ambition to have my own business. I am the first one of my family to leave the country and the first to have higher studies.
“But I love to cook, so I learned to cook. Even when I go home I cook. It makes me happy.
“When I cook and give it to people and they say they like it, that makes me happy too.”
Manivannan, with three silent partners, took over the old Bread and Chocolate vegan restaurant, which closed last summer.
He said, “I want to provide fresh food at a good price. I don’t want chemical things in the food.
“Protein, carbs and vegetables — everything that should be there. That’s how I work everything.”
Manivannan said he noticed early on as he worked in the trade that there was a strong appetite for coffee and sandwiches in Cayman and decided to capitalise on the demand.
He added the cafe, a few steps up from the existing Starbucks on Edward Street, was well-placed with a captive customer base in the town’s business district.
Manivannan said, “There are a lot banks and offices around here, so I said, ‘Let’s do it’.”
He added, “Especially in town, people are looking for somewhere to eat within walking distance because of the parking problems here. Often, if people leave at lunchtime, they won’t get their parking space back.”
Manivannan, who has represented Cayman in cricket and still turns out for the police team, said he and his five staff were prepared to stick to the crease to keep customers coming back.
He added, “We never say ‘no’ to a customer. Even if it’s something off the menu, we will make it if we can. We don’t want people to walk away empty-handed.
“Fresh Up doesn’t have parking, so we want to help people who take the time to visit us as much as we can.”
Manivannan said he jumped at the chance to take over the premises after he talked to Bread and Chocolate’s owner.
He added, “He said he was tired and just wanted to get a rest and it was a good place to do business.”
Manivannan said although Fresh Up has a social media presence on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, personal recommendations had driven much of its business since it opened its doors in February.
He added, “We’re getting more people from word of mouth and that’s getting us more customers all the time.”
But Manivannan is no stranger to hard work. He regularly rose at 3am as a schoolboy to help his dairy farmer father sell the day’s supply of milk and cared for the cattle when he finished the school day.
He later worked in chemistry in the spirits industry in India, where he learned the art of blending whisky, brandy and rum.
He said the head of the business, who owned a chain of liquor stores, took him under his wing.
The married dad of one added, “He trusted me and believed in me. … That’s how I learned.”
The restaurant offers a wide selection of drinks, with a variety of coffees, teas and smoothies, as well as sodas and juices.
The food offering includes sandwiches, wraps, burgers and a variety of authentic Indian dishes.
The normal hours, 7am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, are extended to 9pm for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays and 8pm on Sundays.
Manivannan said, “We believe in our recipes and customer service. I was at Paperman’s for six years and learned a lot about customer service, about making people welcome.”
He added his customers also included tourists, who wanted to take a rest and rehydrate with cooling drinks.
Manivannan said, “I’m confident about the future and the future of George Town, 200%.”