Returning Vincentian opens dessert house to help support her community work

Vincentian Rachel Douglas who decided at age 11 “to give back to St Vincent,” is fulfilling her dream and has now opened a charity foundation and dessert company. The venture is dedicated to aid the disadvantaged and promote youth and community development in the country.

Douglas, who was born in St Vincent moved to the United Kingdom when she was two years old. However, because she suffers from eczema, she travels back to St Vincent and the Grenadines often for natural therapeutic treatment.

Douglas told SEARCHLIGHT she was about 11 years old when she noted the social disparity between people living in SVG and those residing in the UK, and decided that she will contribute to the development of her country.

“I would always pack a bag and bring it for my friends in Calder… because I knew that I could get it cheaper in England, and I kind of established that when I was like 10 or 11, so from that age, I knew that I wanted to give back to St Vincent. I knew that what I had in England was much more than some people had here, and it made me stop taking things for granted….”

Now at age 38, Douglas is the creator and owner of London Dessert Company, a dessert house which was created as a social enterprise to help fund the youth and community work that is being done at her charity foundation, Afro Caribbean Services St Vincent and the Grenadines (ACSVG).

“…When we started the charity, that was around the … time of the volcano, so April 2021, and we got to know a lot of young people [who] came and volunteered; so during that time we did a lot of relief work, and we worked out in the shelters, out in the homes … and some of the young people that we met on that journey are working with us now.”

Douglas said there were some who needed a job or just a second chance in life, so they have been hired to work at the restaurant, or to make deliveries, or do promotional work when needed.

“So we deal with young mothers, teenage moms, we deal with young people with mental health issues. We mentor and counsel young people struggling with their sexuality, wanting to come out, and not knowing how to do that,” Douglas explained.

She said she also works with disadvantaged young people who are having trouble completing their education, as well as young girls, especially those who struggle with ‘period poverty’.

“… We do a lot of work with them, making sure

that they have sanitary towels and tampons and cups and stuff like that, so that they don’t miss school or college,” she said, adding that she also works alongside the elderly and the disabled.

However, Douglas isn’t just focussed on assisting Vincentians with their social issues, but also on ensuring that excellence in the quality of her service and food.

“I pride myself on customer service. I worked in customer service in the UK for 10 years, so I know that customer service in the Caribbean, in general, needs a helping hand so I wanted to make sure that whatever I did, I was excellent at my customer service, I was excellent at the products that I serve…”

Douglas said London Dessert Place, located at Arnos Vale, has been designed to give customers an unusual experience of international standard where they feel as if they are not dining in St Vincent.

“…One of our mission objectives is to be different. We don’t want to be the same as anybody else on the island; we want to be totally different. We want when you come to us for you to have a different experience, and that’s what we pride ourselves on.”

Douglas said while there may be some “Vincentian twists on things,” her business is predominantly UK centred.

“So we just want everything that we do- from service to attitudes to food, to how you order…we want it to be different. We want to stand out from the rest of the crowd….”