Gui’s Garvin Cadogan celebrates first anniversary – Trinis get a taste for Korean food

SOME PEOPLE wait for opportunities to appear, some miss them completely, while others grab them, even when they come in unexpected forms and from unexpected places.

For 61-year-old Garvin Cadogan, opportunity has always been something to create and seize.

It is the reason he left TT over two decades ago, the reason he built a career in stocks in New York, and the reason he is now the owner of one of the more popular food places on Ariapita Avenue, Gui Korean BBQ.

Gui means “grilled” in Korean, and the story of its beginnings in Trinidad lies, not in a boardroom or even a kitchen, but with gratitude and a simple phone call. It began in Brooklyn, New York, USA, where he taught people how to trade stocks.

“I taught this Korean lady how to trade, and she bought Tesla stocks. She made a bunch of money and she opened up a restaurant. When she found out I was coming back to Trinidad, she called me. She said, ‘Hey, I want to give you something, because you gave me something. When you go back to Trinidad open a Korean barbecue.’”

His former student already had two Gui restaurants in Los Angeles and Detroit, and she believed Cadogan could make it work in his home country. He figured Trinidadians like Chinese food, so they might like Korean food as well, so agreed to try.

She provided the menu and arranged for her ex-husband to fly to Trinidad to help. For nine months he trained staff, fine-tuned recipes and helped Cadogan set up the restaurant.

Gui Korean BBQ opened on November 1, 2024, at Food Square on Ariapita Ave serving a variety of Korean barbeque meats in rice and noodle bowls, and dumplings. Everything except the sauces and dumplings is made from authentic Korean products, and even those are made in-house from scratch.

The early response was immediate. People came from all over the country or ordered through delivery apps, drawn by the novelty of Korean cuisine and the quickly spreading word-of mouth.

Still, being Trinidadians, customers began requesting fried rice almost immediately. Cadogan resisted at first as fried rice was Chinese, not Korean. But since he loves fried rice himself, and customers kept pushing, he finally gave in.

In January, the Gui Fried Rice Factory was born. It specialises in jasmine rice fried with vegetables, meats and eggs, though customers can request theirs without eggs.

“But I also wanted to have the customers interact with the cooks. So have this open concept where you can actually see what's being done, see what's being cooked, and you can interact with the cook and tell them what you want or don't want. It’s a factory, so you can actually dictate what you want in the food while looking at it being prepared.”

Asked where he learned to cook the fried rice he replied, “Who can’t cook fried rice? Anybody can cook fried rice.”

Born and raised in Diego Martin, he said the food itself is simple and believes the appeal lies in the balance of authenticity and accessibility. Korean BBQ is still new to most Trinidadians, yet familiar enough for people to feel comfortable trying it.

What excites him most is the reaction of customers who often tell him how good everything tastes.

The customer base grew so steadily that, for it’s first anniversary, Cadogan decided to expand east.

“They hear about the food so they coming to try it. They like it and they are coming back. You give people what they want and they come to you. They asked for fried rice, I gave them it – they coming. They want something closer to them – Valpark.”

The Valpark branch is already under construction and expected to open in December. That is only the beginning. After Valpark, Cadogan hopes to open branches in Chaguanas, then in south Trinidad, Arima and Tobago.

His philosophy is simple.

“When you’re on to something, you gotta grab it. You gotta run with it. Why delay? Think about it. Why wait? If you’re in demand now, go for it. When doors open, sometimes they don't open for long. So you gotta go and run with it. So right now, we are new. People like it, so I have to run with it, and I have to get my name and my label out there.”

That sense of urgency comes from experience. Earlier this year, sales dipped for several months, but Cadogan held firm because, he said, Trinidadians love to party, drink and eat. He believes, no matter the economy, restaurants and bars always find a way to survive. Especially as, from his observations, he determined this generation does not like to cook as he is busy even on Sundays.

For him, food is not new. He started cooking at age 11. His mother, who was often busy and rarely home, always ensured there was food in the house, but if Cadogan wanted a meal, he had to cook it himself.

He laughed recalling his early kitchen disasters. His first callaloo was tasty but de did not blend it, leaving it chunky. His first stewed chicken was too sweet and his first pot of rice was so mushy it could have passed for soup. Still, he kept trying and kept improving.

Although he never attended culinary school, he spent two years working in the Hilton Trinidad kitchen in his early 20s, followed by stints at several restaurants in the US later on.

But cooking is only one facet of Cadogan’s diverse resume. He once drove taxis and maxis. In 1994, he became friends with a Swedish man who handed him a computer book and insisted he read it three times. At the time, Cadogan was an electronics technician with a maritime services provider, but he realised the UWI students he was training were earning more money than him, so he went to UWI and graduated with a degree in computer engineering in 1997.

He applied for a job at a company in Houston and within two weeks, he was hired as a systems engineer. The job required constant travel. He often spent three months abroad and one month in Trinidad. After three years, he grew tired of the back-and-forth. In 2000, he decided to stay in the US permanently. By then, he and his wife had been divorced for eight years.

His journey into trading began in 2011, when he noticed a friend who constantly read stock market reports.

“When I left home (TT) I was not broke and I did not want to come back broke, so I asked him to teach me because I believed it would help me.”

He studied hard and, two years later, began trading. Soon after, the same friend who taught him was asking Cadogan for advice.

“He said, ‘Look, I never charged you for any of this knowledge, but do me a favour: Pass it on. Teach it.’ I told him I cannot teach and he said, ‘Yes, you can. You do not realise it, but when you talk, people listen.’ So I started teaching. And then it became so big that I opened my website and started teaching online.”

Though he always planned to return to Trinidad, the deciding factor was the birth of his granddaughter, now four. He wanted to build something that could secure her future.

He plans to hand the business over to his daughter, Gui’s general and marketing manager, Leah Cadogan, in about four years. Then he hopes to migrate to Asia. But not before he ensures everything is running smoothly.

“How you think is everything. Think success, not failure, and beware of negative people, negative environments. You are the one in charge of your life and your future? So how you think is everything.”

Leah, 37, has been at his side from day one. She said when her father told her he was starting the business, she joined immediately because she loves food, loves cooking and enjoys interacting with customers.

She previously worked at her mother’s catering business, and that business now makes Gui’s dumplings.

About the fried rice, she said, “Daddy takes pride in his ingredients. He makes sure your bowl is fully stocked with veggies and enough meats, because we feel like, at other places, people get robbed.”

She added that customer demand pushed them toward expansion.

“People in the East beg us to come. We have customers from South, Chaguanas, Arima and they always ask us, ‘When you moving to these places. We need ya’ll up there.’ That made daddy push even harder to get a second location.”

Looking ahead, Leah wants to diversify even further. Because customers love the dumplings, wontons and spring rolls so much, the team plans to package and sell them frozen for retail.

As their first anniversary has come and gone, she felt proud at what they achieved.

“We had some bumps in the road but we made it! I feel so blessed. I have seen people right here (Food Square) come and close within two, three months. But I think it is consistency that makes customers stay. If people come and they get the same treatment, the same tasting food, the same quantity and quality as they got to the beginning, they will keep coming.”

Gui also continues to refresh its menu to keep customers interested. Recent additions include Korean bulgogi (a dish made of thinly-sliced meat), Korean fried chicken and ramen dumpling soup, which is already proving popular.