We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jeanette Marcelle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jeanette, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

This is such a good question, thank you for asking. In the Caribbean Trinidad and Tobago to be exact, our education system is patterned after the British system so that alone will give you an idea of how ridged the system were in my days and still a bit so because in just recent times a male student was barred from attending his prom because he wore his natural hair in cornrows and the school that was built a 100 years ago said his hair did not fit the dress code. Currently, I wear my natural hair in locs that I started growing during the pandemic and I know that I will not be going back to working for anyone but myself. I said that to say that by changing the education system you will help to change individual’s mindset.

Here are some ways that the education system could better prepare students for a fulfilling life and career, the educational system could benefit from several changes such as:

1. Emphasize Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: Instead of focusing solely on rote memorization, curricula should prioritize skills like analytical thinking and creativity, which are essential in almost any career.

2. Integrate Real-World Skills: Teaching practical skills such as financial literacy, digital literacy, and effective communication can help students navigate life beyond academics.

3. Foster Emotional Intelligence: Incorporating social-emotional learning can equip students with the ability to manage their emotions, build relationships, and handle stress more effectively.

4. Encourage Exploration and Adaptability: Allowing students to explore different interests and encourage adaptability can help them discover their passions and be more flexible in an ever-changing job market.

5. Promote Career Readiness: Providing career counseling, internships, and real-world experiences can bridge the gap between education and the workforce. How do you expect students to know how to solve real-life issues if they were never taught?

6. Support Mental Health: Ensuring that students have access to mental health resources and support systems can contribute to their overall well-being and academic success. In the Caribbean suffering from mental health is still very taboo, especially among our boy children,

By focusing on these areas, the educational system can help students become more well-rounded, adaptable, and prepared for various aspects of life and careers. This will also help teachers to break the cycle of prejudice that keeps being passed down from generation to generation.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Handmade by Jeanette Company – started as a creative expression, while I was living and working in Barbados. However, it was not until the pandemic collectively sent us to our rooms and, that I had to rethink and reshape my career as a traveling chef. I was out of a job, but I had a wealth of knowledge and experience about cuisine from around the world, not to mention that there was a surplus of indigenous ingredients available. Thus, our line of clean granola, unique sauces, and spice rubs was born. Founded by Chef Marcelle in 2020, Handmade by Jeanette Company; is a unique sustainable food brand that specializes in creating handmade, organic, and eco-friendly agri-food products. We aim to provide high-quality products while promoting sustainability and supporting local communities. One distinguishing aspect of Handmade by Jeanette Company is its commitment to addressing the problem of food waste in the agriculture sector. It aims to reduce food waste by utilizing imperfect or surplus produce that would typically be discarded, thus promoting sustainability and responsible consumption.

The Chef – Jeanette Roxanne Marlene Marcelle, that’s me! I spent over two decades working in culinary/hospitality. How I got my start in the industry is more or less the same way most of the greats start. From dishwasher to server, then to culinary school, and as they say “the rest is history” Lol! However, culinary arts choose me it was not my first choice because back then being a cook was looked down on, It was hard and expensive to study so my parents wanted me to do something safe and secure “like get a good government job” going back to the first question – our education system did not encourage females to be chefs. So after trying many things that I was not good at – cooking was what I discovered I was great at because it seems that I inherited my mother’s cooking gene, so off to cooking school I went, this time it was “do or die” because my parents were fed up with me changing my mind every six months. This time I stuck with it because I truly enjoyed cooking.

Cook trainee to Chef de Cuisine – I did my mandatory industry training at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre; as much as I loved it here, I knew I wanted more than just going to work and cooking the same thing over and over, so when the opportunity presented itself to work on Cruise ship, I dived in head first. After three years with a luxury cruise liner, it was time to return to Trinidad & Tobago and sharpen more than just my knife skills. While reading for my BA (Hons) in Human Resources Management I started my first official business – a catering company; which was very successful for several years. I also did my MBA in marketing with electives in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. After my business studies; another opportunity took me to Barbados as a kitchen manager, the platinum or the Riviera of the Caribbean as Barbados is fondly called working at the world’s first and original luxury beach club. Then it was off to the French West Indies at a small gastronomy restaurant in the capital of Martinique as Chef de Cuisine.

Chef to Agri-processor – What do you do when a pandemic obviates your career as a traveling chef? First, you have yourself a good soul-cleansing cry and then you dust off your recipe book and get down to creating employment for yourself and your community while creating clean and unique products from indigenous ingredients such as cocoa, coconut, tamarind, Scorpion pepper, and West Indies herbs. My first product was the chocolate tamarind steak sauce, which placed third in the Cocoa Research Centre’s innovative chocolate cuisine challenge. Since I started with chocolate Trinidad & Tobago produces some of the world’s finest grade of cocoa beans. “Trinitario is one of the most flavourful cocoa beans you will ever find; it was only natural that the main ingredient in most of my products feature the “food of the Gods.”

Four years later, we have a full suite of sustainable agri-food products that are sold in Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, the USA, and soon Aruba/Curacao and Jamaica.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience – the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
“the remarkable resilience of so many institutions”

1. Adaptability: Adjusting to new circumstances and finding creative solutions to problems.
2. Perseverance: Persisting in the face of difficulties and continuing efforts toward goals despite obstacles.
3. Emotional Regulation: Managing one’s emotions effectively to remain focused and calm under pressure.
4. Optimism: Maintaining a positive outlook and believing in the possibility of overcoming challenges.
5. Support Systems: Seeking and utilizing support from friends, family, or mentors to navigate tough times.

Resilience enables individuals to handle stress, recover from failures, and ultimately achieve long-term success despite challenges. My story is one of remarkable resilience and transformation. Initially, I was renowned as a traveling chef, celebrated for my exquisite culinary creations and innovative dishes. My career was flourishing as I journeyed across the globe, delighting diners and raking up my travel miles.

However, the global pandemic drastically altered the culinary landscape and my career. With travel restrictions and a sudden decline in the restaurant business, I was faced with the challenge of unemployment which sent my mental health down the toilet for a good minute. Instead of succumbing to despair, I took this as an opportunity to pivot and innovate. Drawing on my deep knowledge of ingredients and passion for quality, I decided to venture into the agri-food business.

Starting from scratch, I embraced this new field with the same creativity and dedication that I applied to my cooking. I immersed myself in understanding food production, supply chains, packaging, labeling, the chemistry of food and drugs, and sustainable practices. My resilience was evident in my ability to adapt and thrive amidst adversity. I collaborated with local farmers to source high-quality ingredients and focused on developing products that aligned with my culinary standards.

Handmade by Jeanette Company not only survived the pandemic, but now we are navigating our way through the economic downturn and also flourished, as my brand continues to grow it is known for our commitment to quality and sustainability. My journey from a traveling chef to an agri-food creator highlights my adaptability and perseverance demonstrating how resilience can turn challenges into opportunities for growth and reinvention.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As a business owner, there are several common lessons that I had to unlearn, for example:

1. Perfectionism: The need for everything to be flawless can hinder progress. It was important for me to recognize that imperfections and mistakes are part of the learning process and starting where I was, with what I had was the only way to move forward.

2. Micromanagement: I am a control freak, trusting my team and delegating responsibilities was crucial in the growth of my business. Micromanaging can stifle creativity and reduce efficiency.

3. Rigid Thinking: Being open to new ideas and flexible in my approach was necessary for innovation and adapting to market changes.

4. Short-Term Focus: Shifting from a focus solely on immediate results to considering long-term goals and sustainability can be challenging but it is essential for growth. I had this bad habit of giving myself a treat each time I made a big sale. I have since stopped and now I put that to one big treat at the end of each quarter.

5. Avoiding Risk: I had an ex-boyfriend who once told me that he could not be with me because I am over-confident in my risk-taking. Lol! I still do not understand what he meant by that, but good radiance to him. In other words; I embrace calculated risks, and I never shy away from them because each risky move took me to something greater. For example, taking a job in a French restaurant, in a French-speaking country, when I spoke no French at the time was a VERY risky move. But the opportunities for advancement that came out of that move were worth the risks.

Unlearning these habits has helped me to be a more effective person and leader, which has led to better decision-making, and overall business success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://handmadebyjeanettett.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handmade_byjeanettett/
• Facebook: yes
• Linkedin: yes
• Twitter: no
• Youtube: no
• Yelp: no
• Soundcloud: no

Image Credits

All rights reserved to Handmade by Jeanette Company.