Frozen to Fired Up: The Pandemic Brainchild that Became Ho Chi Minh City's Beloved Caribbean Pop-Up

Jamaican beef patties (source: Caribe)

The Story of Caribe: A Pandemic-born business that champions Caribbean culture, people and history

Founded by long-time Saigon dweller Hayden Lowry (since 2005), Caribe kicked off in 2007 when he rigged up an oil drum BBQ, a common sight in the Caribbean, to cure his homesickness and whip up some island dishes. It became Hayden's full-time gig after he lost his corporate video production job during the pandemic and after the encouragement (and willingness to pay for his food) by his friends, Hayden seized the pandemic as an opportunity to test the market.

Caribe, which translates into ‘Caribbean Home Kitchen’, was always meant to showcase a mix of Caribbean flavors. Hayden started with Jamaican beef patties to test the waters, and surprisingly, the lockdown restrictions (you could only serve uncooked food then) helped him get the ball rolling and build awareness in the market. After the lockdown, Hayden decided to ditch his permanent kitchen, hitting pause on his Jamaican patties to focus on more popular dishes his smash hit BBQ Jerk Chicken Though, regulars know they can expect something new at every pop-up, like the recent additions of Stewed Oxtail and Curry Goat, all sourced locally from Vietnam.

Caribe’s bestseller is a flamekissed BBQ Jerk Chicken (source: Caribe)

BBQ Jerk Chicken on rice served with Calypso salad (source: Caribe)

On the topic of localization (one many foreign concepts in Vietnam are familiar with), Hayden believes is less of a challenge because of the uniqueness of Caribbean food.

"Caribbean food is the world's first fusion cuisine at scale: a lasting remnant of European colonialism in the New World and arguably the best thing to come out of it. It is a nearly 400-year-old pastiche of Amerindian Aboriginal, European, African, and Asian ingredients and culinary styles. So while I've made zero effort to alter any of my dishes to appeal to local tastes, I haven't had to as almost all the ingredients are already familiar to both expats and Vietnamese alike. I think the appeal for the uninitiated has largely been in tasting the familiar in deliciously unfamiliar ways.

Although localization isn’t a problem, the real challenge lies in raising awareness about Caribbean culture. While some expats might groove to Reggae tunes or know a bit about West Indian cricket, that's usually the extent of it. As for locals? Many mistakenly place the Caribbean somewhere in Africa. Moreover, changing perceptions of Caribbean food from “local grub” to delectable culinary delights poses another hurdle. Lastly, finding reliable help and mentorship isn’t easy in Vietnam.

Founder of Caribe, Hayden Lowry, with Rou Nasser, his right-hand (source: Caribe)

Despite the hurdles, Hayden's got a solid crew backing him up, including mentors like Garret Nelson, Calvin Bui, Omar El Gendy, and Rou Nasser. Looking ahead, he's hoping to snag some investment to bring his dream of a full-scale kitchen to life. From a ‘ghost kitchen’ to officially getting its papers in 2023, Hayden's got his sights set on menu expansion, boosting brand recognition, and tightening up business practices for 2024.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint for me,” says Hayden, all about playing the long game when it comes to Caribe's success.

For upcoming pop-up dates in Ho Chi Minh City, follow @nhabepcaribe on Instagram and Facebook