Ryan Kundan, 17, of East Orange, is on a mission to highlight Guyanese culture by bringing authentic cuisine to the community.
After training in a 10-week entrepreneurial course and with his mother’s support, Kundan officially opened ‘Everything Nice with Spice’ in his hometown on June 15.
Kundan, a fourth-year student at the Newark School of Fashion Design, said by opening the restaurant he hopes to fill a void for Guyanese cuisine that has been missing in East Orange for many years.
“I’ve never seen Guyanese cuisine showcased, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We’re trying to bring you Guyanese home cooking, food that you can taste and think, ‘That’s straight from Guyana.'”
A grand opening celebration was held at 3 North Harrison Street on June 15th, with participation from East Orange Mayor Ted Green, Newark City Council members and several other area residents.
“It was a really exciting experience because we didn’t expect so many people to come,” Kundan said.
Kundan’s mother, Shabana Kundan, 46, is the restaurant’s executive chef. A native of Guyana, she brings her native Caribbean cuisine to Everything Nice with Spice. Ryan Kundan says the menu includes dishes like oxtail and chicken curry, along with jerk chicken, the most popular dish.
While the opening marks the start of his journey as a restaurateur, Kundan has always been an entrepreneur, starting out by selling boxes of candy in grade school and venturing into various “businesses” over the years since, he said.
Kundan said his biggest inspiration in his entrepreneurial journey was his mother, who used to run a fried chicken restaurant.
“I feel like I learned entrepreneurship from her, seeing how much she worked and tried to create a business for herself and her family,” he said.
While his mother runs the kitchen, Ryan Kundun said his role at the new restaurant will mainly involve managing the front of the store, running the juice bar and leading promotional efforts.
Ryan Kundan was one of 27 teenage entrepreneurs who launched their own business as the culmination of a recent “Boss Up” program offered at Essex County Community College.
The 10-week course will teach teens the basics of entrepreneurship, and at the end will give students a $500 stipend to develop and launch their own businesses, said Jamila Davis, director of the program.
“The most rewarding part is seeing students who sometimes come in with low self-esteem and no idea what’s possible, and then at the end they’re full of self-esteem and full of hope and possibility,” Davis said. “And then taking them from having no income to being able to earn their own money. It’s a game changer for them.”
Kundan said that while he initially focused on the scholarship, he soon realised there was much more to the course.
“After I started, I realized it was worth more than the $500. I got so much more out of the program,” Kundan said. “(Davis) taught me how to edit, how to market my business, how to connect with people, and how to network better.”
Davis, a formerly incarcerated man, said he developed the program to help keep teens on the right path.
“I’m very committed to restorative justice,” Davis said, “so this time it was really about me doing things the right way and educating people on the right way to do things so they don’t go down the wrong path chasing money and chasing things.”
As the first student to set up a brick-and-mortar store at the end of the program, Davis said Kundan’s success has inspired other students.
“This just shows our students what’s possible. It’s an amazing accomplishment,” Davis said. “We’re excited about Ryan and the results he’s brought to the table. He’s now inspiring other kids and their parents to do the same.”
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Rebecca Heath can be contacted at RHeath@njadvancemedia.com.
