Annica Andrew: Be humble and surround yourself with positive vibes

She is a professional caterer and an aspiring chef and is continually giving back to the community while efficiently running her small business and raising her family.

Annica Andrew, originally from Wesley - but raised in the communities of Kingshill, Newtown, and Giraudel - is the owner of Double-A Delight and Catering Services, an enterprise she describes as "a dynamic business aimed at youth development."

One of her main goals is to sponsor young people in sports and other avenues for development, and she has kept to her word.

"I sponsored the sports award to a young athlete at Northeast Comprehensive School during the previous Graduation. I also sponsored a young man for a splendid performance in cricket a few years ago. And I hosted a 2 -year cricket summer camp for young kids in the community of Giraudel before COVID hit," Andrew said.

Standing for success

Annica describes herself as a youth advocate, "I stand for success and development and I plan to make a difference in one's life where I go."

This young entrepreneur has been operating her business since 2013 and despite several knocks in life, has been able to keep going.

"Through Maria, I lost everything and it had been a struggle ever since but with God's mighty hand I am able to be a breadwinner to my kids and stand on my feet as a single mother of 2 beautiful children," Andrew said.

The caterer explained to The Sun that she has always had a craving to go into the food industry as she comes from a family where food and cooking are integral parts of daily life.

"I transformed into this career because I didn't have many options after I graduated from high school. Plus, I believe this is a natural talent that runs in the blood, my family is a cooking family," she said.

Her love for cooking also ignited a flame to improve her talent and climb the rungs of the culinary ladder.

"I plan to continue investing in my business and pursue certification as a chef," Andrew said.

This dynamic, motivated, and optimistic young lady also holds a passion the elderly, one of the country's more vulnerable groups. This is evident in how she gives back to society,

"I am a spiritual leader; I didn't come here to serve myself but to do God's work. I make the sacrifices and do anything I can to see better come from a situation," Andrew added.

Apart from sponsoring youth and helping them along the right path, Annica has given back to others through her fair share of community group involvement.

"I am the former president of the Roseau South LYO, Eggleston Youth Club, Roseau South Sports Committee, and a member of the Dominica Grammar School (DGS) Parent Teachers Association (PTA)," she said.

Future

A key part of her future entails her becoming a chef. But Annica is wise enough to invest in further education as well. She has already pinpointed how she wants to help the wider Dominica society by improving her academic skillset.

"I plan to study Social work and place myself into communities here or abroad and make a difference in people's lives," Andrew said.

This chef-in-the-making chose social work because she firmly believes she has a critical role in promoting and influencing social change, development, and empowering people and communities.

Her drive to help youth and take up social causes was further fueled by her stint in the Youth Parliament earlier this year.

"Meeting other youth Parliamentarians, I learned from them and had to mesh with different personalities and work as a team which is one of the hardest tests for young people," Andrew said.

The young businesswoman has sound words of advice for other youth contemplating entrepreneurship as a career path, "be humble and surround yourselves with positive vibes because that will creates positive outcomes."

Annica would like to see Dominicans across the spectrum spend less time focused on negative issues and more time working together to make the world a better place.

-By Andrea Louis