Corn chow, dongs chow, peewah chow, mango, pineapple, pommerac, green apple, whatever fruit is in season, you can be sure Hot Mouth on Main Street in Chaguanas has it. There is always a small crowd waiting for chow around the Hot Mouth cart at the side of the bustling street opposite Centre City Mall.
Kavell Forde, 30, and his brother, Johnny Fernando, 41, who describe themselves as “chowologists,” are always in matching white T-shirts , briskly bagging this favourite spicy fruit snack of every true Trini. The brothers said they are Christians and actively involved in ministry and insist Hot Mouth was set up by divine inspiration.
Their mission, they said, is twofold; to earn their own honest dollar and make Trinis healthier by helping them have their daily servings of fruit. Fernando said before they even set up Hot Mouth, he literally tasted in his mouth the kind of chow they were to make.
“This business is a story of faith,” he said, as he told of how chow helped them rise from poverty to success.
Convinced of the health benefits of fruit, they developed the logo, Taste Your Health, which is printed on all their T-shirts. “You are supposed to have a serving of fruit daily but a lot of people don’t. Making fruit tastier encourages people to eat them,” Forde said.
In their chow, they use their own special mix of sauces, which includes chadon beni, and make their own pepper sauce, use no artificial additives and a minimum of salt.
“Sometimes, people ask for more salt but we try to discourage it.”
As for hot peppers? They are actually fat burners and are filled with vitamins, they said. Fernando and Forde search out the best hand-picked fruit and when mangoes are out of season and expensive, bring them in from Tobago, Grenada and even Guyana for their loyal customers. All of Hot Mouth’s chow sells out daily.
“We have regular clients. There are people who come just to buy our cucumber chow to eat with their lunch,” Forde said.
Hot Mouth is part of Ef & Ef Enterprises (for the two Fs in Fernando and Forde) and the brothers operate like professional businessmen. They have call cards, flyers and a Facebook page, take orders, do deliveries and work at special events. On Hot Mouth’s Facebook page, they constantly remind fans of the health benefits of fruit.
Grew up poor
This successful business was launched in Chaguanas 11 years ago with only $72 and the brothers endured many trials.
“We were dead broke. We used to work hard for other people, in construction, supermarkets, fast food outlets. We did a little office work too.
“But we wanted to work for ourselves. We grew up poor and decided we should leave something for our future generation.
“After we got tired of working for other people and reaching nowhere we to decided to launch out on our own. But we had no money and asked God what to do.”
One day, Fernando went to Maracas and saw a man selling chow and the thought came to him that could have been a sign. With their $72, Fernando started off selling three types of chow on the streets of Chaguanas. He brought his younger brother in later.
There were many trials and struggles in the beginning.“We had a lot of trials on the road. In those days the streets of Chaguanas used to flood nearly waist-high and sometimes we would have to throw away all our chow.
“I got arrested once. One day the police came after vendors on the street and I asked questions and was arrested for disobeying instructions, resisting arresting and obstruction.”
But the brothers pressed on, trusting. “We had a grandmother who was always praying for us and were guided on the right path from an early age.”
Today, Hot Mouth is among the most respected street vendors in Central. “We are highly respected by business people and the police.
“They understand we are not here to give any trouble. We have full respect for the law and encourage our customers to do likewise.”
Hot Mouth is such a success today that the company recently started a new branch at the University of the West Indies on Thursdays and will be opening another in San Fernando in March.