From Gwen’s Kitchen to the Bar, A Belizean Success Story

Chief Justice Louise Esther Blenman called two attorneys to the bar earlier today.  One of those women is the owner of Gwen’s Kitchen, a popular restaurant right here on Coney Drive.  But the story of Tiffany Cadle, as someone who overcame hardship to realize her dream of one day becoming a lawyer, is an inspirational tale.  Tonight, we look at the enterprising businesswoman who has gone on to become one of few lawyers in the country who specialize in intellectual property law.  News Five’s Isani Cayetano has the following story.

Tiffany Cadle

Tiffany Cadle, Proprietor, Gwen’s Kitchen

“I love to cook.  That has been a passion of mine.  Besides everything else that I do, cooking is on the top list and it is with that passion and love that I decided, “You know what, I want to get into the food business,” and that’s how it started for me.”

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  It’s an ancient Chinese proverb that speaks to the longest and most difficult endeavors having a starting point.  For Tiffany Cadle, this process of personal and professional development has been as challenging as it has been rewarding.  Many may know her as the hard-working face of Gwen’s Kitchen, a business she started several years ago in Belize City.

Tiffany Cadle

“It’s a struggle.  I mean, everybody knows, every businessperson knows what happened after COVID and during COVID and everybody knows that one of the struggles for businesses today, especially small businesses, like myself, and even the others here on Coney Drive, is the rising cost of produce.”

Others may know her as a trained attorney, astute in information technology and intellectual property law.  But success in legal studies, as it is in business, did not come easy.  In fact, Cadle’s academic pursuit is a story that many can relate to; growing up not having much besides her family, a dream and the sheer will to achieve it.

Joy Elliott

Joy Elliott, Retired Educator

“When I met Tiffany, she was attending Orange Walk Technical High School and one of the things that actually stood out for me was the fact that, you know, even though she had her own personal struggles, she always looked out for others.  One of the main things you will see is, whenever she had her son with her, she always had a little brother or a little sister.  So that is what stood out for me more than anything else, how much she cared for her family.”

That feeling of affection and concern carries over to her extended family here at Gwen’s Kitchen.  Today, Tiffany Cadle formally joins the legal fraternity, a milestone achievement for a little girl from Crooked Tree who, despite becoming a young mother at age sixteen, has worked her way up to setting the right example for others around her.

“I, Tiffany Melecia Cadle, do affirm that I will truly and honestly conduct myself in the practice of law as an attorney-at-law, according to the best of my knowledge, skill and ability and in accordance with the laws of Belize.”

Kimberly Jones has been her best friend since high school and took care of business at Gwen’s while Tiffany pursued a law degree in the UK.  Today, all the hard work and sleepless nights, at the kitchen and at the desk, have paid off.

Kimberly Jones

Kimberly Jones, Manager, Gwen’s Kitchen

“That’s a big, big, you know, achievement for Tiffany and I applaud her, you know.  She was really strong from way back, you know, and Tiffany always had this, you know, desire to be an attorney.  You know, she always wanted to help people, that’s with her, you know, she always wanted to help to help everybody and do the right thing.  So being an attorney is a huge achievement for Tiffany and I am really proud of her.”

Being called to the bar, for Cadle, is the fulfillment a distinct impulse to follow a particular job, a vocation, if you will.

Tiffany Cadle

Tiffany Cadle, Attorney-at-law

“I remember the first time I encountered an attorney many years ago, and while that encounter brings sad memories one which I wish not to expound, it was due to the fact [that] he stood up for me and allowed me to be heard.  And it was at that point that I decided that I wanted to be an attorney because I wanted others’ voices to be heard as well.”

Isani Cayetano for News Five.