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After surviving a pandemic and the demolition of the Elephant and Castle shopping centre, a top Caribbean spot in south London is being forced to close following after a legal battle with its landlord.
Kaieteur Kitchen Original in Castle Square was a Time Out favourite, having featured on our ranking of London’s best Caribbean restaurants. Helmed by Faye Gomes, known to many as Aunty Faye, Kaieteur wasn’t fancy or flashy but simply served some of the best Guyanese food in town.
Gomes had been serving fresh Caribbean cuisine for 20 years at Kaieteur, including her famous pepper pot, but a few months ago she was reportedly handed a £21,000 electricity bill and told she needed to pay upfront. Without the funds to do so, in October she arrived to open up shop to find it had been locked shut.
Aunty Faye wasn’t alone. Four other food traders in Castle Square – who had been relocated there from the shopping centre after it was knocked down in 2020 – received similar hefty bills and were barred from their stores.
A fundraising campaign ensued to help the traders pay for legal bills to fight the extortionate electricity bills, but in a statement posted by the local charity Latin Elephant this week, it was revealed that Kaieteur Kitchen will close for good.
The post said: ‘The landlord refused to lower the monthly repayment amount further, which was too expensive for them to accept.’
But all is not lost. Aunty Faye is on the look out for another commercial kitchen space this month, ideally in Southwark or Lambeth, and intends to launch a fundraiser soon. She’s also hosting a pop-up kitchen today (Friday December 5) from 5pm to 8pm at the Walworth Living Room.
The Castle Square traders are still fundraising to pay off legal fees. You can support them by donating here or by joining the Walking the Elephant fundraising walk this Saturday, December 6. Find out more about the walk here.
Time Out’s guide to the best Caribbean restaurants in London.
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