“MY FATHER GREW UP POOR. He knew what it was to be hungry and underprivileged,” Chairman of Amory Enterprises Ernest Amory MBE tells me. “He started with just five pounds of flour,” which laid the foundation for a flourishing family bakery business – now a household name – with three storefronts on St. Kitts and a soon-to-be opened one on Nevis. “My dad told me not to worry about making money… just provide the best service and quality and the money will come,” he continues.
Ernest and his son Charlie (CEO of Amory Enterprises) continue to live by Edward Ashton Amory’s entrepreneurial ethos, putting customer loyalty front and center. Ernest fondly remembers one of Amory Bakery’s longest serving patrons: 98-year old Mr. Buchanan who “had come everyday on his [60 year old!] bicycle to buy bread since 1949.”
Shaped by their international upbringings, the father-son partnership is proof that honoring tradition while embracing the future – from kitchen technology to a wellness smoothie menu – can be a winning formula in business. While Ernest was schooled in Toronto, Charles spent his formative years in Switzerland studying Business and Hospitality Management in Zurich. But it was Edward Ashton’s grandson’s family European vacations – during which he swapped sightseeing for long lunches – that cemented Charles’ culinary education.
“When tourists visit an island, they don’t want a cheeseburger. They want local cuisine,” he says, adding, “I rarely see cassava – a Kittitian-grown crop – on menus here.” At The View, Amory Enterprises Palms Court Gardens destination restaurant, it’s a mainstay ingredient in their signature Tamarind-Glazed Chicken dish.
“I’m confident that Charles will take this business to the next generation,” Ernest says, citing “being human and knowing the importance of giving back” as two core values of their business. Carrying on Edward Ashton Amory’s philanthropy, Ernest shares that the bakery “gave thousands [61 to be exact] of loaves away during the pandemic” and often marks milestones with community giveaways, from free meals to BOGO pastries.