Smok’d & Spice: How Matthew Howell Turned a Setback Into a Growing Food Brand
Success rarely starts with everything going right.
Sometimes it starts with an idea that does not work out the way you hoped, a few hard lessons and the decision to try again with more experience than you had the first time.
That has been part of the journey for Matthew Howell, owner and head chef at Smok’d & Spice, a growing Barbadian food brand that is steadily carving out its place on the local culinary scene.
Matthew’s story did not begin with Smok’d & Spice.
About six years ago, he launched his first food business, Sauce It Up. That chapter eventually came to an end, but instead of walking away from entrepreneurship altogether, he took what he had learned, reworked the concept and returned with a new brand.
Smok’d & Spice was born.
Today, the business is approximately three years old, and Matthew is focused on building it into one of the names Barbadians think of first when they need food for an event.
Cooking Was Already in the Family
Matthew’s interest in food started close to home.
His mother is a chef, and following in her footsteps helped spark his own interest in cooking.
He later attended PomMarine, where he was able to develop his skills further and gain formal experience in the culinary field.
What began as an interest eventually became a profession, and then a business.
But even now, Matthew continues to learn.
He credits part of his ongoing development to the mentorship of Chef Deshawn Miller, Head Chef at The Cliff Beach House.
That willingness to keep learning is an important part of Matthew’s approach.
Starting a business does not mean you suddenly know everything. In fact, some of the most valuable progress can come from finding people with more experience, listening carefully and applying what they have already learned.
As Matthew puts it, someone has usually walked the road before you.
If you are willing to listen, their experience can sometimes help you avoid mistakes they had to learn the hard way.
Building More Than One Type of Food Experience
Smok’d & Spice has grown beyond simply preparing meals from one location.
Matthew and his team now operate across several different types of food experiences.
Their offerings include a Saturday night menu, which is available periodically, as well as catering for different events.
More recently, Smok’d & Spice has been developing what Matthew describes as live food, where the team prepares dishes on-site at events rather than simply arriving with everything already completed.
The business has also catered private dinners, including beachside and villa experiences, giving Matthew an opportunity to explore a more creative side of cooking and continue applying the skills he has developed throughout his career.
For him, the food is not simply a product.
It is a form of expression.
Matthew says the dishes the team creates allow them to express themselves through what they put on the plate.
That passion is also helping Smok’d & Spice become increasingly visible at events around Barbados.
Building a Customer Base Takes Time
Like many small businesses, Smok’d & Spice did not start with an established audience waiting at the door.
Matthew admits that one of the early challenges was simply building a clientele.
The business is also not located in one of the island’s most central areas, meaning customers have to make a deliberate decision to seek them out.
That makes the response Matthew receives when Smok’d & Spice appears at events even more meaningful.
He recalls hearing people recognise the business and tell others that they enjoy the food.
Those moments may seem small from the outside, but for an entrepreneur working through difficult days, they can mean a great deal.
Customer support is not always just about the purchase.
Sometimes the encouragement itself is what gives a business owner enough energy to keep moving.
Matthew says those words, smiles and expressions of support have helped him through some of the harder moments of entrepreneurship.
And there is a lesson in that for all of us.
Supporting a local business can be as simple as buying from them, recommending them, sharing their work or letting them know they are doing something well.
You never really know how much that encouragement might matter.
The Goal: Make Smok’d & Spice the Name People Remember
Matthew has a clear vision for what he wants to build next.
One goal is to fully develop the current Smok’d & Spice space into a commercial kitchen.
But the bigger ambition is about the brand itself.
Matthew wants Smok’d & Spice to become one of the leading event food brands in Barbados.
He wants it to reach the point where, when someone is planning an event and thinking about who should handle the food, Smok’d & Spice is one of the first names that comes to mind.
Importantly, he does not want the business to depend entirely on his personal identity.
He wants Smok’d & Spice to stand on its own as a brand.
That distinction matters.
For many entrepreneurs, particularly in the early stages, the founder and the business can become almost inseparable. But building a strong brand means creating something that customers recognise, trust and remember beyond the individual behind it.
That is the direction Matthew is working towards.
You Have to Believe Before Everyone Else Does
Entrepreneurship is rarely as polished behind the scenes as it looks from the outside.
Matthew describes it plainly: it is hard.
His Christian faith plays an important role in how he approaches that journey, particularly when making difficult decisions and navigating challenging periods.
He also believes strongly in having a supportive team.
Matthew credits the people around him for being willing to go the extra mile, particularly during the early stages of building the business.
But before anyone else can believe in your vision, he says, you have to believe in it yourself.
There will be moments when other people simply cannot see what you see.
That is part of building something new.
The entrepreneur may be the only person who fully understands the picture in their head at the beginning.
The challenge is having enough conviction to continue working towards it while also remaining humble enough to listen, learn and adjust along the way.
What We Can Learn From Matthew Howell
Matthew’s journey offers a few useful reminders for anyone building a business or working towards a goal.
A setback does not have to be the end of the story.
Sauce It Up closed, but the lessons Matthew gained from that experience helped shape what eventually became Smok’d & Spice.
Find people you can learn from.
Mentorship can save years of unnecessary trial and error. There is enormous value in learning from someone who has already made some of the mistakes you are trying to avoid.
Your team matters.
A business may begin with one person’s idea, but growth often depends on the people who are willing to support that vision and help execute it.
Customers can become part of your motivation.
Every recommendation, encouraging comment and repeat customer can remind an entrepreneur that the work is reaching people.
Build a brand, not just a job for yourself.
Matthew’s ambition is not simply to become better known personally. He wants Smok’d & Spice to become the name people remember.
That is a bigger goal.
Keep Going, Keep Learning
Matthew Howell’s story is still being written.
Smok’d & Spice continues to grow, experiment with new ways of serving customers and establish itself across Barbados’ event and food scene.
There is a long way between starting a business and becoming the first name people think of in your industry.
But every event, every returning customer, every new menu and every lesson learned moves the business one step closer.
And perhaps the biggest takeaway from Matthew’s journey is that your first attempt does not have to be your final form.
You can learn.
You can rework the idea.
You can come back better.
And you can keep building.
If Matthew’s story inspired you, share this article with someone who is working on a business, idea or dream of their own.
And for more stories of Barbadian entrepreneurs, creatives and changemakers building something worth paying attention to, follow Let’s Do It Barbados on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.
If he can do it, you can do it. Let’s do it, Barbados.