In the continually unfolding environment of local entrepreneurship where modest ‘hopefuls,’ no less than the more ambitious ones, seek earnestly to ‘cash in’ on the winds of change that appears to have drifted Guyana’s way on promises of an economic transformation driven by our protracted, now realized oil and gas ‘dream,’ Guyanese women are sending unmistakable signals that they are determined not to be left behind. If, perhaps not unexpectedly, the more ambitious entrepreneurial opportunities are being seized upon mostly by men, women, in their numbers, are seizing upon and taking advantage those opportunities that repose in their respective comfort zones.
These, however, are not the threadbare pursuits that had been envisaged with earning a subsistence living. They are, in an encouraging number of instances, growth-driven undertakings, long haul initiatives that have undergone a generous measure of contemplation by minds that had previously embarked on some measure of contemplation of the local environment. Catherina Younge fits neatly into that category. Her ‘online’ bakery, Cathy’s Treats, fits neatly into the thoughtful, creative sphere that has found its way into the local entrepreneurial culture. Indeed, it is the web of ingenuity that she has spun around what is regarded as the fairly straightforward pursuit of baking that is the promotional underpinning of its success. Come October, Cathy’s Treats will celebrate the second anniversary of its launch. A simple count-back dates its origins to the height of the COVID-19 period when the challenge to normal life demanded a generous measure of ingenuity and creativity of Guyanese pressed to function outside of those comfort zones within which they earned a living.
The moment of challenge coincided with a period during which Cathy 
was reading for an undergraduate degree in Environmental Health. Anchored, to a large extent to her books and her home, she fashioned an agenda that embraced culinary pursuits, not least, baking. That took her in the direction of experimenting with recipes. Marketing, however, was always going to be a challenge given the restrictions that the pandemic had placed on the ‘face to face’ dimension associated with meeting people. It was then that she threw Cathy’s Treats into a metamorphosis transitioning from the partnership that had been its origins and taking a decision to hack it alone. It was here, she says, that she discovered her passion for baking. Of her earlier entrepreneurial pursuit, Cathy told the Stabroek Business that it had “started with another person while we were attending University; then COVID hit and my business partner said she wanted to return to Berbice to be with her family. I had to learn how to do this alone,” Cathy said of her present undertaking.
Cathy’s Treats is a delightful journey for the sweet-toothed, no less. It 
offers an array of refrigerated ‘goodies,’ Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fudgy Brownies and Cheesecake Cups. There’s more! Her range of offerings also include Pastries, Cheese Straws, Milk Fudges, and Tamarind Balls. Whatever the preference of the palate Cathy can satisfy it. If you need to engage Cathy on securing access to her ‘goodies’ you need go no further than Safe Space, an enterprise that offers display shelves and other services to micro and small businesses situated on Robb street, opposite the Stabroek News. (Telephone: 609-3803)
