Vincent Getchum HoSang, OD, (born August 5, 1940) is a Jamaican-American businessman and philanthropist, who is the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Caribbean Food Delights and Royal Caribbean Bakery.

Early life and education

HoSang was born in Springfield St. James,

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

to Mr. and Mrs. Henry HoSang who had migrated from China in the early 1900s. He is the eighth child of ten, six boys and four girls. At age 12, HoSang's parents moved to Montego Bay. He received his early education at

Cornwall College The Cornwall College Group (TCCG; kw, Kolji Kernow) is a further education college situated on eight sites throughout Cornwall and Devon, England, United Kingdom, with its head office in St Austell. Campuses There are eight campuses within ...

. In February 1968, HoSang migrated to the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Career

In February 1978, HoSang and his wife bought a fast food store known as Kingsbridge Delight in the West Bronx, selling fried chicken, shrimp, ribs, and French fries. In 1980, Sunrise Bakery on Dyre Avenue, which was owned by another West Indian, became available. The HoSangs bought it in December 1980 with the intention of making it a full-fledged Jamaican bakery and changed its name to Royal Caribbean Bakery. In 1984, they expanded into a 15,000 sq ft.facility on East 233rd street in the Bronx where Caribbean Food Delights was incorporated and became the frozen food division of Royal Caribbean Bakery. The company at this stage expanded into the wholesale trade. Three years later in 1987, both companies expanded into a 20,000 sq ft facility in

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

, New York. The HoSangs next bought a 73,000 sq. ft. building on 10 acres of property in

Tappan, New York Tappan ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York. It is located northwest of Alpine, New Jersey, north of Northvale, New Jersey and Rockleigh, New Jersey, northeast of Old Tappan, New ...

in 1993 and named it Caribbean Food Delights.

Philanthropy

HoSang established the Vincent HoSang Family Foundation (VHFF) in April 2002 as a means of giving back to the community and educating future entrepreneurs. The VHFF is a

501(c)(3) organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of t ...

that comprises the philanthropic arm of Caribbean Food Delights and Royal Caribbean Bakery. The foundation funds full scholarships for six students studying entrepreneurship at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

. The Vincent HoSang University of the West Indies Venture Competition (UWIVC) was started in 2002. Sponsorship was taken over by the foundation since its inception. Each year, the foundation is involved in a range of philanthropic projects, such as serving over 4,000 meals to student athletes at the

Penn Relays The Penn Relays (also Penn Relays Carnival) is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. In 2012, there were ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

every year, and donating US$250,000 to

Missionaries of the Poor The Missionaries of the Poor ( la, Missionarii Pauperum) is a Roman Catholic monastic religious institute of Brothers and Sisters dedicated to ''"Joyful Service with Christ on the Cross"'' to serve the poorest of the poor. Its members use the no ...

in Jamaica to build a place of worship, a food pantry, and other community activities.

Personal life

HoSang met his wife, Jeanette (née Leefatt), who is from

Spanish Town Spanish Town ( jam, label=Jamaican Creole, Panish Tong) is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital of Jamaica from 1534 until 1872. Th ...

, in

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and got married in August 1976. The couple have four children: Damian, Sabrina, Simone and Brian. Brian HoSang was involved in a fatal motorcycle crash on May 12, 2008 at the age of 24.

Honors and awards

* Commonwealth Award, St. George's Society of New York (2010) *

Westchester County Board of Legislators The Westchester County Board of Legislators is the legislative, policy-making branch of Westchester County. The powers of the Board are enumerated in the county's charter. A key power of the Board concerns finances: appropriating funds, approving ...

Citation (2012) *

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

(Hon.), University of the West Indies (2012) *

Lehman College Lehman College is a public college in the Bronx borough of New York City. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within CUNY in September 1967. The college is named after Herbert H. Lehma ...

Community Leadership Award (2013). * Officer of the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Act'') i ...

, Jamaica (2015) *

Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each ...

Citation (2018) * Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award in the Family Business category in New York (2019).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:HoSang, Vincent Living people 1940 births Jamaican people of Chinese descent People from Montego Bay Jamaican businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople American retail chief executives Businesspeople from New York (state) Businesspeople from the Bronx Cornwall College, Jamaica alumni Officers of the Order of Distinction