Inspired by his father, a baker, Mr. Hawthorne opened the first Golden Krust in the Bronx in 1989. To fund the business, he pooled money with his siblings and their spouses. Golden Krust became a fast-growing family business with more than 120 stores in New York and beyond. Its staple offering, flaky dough patties filled with seasoned beef, chicken and other flavors, is sold in more than 30 states and distributed in New York City schools and jails.

Last week Golden Krust announced the opening of its second location in Houston. That same day, Nov. 28, Mr. Hawthorne reflected on his achievements in a post on Facebook.

“I was always in search of the next honest means to make a dollar,” he wrote. “Like many transplanted Caribbean nationals, I struggled to work and raise a family. I can only thank God for everything I have achieved, and if my story here can inspire others to rise up and give it a go, then I would have succeeded in doing something meaningful.”

Mr. Hawthorne grew up in St. Andrew, Jamaica, the sixth of 11 siblings born to Mavis and Ephraim Hawthorne, who owned a bakery. His parents sent him to the United States in 1981.

In New York, he obtained an associate degree in accounting from Bronx Community College and graduated from Herbert H. Lehman College with a bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing, according to his Facebook profile. He crunched numbers for nine years as an accountant with the New York Police Department before leaving to start Golden Krust.

Despite its rapid growth, the company remained a family business, with many of Mr. Hawthorne’s siblings, children and cousins working for the company.