Standing left to right: Garrick Campbell, Raymond Bell, Martin John; seated: G. Dexton Campbell

At Hotep's Restaurant and Lounge in downtown Hartford, the menu features dishes made with callaloo and ackee; the decor includes busts of Nefertiti and Ramses; and the owners are focused, determined, and inseparable.

It all makes for an eclectic - and successful - mix for four University of Hartford alumni who developed a deep friendship during their undergraduate years at Ward College of Technology and made a commitment to go into business together.

The four friends - brothers Garrick Campbell '90 and G. Dexton Campbell '92, Raymond Bell '89, and Martin John '92 - all earned bachelor's degrees from the University in electronic engineering technology. John also earned a master's degree in professional accounting from the University in 1994.

They opened Hotep's last June to glowing reviews from customers, restaurant critics, and boosters of downtown Hartford.

The restaurant is a tribute to multiculturalism, with cuisine, decor, staff, and music from all over the world. The menu has strong Caribbean and South American influences, as the Campbells and Bell are all from Jamaica and John is from Guyana.

In keeping with its global theme, the restaurant's name and its pyramid-shaped logo pay homage to ancient Egypt, a society that placed great value on bringing together many different cultures. The restaurant is named after Imhotep, an Egyptian physician, priest, and sage who lived around 2650 b.c., and who is credited with building the first pyramid. The four University alumni became fascinated with Imhotep and ancient Egypt when they studied African history with Hartt Prof. Jackie McLean.

Visitors to Hotep's are greeted by a yellow, pyramid-shaped awning over the front door. Inside, busts of ancient Egyptians and handmade pottery from Central and South America, Asia, and Africa make it clear that this is not your ordinary downtown eatery. A private dining area is separated from the rest of the restaurant by gauzy white curtains that evoke images of warm tropical nights.

Customers get their first taste of Hotep's eclectic cuisine right after being seated, when they are welcomed with warm bread accompanied by spreads of mango, guava, and hummus. Reading the menu is an educational experience, with definitions of exotic foods printed along the sides and bottom of each page. Never heard of callaloo? A quick glance at the menu reveals that it is a Caribbean-style spinach. Further study of the menu shows that ackee is the Jamaican national fruit, yucca is a South American root vegetable, and chayot is a Caribbean-style vegetable.

For an appetizer, diners at Hotep's may try such interesting fare as a cured cod, plantain, and callaloo spring roll. Entrees range from such traditional favorites as filet mignon to more unusual dishes like yucca-crusted grouper. Hotep's most popular entree is cedarwood-roasted mango and mustard-glazed salmon.

Customers dine to the lively strains of recorded Brazilian music, reggae, Motown, jazz, and a variety of other musical genres; and they are served by a staff that represents virtually all corners of the world. The staff is headed by executive chef Carlton Rogers, who is from Guyana, and restaurant manager Didier Voisin, who hails from France. On Wednesday nights, Hotep's features live jazz performed by two Hartt School alumni, Dave Davis and Clifford Jarvis.

While multiculturalism is one quality that gives Hotep's its unique identity, so too is the deep affection and respect that the restaurant's owners have for each other. The Campbell brothers, Bell, and John say they cannot imagine a time when they will not be working together.

"We don't consider [running the restaurant] in the realm of work because we consider ourselves family," Garrick Campbell said. "It's always pleasurable. We enjoy being around each other."

The foursome's first joint venture was an investment club in the mid-1990s. The friends pooled and invested their money in order to raise capital for their next business venture and to gain experience working together.

Next came an entrepreneurial experiment called Roller Jam, in which they would rent a roller skating rink for a night and open it up to local college students for a giant roller skating party. The friends didn't make any money on their three Roller Jams, but they gained invaluable experience in such areas as negotiating, advertising, dealing with liability insurance, and handling a variety of other business issues.

"It really taught us the fundamentals of running a business," Bell said. They soon put that knowledge to use by forming Pyramid Holding Company, Inc., which is the parent company of Hotep's, and thereafter, they began the three-year process of getting Hotep's off the ground.

Each of the four friends has a demanding full-time career in addition to his managerial duties at Hotep's and executive responsibilities for Pyramid Holding Company. Dexton Campbell, who is Pyramid's chief operations officer, works as a financial consultant for Travelers Life & Annuity and is working toward a master's degree in finance at Sacred Heart University. Bell, the company's chief technology officer, holds an M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut and is a senior engineer for Southern New England Telephone's wireless division. John, Pyramid's chief financial officer, works as a manager in the audit practice of Pricewaterhouse-Coopers. Garrick Campbell, who is the company's president and CEO, recently worked as an assistant treasurer at Chase Manhattan Bank and is currently in transition. He has a master's degree in education from Sacred Heart University.

The fact that these go-getters have the time and energy to hold high-level jobs and run a restaurant is impressive in and of itself. But there's more. Much more.

Since 1992, the four friends have run a program for inner-city youth in Bridgeport called Zion Academy. The program's goal is the development of mind, body, and spirit in youngsters between the ages of 8 and 17. The academy typically serves about 25 students in the fall and spring, and 35 during the summer. Garrick Campbell said that ultimately, he and his three partners would like to start a school for children who live in the Greater Bridgeport area.

At the same time, they are working to establish a scholarship fund to supplement the Hartford Scholars program at the University of Hartford. The program enables Hartford public school graduates who meet the University's admission criteria to attend the University for half-tuition. Through their scholarship fund, they hope to increase the financial assistance available to a select number of Hartford scholars so that three-quarters of their tuition costs will be covered instead of one-half. They plan to hold an event at Hotep's on May 24 to raise money for the scholarship fund.

For the four young executives, Hotep's is not the culmination of a dream but rather the beginning of one. As their next project, they would like to convert the space above Hotep's into an upscale hotel. The Campbells, Bell, and John own the building, which is located at 283 Asylum St. in downtown Hartford.

Eventually, the four partners intend to replicate Hotep's at other locations in Connecticut and around the country.

All of which leaves very little time for any kind of personal life - not to mention sleep. Of the four, Bell is the only one who is married. He has a three-year-old son and another child on the way.

"I pretty much do 80-hour weeks," he said. "Going to bed at two o'clock in the morning is the norm."

Garrick Campbell has a similar schedule. "We've made tremendous sacrifices to make this happen. We've pretty much tailored our lives around our jobs, the restaurant, and Zion Academy."

Has it been worth it? Garrick Campbell answers without hesitation.

"Very, very, very much so."

Hotep's Restaurant and Lounge is located at 283 Asylum St. in Hartford. For more information, call Hotep's at (860) 548-1675 or visit the restaurant's Web site at <www.hoteps.com>.