First off, the "GPU cache" terminology that Maya uses probably refers to graphics data that is simply stored on the card refers to optimizing a mesh for device-independent storage and rendering in Maya . For card manufacturer's the notion of a "GPU cache" is different (in this case it means something more like the L1 or L2 CPU caches).
To answer your final question: Using OpenGL terminology, you generally create vertex buffer objects (VBO's). These will store the data on the card. Then, when you want to draw, you can simply instruct the card to use those buffers.
This will avoid the overhead of copying the mesh data from main (CPU) memory into graphics (GPU) memory. If you need to draw the mesh many times without changing the mesh data, it performs much better.