Executive Chef for Summer Haven, Zahra Jabbar, is one of those people who always knew what she wanted to be when she grew up. Her great-aunts were caterers in the 1960?s and 1970?s and from the time she could walk, she found herself ?mucking? about in the family kitchen with her twin sister.

?I guess you could say I come from a family of cooks and found my purpose in life early on,? she recalls with a smile.

Zahra graduated from Whitney Institute where she took home economics for four years and loved every minute of it. She then went on to enrol in the professional chef course at the Bermuda College.

But her path to success was not always an easy one as her mother protested against her completing the course because she insisted only males followed this line of work. However, determined to graduate and find her place in what was then considered a male-dominated industry, Zahra completed her studies which included an internship with Stonington Beach Hotel and Horizons.

She graduated in 1995 from the Bermuda College. Unfortunately it was also at this point in her life that she admits she lost interest and went to work in the airline industry.

As she reflects on her decision to switch fields, she clarifies: ?It has to click... back then I don?t think it was my time, I needed a moment of clarity to realise that, and then came back into the industry with a vengeance.?

This 30-year-old Warwick woman believes every day is a challenge and since there are no limitations to cooking, each day, like each recipe, evolves differently.

?No two days are alike. Sometimes even the recipe for a basic sauce can change. It?s a work in progress and that?s what drives me. My work is creative and challenging at the same time,? she says.

Zahra adds that every good chef needs to be artistic when it comes to flavour and presentation and allow their senses of smell and taste to lead them in order to be successful.

?Don?t be afraid to taste things!? she suggests and adds that part of her success is in not being afraid to try new things.

She admits that she loves what she does because she has her own style: ?I?m creative and my kitchen is a blank canvas that I get to paint a new picture with everyday.

Being the Executive Chef of a large kitchen does come with its own set of challenges and Zahra admits her staff and those who they cook for are a challenge.

?I like to see my staff use their own initiative and come up with new things,? she says, but admits that she can be a little aggressive at times.

?I have to remember that not everyone has the same goals as me and I drive people crazy sometimes,? she admits.

As for those who get to indulge her culinary delights, Zahra believes in taking everything with a pinch of salt: ?You have to take everything they say constructively and not personally, although that is hard sometimes.?

Like most chefs, Zahra dreams of opening her own restaurant sometime in the future, but in the meantime offers her gourmet cooking skills to private high-end catered functions through a business called Eat Elite.

When she feels like dining out, Zahra admits that she finds the local restaurants, food and service under par and prefers cooking up a storm at home surrounded by friends and family.

To youngsters considering a future in hospitality and the culinary arts, Zahra suggests they complete their education and work abroad for a while to learn the basic ways of doing things.

?A lot of chefs come to Bermuda to make money and have no respect for the industry...Find a mentor who is thorough and can teach you the proper way to do things,? she insists, adding that the Executive Chef at Mediterraneo Ristorante in Hamilton, Johnny Roberts, was her mentor.

Although she cooks for a living, Zahra says she never gets tired of firing up the stove, even during her time off.

She invites youngsters to give her a call if they want to learn more about becoming a chef, but adds: ?You have to love what you do in life, including cooking!?

?It makes a huge difference when you actually do something that you really enjoy.?

It is this philosophy in life that Hotel Manager for the Royal Palms, Theresa Harney-Zuill, has followed all her life. During her childhood years in the UK she often spent time at the luxurious hotels her father was managing and found herself in awe.

?I really didn?t always want to be in this industry, but my dad has been in the industry all his life and that is how I was introduced to it,? she adds.

Ironically, as a teenager Theresa says she worked ?everywhere but hotels?.

As a student at Mount Saint Agnes she completed various business classes including computers, typing, economics and accounting before attending The Bermuda College where she completed the Front Office Procedures programme.

This programme covers all areas of the front office, including accounting, night audit, housekeeping, tourism and front desk.

?At the time it was quite an intense programme with the second year being broken up into six weeks of theoretical training at the college followed by six weeks of practical training at Stonington Hotel,? she elaborates.

During her last year she was selected as an exchange student and spent three months at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming at one of this park?s hotels.

?This experience was such a culture shock, but confirmed I had made the right decision in the career path I had chosen,? she admits with a smile.

It also helped her land her first job, as an article about her trip in spotted by Elbow Beach Hotel management who set up an interview with Theresa after she graduated and subsequently employed her as a front desk agent.

Theresa made quite an impression and a year later was promoted to front desk supervisor and eventually Manager on Duty after only three years with the hotel.

She subsequently left the hotel, but returned within a year and was appointed Front Desk Manager and worked her way up to Front of House Manager, which saw her responsible for various departments including front desk, concierge, bell desk, and switchboard operations.

However, in 2005, Theresa says she realised she had reached her pinnacle at Elbow Beach and moved on to the newly opened 9 Beaches Hotel Resort where she was the Cabana Division Manager.

?Being part of an ongoing hotel was my greatest challenge, but the experience I took from that was immeasurable,? she adds.

Due to uncertainty of the resort?s future, she joined the family-owned Royal Palms Hotel earlier this year. Theresa says as Hotel Manager no two days are alike and she loves that she does not have to spend all day stuck behind a desk. ?The most important part of my day is chatting with the guests during breakfast. After that the day is filled with a variety of things and when you manage a smaller property, you are responsible for everything such as answering the phone, taking reservations, recommending activities, managing staff issues and general issues, accounting, payroll, purchasing, inspecting rooms prior to guest arrivals and ensuring our guests are happy,? she explains.

Describing herself as patient, friendly, direct and a go-getter, the mother of two adds that one of her biggest challenges is dealing with the attitude of other people in the service industry.

?By that I mean a guest may have an unpleasant taxi driver from the airport, or a surly shop assistant.?

The only thing you can really do in such cases, she says, is apologise on behalf of them and not let that one experience mar their whole vacation: ?It really is important that everyone realise that our attitude whether positive or negative has an impact on our tourists.?

?No matter what line of work we are in, even kids on the bus, we at some point come into contact with a visitor and we must treat them the same we would like to be treated.?

Patience, she believes is the one trait anyone considering a future in the hospitality industry must have: ?You must be comfortable dealing with people of different racial backgrounds, certainly have effective people skills, good appearance and be articulate.?

Theresa believes it is important for tourists to leave Bermuda with the intent of returning, not only because of the beauty of the Island, but because of our hospitality toward them.

Kelli-Ann Smith is always looking for good people. As Human Resource Director for The Fairmont Hamilton Princess, Kelli-Ann?s major responsibilities are recruiting and getting the best people for the job. She describes it as ?matching the talent with the task?.

She enjoys everything about her work, but warns that while hospitality is a fun industry, it is also hard work: ?The fact that I can have fun at work, work in a great entertainment environment, meet awesome people, eat good food, stay in the best hotels in the world and work with a great family... most importantly, it is great to set colleagues up for success and to see their development and career progression.?

Kelli-Ann ended up in the hospitality industry by chance: ?I knew that business was an interest to me and that I was attracted to Human Resources because of the diverse areas that one can specialise in. I didn?t realise that I would end up in hospitality, but I have enjoyed this decision ever since,? she explains.

She started her career at the Bank of Bermuda as a management trainee and worked in all aspects of banking including human resources, investments and credit operations. But her interest in hospitality was always there because she loved working with people.

When she saw an ad in the paper for an Assistant Director of Human Resources at The Fairmont Hamilton Princess, she applied and within 10 months was promoted to Human Resources Director.

Her daily challenges include the ?war? on talent and competing for the best people in the current labour market: ?I am constantly spreading the message to young people about the numerous career opportunities that are available in the industry. Some of the young people are not aware of the over 150 careers that are offered and the fact that we continue to compete with the international market.?

To overcome this, Kelli-Ann says the hotel set up public relations campaigns to help spread the word that the hotel helps educate and promote Bermudians within the industry.

What do you need to succeed?

?If you are a people person with a great smile, love anticipating the needs of the guests, are a problem solver, responsible, articulate and professional and have a great empathy, then this is the place for you!?

Kelli-Ann adds that they are also constantly looking for young people with great arranger skills, who are also high achievers, consistent in their performance.

As for herself, she describes herself as a people person with high integrity, morals and strong work ethics: ?I don?t settle for mediocrity and believe that I am a great listener and offer good advice.?

In fact her colleagues refer to her as the ?smooth operator? because of her fairness, positive attitude and passion for the industry.

Kelli-Ann graduated from the University of North Carolina with a BS in Business with a concentration in Human Resources, and a minor in Psychology.

Her advice to anyone considering a future in human resources is that they take business classes, any hospitality classes that are offered and also basic Math and English: ?In college it would be great to have a degree in Business Management or a Hospitality Management Degree, Culinary Degree or Marketing Degree.?

Kelli-Ann explains that she loves her job because it is ?fast paced? and there is always another exciting project to work on.But the most rewarding aspect of her work is the recognition of guests and how much her colleagues invest in ?turning moments into memories for guests?.

Her final piece of advice to students is to get a mentor and work-shadow at a hotel to find out if it is the right career, adding that it is not so much about the money, but figuring out what you love to do and making that your career.

The funny things about life, she concludes, is that if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.