When did you know you wanted to work in tourism?
I think it was when my mother started to work in a National Park. When I was 17, I went to see her at her job and realized my love for nature and wanted to be a tour guide. I never thought of working in a hotel, but now that I am working here I think that it is a really good experience.
How did you come to get this job?
My father was working in Latitude 10 and he told me that they were looking for somebody to help in the kitchen to wash dishes. I did something similar at the National Park. I used to help in the kitchen, cooking for the volunteers and students that were in the Park. This job is different because I feel that I am doing a very important job by cooking in an eco-hotel for guests from different cultures; this is a good experience for me and important for learning.
What do you do in your job?
The first thing that I do when I get to work is to put myself in God’s hands, then I open the kitchen and check if I have everything for breakfast. Next, I start to make coffee, and prepare the food – the vegetables, beans, rice, fresh fruit and juice - for our guests’ breakfast. In the kitchen, I handle the cleaning, inventory and cooking. I check to make sure we receive have everything we need from the grocery store and if there are any special requests from guests. I love what I do, and give 100% of myself.
What is your favorite part of your job? What makes you the happiest?To be able to please our guests with my food. The simple fact of working in paradise makes me really happy. I enjoy working with my coworkers and friends and it makes me happy to have the opportunity to meet and interact with the guests.
Can you remember one of your favorite days at work?
It is difficult to choose only one! Once, a family visited and asked me to cook for them and one of the family members was a famous chef! I was nervous because he was watching everything that I was doing. When he finished his dinner, he came to me and gave me his hand and told me what a good chef I was and that he really liked my food and also told me that I had to tell him all my secrets for the flavor! For me, that was something very memorable. The next day, the family came to the kitchen and I taught them the recipe and they helped me prepare the meal. I felt proud of doing a good job.
What do you feel are the benefits for tourists or travelers who come to stay at an eco-resort or sustainable hotel as opposed to a regular, mainstream accommodation that does not consider sustainability? I think that there are many benefits for the guests that visit an eco-resort. The majority of the hotels don’t have the privilege of being in direct contact with Mother Nature. In our hotel, the guests can enjoy the wonders of nature, the flora and fauna and they can also learn how to take care of it. They will leave happy, having stayed with us.
Do you think your accommodation benefits from being managed by Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality? Why do you like working with Cayuga personally?
Yes I do, because Cayuga is a very professional company. For me, the people at Cayuga are friends and advisors who support my apprenticeship.
If the guests who come in contact with you during their stay could take away one particular memory or feeling about you as a staff member, what would you want them to take away and remember forever?
I want them to remember me as a lovely and good person, that during their stay at Latitude 10 they have the feeling that I am giving to them my friendship and service. The guests that visit Latitude 10 are very special. They deserve all the best from me, and I remember each of them because they always gave me their friendship, and I appreciate it.
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