AS president of the hotels division of the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU), and with more than 30 years in tourism behind him, there can be no doubt as to Herbie Bascome's belief in the industry and the important role it plays on the island.

It is that belief, and his long-term commitment to the industry, that saw the veteran chef named a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) when in the Queen's New Year's Honours List this week. Never having been one to seek the limelight, the 62-year-old admits the award came as somewhat of a surprise when he was first informed of it.

"I felt very good about it," he said. "It made me feel good that people who have contributed to the country in a positive way are being recognised and rewarded for what they've done. (Despite all my contributions) I've never looked for anything (in return). Receiving an MBE never crossed my mind and so this comes as a complete surprise to me."

The St. David's Islander, who raised his four children - daughter Robin and football-playing sons, David, Andrew and Herbie - on his own with the help of his late mother, Bernice, said the entire family is proud of his most recent accomplishment.

"My kids - and most of Bermuda know who they are - are definitely pleased with it," he said. "It came as a surprise to them as well. They're all very happy for me."

Now a sous chef at the Fairmont Southampton Princess, Mr. Bascome was one of the first Bermudians to qualify to that level. His long career has distinguished him as among the best in his field, having taken advantage of numerous opportunities to upgrade his skills internationally.

"I started cooking at a very young age," he said. "I was 14 or 15 years old when I started working on the (former) US base. I also gained a lot of experience through my training under good Bermudian chefs - Sammy Joell and Randolph Richardson.

"And then I grew up in St. David's. So I had a lot of experience and I was always interested."

His obvious talent in the kitchen and a genuine interest in furthering his culinary skills led Mr. Bascome to Bermuda's Hotel School. Without a high school degree however, they would not accept him as a student.

"I was only eventually accepted through the efforts of Dame Lois Brown Evans (who encouraged them to accept students on other merits)" he said. "I entered in 1965 and stayed through 1967. I was the number one student during my entire two years there and one of the first students to receive a trophy (for excellence in my studies) while still training. They normally went to people who had graduated."

Mr. Bascome said he began in the kitchen at the Princess Hotel in 1968. His experiences after that are extensive, having trained at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, the Four Seasons Hotel in Munich, Germany, the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo and the Acapulco Princess in Mexico, before returning to the island in the late 1980's.

The MBE does not mark the first time Mr. Bascome's skills or contributions have been recognised by those in the wider community. Earlier this year, he received two Visitor Industry Partnership (VIP) awards - Belco's equivalent of the Oscars created in recoginition of superior service within tourism - beating out 556 nominees as he was voted "Best Chef" and also "Best of the Best" in all categories in the entire industry.

"Tourism has given us so much and we have to give back for our children because it is our children we leave behind," Mr. Bascome said then. "If the hotel industry fails, then all the other (businesses) will fail, so we should all stand behind VIP and keep the hotel industry strong."

This week, the chef again stressed the importance of the tourism industry, saying he firmly believes it offers young Bermudians so many avenues for participating in what should be recognised as a vital part of our economy.

"My concern always about the industry, is that Bermuda has been a very successful country but I think that people underestimate the importance of the industy to Bermuda. I would advise young people interested in tourism and the hospitality industry to first develop a positive attitude towards it. It offers so many opportunities to them. For young people, who want to seek a career in the culinary field, it gives them the opportunity, for example, to travel. And today with the many opportunities they have (with regards to education), they can reach any heights imaginable. I look at all I've accomplished with limited education and I'm sure with they can go a lot further. The opportunities are there. They just need a positive attitidue and to be willing to do a lot of hard work."