If there is one thing Andrea Warren, 21, has learned from the Bermuda College Hospitality Club, it is how to make bread rolls.

She and the 16 other members of the club have baked and sold around 2,500 hotcross buns to raise money to go to the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.

Fifteen Bermuda College students leave for the trip on May 16.

The club is a collaboration of students from different faculties including hotel management and the culinary arts. Club members fundraise year round with the main objective being to go to the NRA Food Show.

"I joined the club because I am a culinary arts student, and there was a free trip involved," said Miss Warren, club president.

She admitted that in the end the trip wasn't free at all.

"Moneywise it was free, but timewise it has taken up a lot," she said. "We have done a lot of fundraising."

Fundraising has included packing grocery bags, car washes, bake sales, and soup days.

They also received donations from C-Travel, and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

Taneika Eve, Bermuda College instructor and Hospitality Club advisor, said that the conference was a great learning experience.

"From my point of view, it is a great opportunity for students because they get to see all the latest equipment," Miss Eve said. "It is also a great opportunity for networking, because they meet industry professionals.

"They will get to see some famous chefs perform and do ice carvings, and things like that. You just get to see whatever your heart can desire related to food."

Miss Warren works as a chef d'partie at Waterloo House. She said being involved in the club has made her a better leader.

"The greatest challenge, I would say, is not yelling at the rest of the group," she said. "I feel some people are not as committed as others.

"I feel it is always the same people over and over again who put in the time. You have your general workhorses who are always there with you and you have others who come in and out."

Miss Eve said one of the challenges of the group was balancing a wide range of ages and interests.

"We have students ranging in age up to 22 or 23 years old," Miss Eve said. "Not all of them are culinary arts students. Some of them are hotel management.

"They all have different backgrounds and ideologies and coming together for one cause can be extremely challenging.

"I might say one thing, and they interpret it another way, and vice versa. Ultimately, the team comes together to make it work. You need a lot of commitment to make this happen."

While in Chicago, students will not only visit the food show, they also hope to take in a Broadway show.

"Last year, we went to see 'The Colour Purple'," she said. "It was a reward for their hard work. When we go to Chicago we do walking food tours.

"That allows you to get to see the old Jewish delis, the chocolate shops that have been there for hundreds of years. It exposes you to different cultures and their food."

Miss Warren hopes to graduate from the Bermuda College this December and then go on to attend the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta, Georgia.

Miss Eve is herself a graduate of the Bermuda College, and also has an associates degree, a bachelors degree and a masters of business administration degree.

She said it is important for the community to support students in the hospitality industry.

"We have an internship programme at the Bermuda College which is 12 weeks long," she said. "We have great support from the hotels.

"You can even choose to do it on the cruise ship. So yes, we do get some support from that sector, but the challenge is trying to captivate people enough to see that this is a good career choice.

"Yes, it is hard work, but it is very fulfilling. It is pretty much what you make of it."

She said, unfortunately, companies who award scholarships are usually more interested in giving them to students studying accounts or insurance.

"They are not looking to give money to the hospitality industry," she said.

Miss Eve said with new hotels opening up in Bermuda, they are going to need staff.

"People say to me all the time, 'I went to this restaurant and there were no locals'. I try to be a voice in the community. I am very passionate about what we do, but we need help."