Follow your passion.

That is the advice Wyman William Lindsay's mother gave him growing up, and it is the same advice he plans to give any future children he may have.

Certainly, it has stood Mr. Lindsay in good stead as he has pursued a successful career in the hospitality industry. Not only has he translated a boyhood dream into a passion, he also has gold medals to prove it.

At the recent Taste of the Caribbean competition in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida he won two gold medals, and this month he beat out 51 finalists selected from 500 nominees to take the title "Best of the Best'' in the Visitor Industry Partnership Excellence Awards.

The genesis of Mr. Lindsay's professional passion began in childhood, and may be summed up as "like father, like son''.

As a small boy, two things impressed him about his dad: the smart trousers and natty bow tie he always wore to work, and the heap of change resting on his dresser.

"I thought the clothes looked sharp, and as for the money, I thought, `This is great', '' Mr. Lindsay recalls.

As the years rolled on, the young man felt more and more drawn to following in his father's footsteps.

"I was always on the neat side, and construction work didn't appeal,'' Mr.

Lindsay says.

And so it was that, after graduating from Warwick Secondary School, he entered the Bermuda College food and beverage programme with the love and support of his parents. While studying, he worked part time as a bus boy at the Southampton Princess Hotel "just to make money''.

Two years later, he graduated from the College with distinction.

Wyman Lindsay was on his way.

His first job was at the nearby Stonington Beach Hotel, where he joined the full-time support staff and worked as a waiter in the dining room. Just one year later, he was promoted to Captain. It would be nine years before The Reefs lured him away to become maitre d' of its beachside Coconuts Restaurant.

Today, he is still at The Reefs -- as its maitre d'. "My job is running all the restaurants,'' he explains. "I have a brigade of 15 waiters, most of them Bermudian.'' Since The Reefs is open all year round and enjoys one of the highest occupancy rates on the Island, there is never a dull moment for Mr. Lindsay.

"It is an extremely flexible, demanding, time-consuming job, but at the end of the day it is very enjoyable,'' he assures. "When a patron leaves satisfied it makes my job easy.'' Indeed, to reach that point often requires the skills of a diplomat and the patience of Job.

"Some of our cottages are $800 a night, and nowadays guests can be very demanding, so there are times when you have to keep a cool head, hold your tongue, and put on a bit of diplomacy,'' Mr. Lindsay explains.

Working split shift, ten-hour days, the maitre d' says his mission is to "make sure all patrons have a pleasant and enjoyable dining experience.'' This, of course, requires the co-operation and dedication of everyone involved and, like others in the hospitality industry, he laments the fact that it is suffering from a shortage of skilled staff.

"It is difficult to get sufficient staff nowadays -- a lot of the good people have gotten out of the business and gone into computers,'' he says.

Even so, and despite his own success, Mr. Lindsay would not encourage anyone, and particularly youngsters, to enter the profession simply as a means to a pay cheque.

"If that is your passion and you are interested in the hospitality industry as a career, pursue it,'' he says. "It is a great field, but you have got to have your heart in it. If you don't it's going to show eventually. You must be able to adapt to split shifts and unsociable hours. A lot do it part-time for the extra money, but if you care about it you will definitely move up the corporate ladder.'' As for waiting, Mr. Lindsay disagrees with Bermudians who think this is an undesirable profession.

"You can definitely make a career out of being a waiter,'' he asserts. "The salaries are great if you are good. You are definitely remunerated for good service.'' And Mr. Lindsay certainly knows what he's talking about. Not only was that the stepping stone to a fine career, but also as a member of the Bermuda culinary team at this year's Taste of the Caribbean competition, one of the medals he won was for Best Waiter of the Caribbean, 2000.

All the contestants were given was a bare plastic table and chairs, and they had to supply everything else themselves, including linen, cutlery, china.

Items for the centrepiece (the brainchild of team manager Mrs. Josee Froncioni) were taken down from Bermuda and included a lighthouse, small fishbowl and pink sand. Everything else was purchased in Florida.

Mr. Lindsay had eight people to wait on, and was graded on his table setting and de mcor; his demeanour, including rapport and interaction with the guests, and how he served them.

"I was `on stage' for several hours, and (like the rest of the team) competed against 27 countries,'' he recounts, "but I wasn't nervous. It comes naturally to me.'' The gold medal was the first he has ever won, and he certainly plans to return next year to defend his title.

As part of the local team (which included chefs Chris Malpas, Matthew Line and Sherman Trott, and bartender Shawn Lekki), Mr. Lindsay also won a gold medal for the national competition, which involved a combination of bartender, waiter and three chefs.

Apart from the glory of winning, the maitre d' says competitions "get him motivated''.

"They keep ideas fresh. When you get recognition like that it keeps you interested in the business,'' he explains.

As for the future, Mr. Lindsay says he has several goals.

"I would like to move up into food and beverage management some day, and I would also like to go overseas and do some courses or get more experience.'' On his two days off a week, Bermuda's Best of the Best runs to keep fit and keeps well away from the kitchen.

"I don't like to cook, so I go out for dinner,'' he admits. "I like to be served -- to appreciate and assess.'' His favourite foods are chicken and fish, and he doesn't eat red meat.

When eventually he does have children, he says he will not push them into a specific career path. Instead, his advice will be: "Follow your passion. Do what makes you happy. You should be the best at whatever career your select.'' Passion, that guiding word he learned at his mother's knee, is the engine that drives him.

"When I lose my passion, I'm out,'' he promises.