Laura Pedone

First hospitality job:

My first Hospitality Job was in a Restaurant as a banquet server. I was responsible for serving food and beverages at social & corporate events and learned immediately that you had to be well organized, resourceful and most importantly be pleasant, the rest would fall into place.

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Age you started working in hospitality:

I was 13 years old when my journey started in the hospitality industry

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Your inspiration to begin working in hospitality:

Coming from a large Italian Family, I was always surrounded by the act of hospitality, which included food, music and accomodating who ever walked through the door. It was already apart of my DNA and I was quite passionate about it.

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My hospitality mentor:

My parents owned a pizzeria for many years when I was a child & their work ethic was infectious. I always watched & learned how they managed their service, quality & employees. It was an exciting time growing up around all that chaos & it made quite an impression, leading me towards hospitality.

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What are your favourite aspects of your job?

What I enjoy most about hospitality is that it provides so many platforms to work with. Each day is very different and it always involves working with people and troubleshooting through issues to get the best results.

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What has inspired you to continue your career path in hospitality?

Because I was able to work in so many departments and work my way up the ladder, it inspired me to always take on new challenges, educate and apply myself for what was next. I was also lucky to have positive influences that surrounded me.

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Advice for students interested in a career in hospitality:

Continue to educate yourself, stay curious, and always have the confidence in who you are and where you came from as we all have a unique story.