A CHEF’S daughter with a career in hospitality that has taken her around the world is home and has taken the helm at a popular North Yorkshire tearoom.

Yvonne Lewis started her life in catering as a young teenager washing up at what was then the family restaurant, Plummers, in Bedale.

After studying leisure and tourism she spent eight years with TGI Friday’s, becoming a staff trainer working with staff from Wales to the West End.

A spell as a trainee manager on a US cruise ship operating on the Texas and Mexican coast followed, before she returned to the region and took up the job of brasserie manager at Rockcliffe Hall, Hurworth.

And now she managing the tearooms and new coffee lounge at the renowned Lewis and Cooper in Northallerton.

She has already helped oversee the conversion of its former first floor gifts area into a new coffee lounge to augment its traditional tearooms.

Work will start shortly on expanding the kitchen to enable an extension of the menu, which already leans heavily on the local produce stocked downstairs in the award-winning deli and foodstore.

“It’s an exciting time to be building on our loyal customer base with the strong team we have here,” said Miss Lewis, 32.

Also new to the team is supervisor Dave Clark, who worked with Miss Lewis at Rockcliffe, and then at Darlington’s King’s Hotel.