In the earlier days of TTC, when Bea and Stanley were growing their line of hotels in South Africa, Bea found herself running the kitchen of The Colony restaurant at the Hyde Park Hotel. Entirely self-taught, Bea trained the entire kitchen staff to prepare gourmet meals at what had become the most famous hotel and restaurant in South Africa. Bea became South Africa’s first female executive chef at a time when women were rarely even cooks in a restaurant.
Bea went on to instill a value for hard work and excellent service in each of her 4 children – Brett, Wynn, Toni and Vicki. Together with her mother, Toni Tollman took a special interest in river cruising. Much of what is “Uniquely Uniworld”—our one-of-a-kind ships, delicious cuisine and meticulous attention to service—are led and inspired by this mother-daughter duo.