Cynthia Lam is a second-generation restaurateur. Migrating from The Rock at 17 to attend university in the United States, the Jamerican returned home after surrendering a finance position in a major resort corporation to take up the mantle of her family’s Jade Garden Restaurant three years ago. We join the brainy, beautiful Lam at Jade’s bar for mid-week martini sips and get the inside word about working with dad, why the beach is her favourite chill-out spot, and the other business she’d love to undertake.

What are you sipping?

An apple martini.

What kind of day are you having?

It’s busy. Once I come into the restaurant, it’s full work mode. As I come in I have to deal with the patrons, staff and vendors across the board.

What’s your New Year’s resolution?

Get fit. I started working out last year but I told my trainer we will see results this year. It’s going to be a lot of work but I’m going to get there.

Who does your hair?

My friend Vanessa Chen, who lives in Canada, visits Jamaica once a year and does my hair.

Who does your nails?

Brenda at Rejuvenation at the Liguanea Post Office Mall.

LBD or jeans?

Both, it depends on my mood.

What perfume are you spraying?

I love perfume. I have so many. Right now I’m into Gucci, Paris Hilton and Carolina Herrera.

What is your beauty regime?

I massage my eyes. It prevents wrinkles from forming early, so I massage them at nights and in the mornings. And I always moisturise and make sure I’m hydrated.

You’re general manager of a Cantonese restaurant. What other cuisine do you enjoy besides Asian?

I love Italian food and pastas. Desserts are also my thing. I love chocolate anything, but it has to be milk chocolate.

Being a second-generation restaurateur and taking on a general manager position at Jade Garden, what do you hope to bring to the table as you take the business through its next 28 years?

I think it’s very important for my father, in discussing business with him, he doesn’t want to change the tradition of the business. It’s very hard because as time changes, the culture changes and things become more open. In China, for example, women were not as vocal and were not on the forefront, but they now are out there working. There is a large percentage of unmarried women in their 30s, whereas in the past, in your teens, you are pretty much ready to wed. The same thing with this business: I want my father to open his eyes to see society has completely changed as has the taste in food; people want different things. I’m not saying we can’t keep the same recipes but we can tweak as people are willing to experiment. I personally think that the healthier lifestyle in Asian cuisine would be ideal for this restaurant. I want to take it to that level eventually.

You attended university abroad and were resident in the States for a long time. Share your journey back home to helm the family business.

I was living and working in Florida before, and just before I came back I was working at the corporate headquarters of Atlantis Resorts, the iconic hotel in The Bahamas. I was headhunted from my previous job in an accounts payable position to work at Atlantis.

So what prompted the decision to return home?

I was not happy towards the end of my time at Atlantis, so it was not a hard decision. I did not want to leave the States because anyone who knows me knows I love Florida and I felt disconnected from Jamaica because I left when I was 17 and only came for vacations. It’s become easier but the first year I returned I was in depression and did nothing but work. I am fine now because I feel this is where I need to be. I have learnt so much here than I would working for a major corporation. The mentorship I have had here from my father and I’ve gained everyday real-life experience.

How has the relationship transitioned from being your father’s daughter to being his daughter in business?

It has actually brought us closer in terms of our father-daughter relationship. I see him every day, pretty much. People always say ‘you are lucky to work for your family’; no, it’s not easy. It is actually very difficult because you have to remain very professional and at the same time I have his best interest and he has mine.

What’s your idea of the perfect date?

As clichéd as it sounds — dinner. If a guy can pick a really nice restaurant to go to on the first date, that to me is the perfect date because I love food. I watch The Food Network all the time and drool.

What’s your idea of the perfect man?

Oh boy, if there was such a person! I feel that the ideal man would be able to understand me as a person because I’m not the typical woman. I like to shop and it’s a turn-on if a guy sits there in a store while I try on clothes and shoes even if he doesn’t like to be there, but knows that I enjoy it. So compromise, understanding, being an emotional and financial provider, and someone who is a family man, as I was brought up in a solid family.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Maybe not even in Jamaica. I do want to start a family, but the challenging thing will be balancing family with the work hours. Honestly, I want to be a real Jamaican and have two jobs: Jade Garden and do what I really want to — a small salon of some type. I have an aesthetician licence from the States.

Handbag Essentials

Samsung S-4 cellphone

MAC lipgloss

Inglot lipstick

Business cards

Visine eye drops

Car keys