While the culinary world may be male dominated, female chefs, CEO’s and restaurant owners are quickly showing the world that they have just what it takes to stand the heat in the kitchen. In fact, the next time you eat out at your favorite restaurant there’s a good chance a female was behind the culinary cuisine you just savored. Learn what female trailblazers are doing to make their mark, and how they’re taking over some of the best restaurants in the world.
Women Chefs Are Blazing a Trail
Over the last twenty years, the numbers of skilled and artistically innovative female chefs have continued to be on the rise according to statistics by the World Association of Chefs Societies, starting with the celebrity chef herself, Julia Child. Trailblazers in the media such as Rachel Ray, Cristeta Comerford (the first woman to become the executive chef of the White House) and Cat Cora (the only female chef to reign winner on the reality show, Iron Chef) continue to dominate their industry, and it’s no wonder—they’ve each developed an uncanny ability to blend organization with delicious cuisine that pleases the masses.
The Rise of Women (No Matter How Male Dominated It May Be)
Even though female chefs, as well as restaurant owners, are on the rise the chef world is still a male dominated industry. It’s full of pressure and perfectionism—but despite that, a world where women are blazing their own unique trail. Just two years ago, four women were given a Michelin star, and each year since then, that number has continued to grow. Today, Claire Smyth is the only female chef located in the UK to have earned the prestigious three Michelin stars. Kieron Glennon, the head chef of a restaurant in Ireland to be the only establishment to have earned two Michelin stars, says that women “have a civilizing influence on the rest of the kitchen,” and professional chefs, both male and female, all over the world may agree with her.However, it isn’t just the chef world that more females than ever before. The hospitality industry in general and specifically restaurant ownership is an industry that women are gaining skill, tenacity and talent. They’re finding and developing their niche and running with it! A great example of a smart, and radically successful female restaurant owner is Nicole Ponsceca, who owns the wildly popular Maharlika in New York’s West Village. Using her Filipino heritage as inspiration for the menu, she’s tapped into a great market, the upscale Filipino cuisine as the basis for her success and according to her customers, she never disappoints. The secret to her success is a true passion for what she does and working harder than anyone else.Whether you’re an aspiring female chef, CEO or restaurant owner, your gender doesn’t have to make a difference. No matter how male dominated the industry, there’s no better time in history than right now to aim big, go for what you want, and learn as quickly as you can how to thrive. This is the business of making people happy, so model that by doing what makes you happy and as so many female chefs, CEO’s and restaurant owners have proven; you can achieve anything so go for it!