International Women’s Day: Chefs reflect on gender equality in the industry
A lot has changed for women in the kitchen, but there’s still more to be done. On International Women’s Day, we speak to industry leaders about what it’s like being a female on the food frontline, and what needs improving. By Kim Gillan.
Women make up 25 percent of the chef workforce in Australia today, and while that number might be a way off gender equality, female chefs are becoming an increasingly powerful force, pushing culinary possibilities and inspiring the next generation.
For these industry trailblazers, it hasn’t always been easy working their way to the top – and now that they’re there, they’re on a mission to make it easier for the young women coming up.
As more women step into professional kitchens, Sofika Boulton of Sonny’s Bar hopes they can embrace their own uniqueness.
New role models
As the saying goes, “If you see it, you can be it”, and as more women step into head chef roles, Sofika Boulton, head chef at Sonny’s Bar, hopes more fresh female talent will be inspired to follow suit.
“When I started as a chef, I only knew one female head chef and I followed her on every platform, thinking I’d go work for her one day so I could learn how I might do it,” she recalls.
“There are now so many great women in leadership roles, and women starting in cheffing now have so much more representation, which is an amazing thing.”
As more women step into professional kitchens, Boulton hopes they can embrace their own uniqueness.
“My biggest regret as a young chef was teaching myself to act/be ‘cheffy’ and boyish, keeping myself away from who I was at work because I thought I’d do better as a chef,” she says.
“Be you – whether that’s feminine or not, work harder than everybody else, but don’t try to be somebody else.’
Jacqui Challinor of NOMAD Group is thankful that she no longer works in the ‘boys’ club’ kitchens of yesteryear.
Boundaries around bad behaviour
Jacqui Challinor, NOMAD Group executive chef, is thankful that she no longer works in the ‘boys’ club’ kitchens of yesteryear.
“I always loved cooking but I thought it was a boys’ club and I didn’t think I’d fit in or be accepted … and that held me back for quite a while,” she recalls.
“Eventually I snapped out of it and said, ‘What have I got to lose?’ and started my apprenticeship when I was 21.”
From day one, she’s worked with some incredible women – and men – and is pleased much of the inappropriate behaviour towards women that was once ‘normal’ is now frowned upon.
“There was a lot of inappropriate behaviour going on back in the day – I think that’s changed dramatically. That’s just down to women putting their foot down and saying, ‘Enough’s enough. I don’t have to have my ass slapped in a kitchen’,” she says.
“These days women know it’s okay to say, ‘That’s not okay’ but I think back in the day, you didn’t want to ‘be a girl’. Now inappropriate [behaviour results in] instant dismissal.”
Jess Widmer of Glenary Road says working in a kitchen that’s only open in the day makes returning to work after maternity leave an easier prospect.
Finding family balance
Where kids and kitchens once never mixed, more hospitality venues are embracing flexible working conditions to keep talented mums in jobs.
“Let’s normalise having a family, maternity leave and flexible work hours for parents,” says Blaze Young, head chef of Nieuw Ruin and Edward & Ida’s (pictured in hero; image supplied).
“Early in my career I was laughed at and told that if I wanted to have kids, I was in the wrong industry – either your career has a very short time limit or you’re going to give up on the idea. I believe this is slowly changing [but] it’s still a huge challenge for a lot of women in our industry and I believe it’s off-putting for young females.”
Challinor suggests women actively seek out a restaurant that has the right values fit, which will hopefully facilitate flexibility if the time comes to have a baby.
“Our Nomad Sydney co-head chef Abby has a beautiful nine-month-old baby and we’re working out her plan to return from maternity leave so that she can take her little girl to daycare and pick her up and get her back into a job that she loves doing,” Challinor says.
“There are definitely [flexible] workplaces out there – it comes down to making sure that you pick the right people to work with who are going to work with you on that one.”
Jess Widmer, head chef of Glenarty Road, is on maternity leave with her three-month-old daughter Marley Lee and says working in a kitchen that’s only open in the day makes returning to work an easier prospect.
“The hospitality industry isn’t the most family-friendly, work-life-balance type situation,” she says.
“But it seems to slowly be changing with more venues choosing to do a four and three roster – I think that’s a game changer for the industry.”
While Widmer finds her new normal, she looks to other chefs who are mothers for inspiration.
“Amy Hamilton, owner of Liberté, is also a mother and, in my eyes, a great example of a woman doing both,” she says.
“I’m still figuring out how to be a woman balancing my love and passion for cheffing with being a mother. Hopefully in time the two can come together – I look forward to what that will look like for me and other women who want both in the future.”