5 minute read
Gender Gap
THE GENDER GAP
Photo courtesy L ouis h anse L
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BY TIFFANY ACOSTA
IN THE CULINARY INDUSTRY
Bright lights and heat pouring from stove stops and ovens. Chefs yelling out orders while the sizzling of meats and vegetables fills your ears like a symphony. The medley of sweet and salty smells fills the air and catches your attention. Focused on plating a filet of salmon on a bed of greens, you look up and you see the head chef… Is it a man or a woman?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021, only 22.8% of women were head cooks in a restaurant. That means that 77.2% of head chefs are men. Living in a more inclusive society, why is it that men dominate the culinary field? Throughout history audiences see female icons and figures as the poster girls for anything related to food; from 1950s food ads to the stereotype of having a wife or mother cooking and cleaning for the family, women have always been put in the kitchen not by choice but by obligation.
Why is it that cooking, which is so often associated with women, but the culinary industry is male-dominated? Celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay, Gor-dan Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, Jaime Oliver, Wolfgang Puck, Alton Brown and Mario Batali come quickly to mind. But only a few female chefs such as Ina Garten, Giada De Laurentiis, Julia Child and Anne Burrell are recognizable. According to DataUS.io, in 2019, 1,263 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). 54.2% of these degrees were awarded to women, and 45.8% were awarded to men.
“I think one of the largest drivers for this divide is that women are smart enough to get out of the industry,” said Eric Lomando, chef and owner at Orto. “The physical environment of working in the kitchen is typically uncomfortable. The stress on the body is brutal, and the hours and pace of work are exhausting, both physically and mentally. You have to put top effort and focus in 10 to 12 hours a day. The toll takes on personal lives is another extraordinary challenge.”
Although more women are going to culinary school, many don’t remain in the industry. “The industry, on the whole, is facing a labor issue as less and less young people are interested in working in kitchens,” Lomando said. “The difficulty of the job and the pay scale are driving people away from the industry, and I think that in order to even out those percentages the entire industry needs to change, and the job needs to become more attractive and less demanding on the whole.”
- Suchanan Aksornnan
Chef, BaoBurg
PHOTO BY MEALPRO
In restaurant kitchens, one typically sees the head chef being a man but food preparation and serving workers are 61.2% women. This means roles like cutting vegetables, being a hostess and other minor roles are dominated by women who are given little credit and little pay. The highest-paid people in restaurants are chefs, who are typically men, and the lowest paid are cashiers and counter attendants, who are typically women. “My first thought is, well, misogyny. I remember reading Kitchen Confidential and saying, ‘Oh no,’” said Melissa Bouchard, head chef at DiMillo’s on the Water in Freeport. “Although I have experienced over-sexualized conversations and behaviors, I would have to say nothing to that extent. I had already been in the business for quite a few years at this point, so it didn’t make me run, but I can certainly see how jarring that would be to a younger woman looking for a career in this field. It’s very apparent by Anthony Bourdain’s book, and many others, that sort of behavior was almost celebrated, and to some extent still is.”
In restaurants, there are unequal promotions that lack transparency, lack of chef leadership training, unequal pay and hostile work environments, with a masculine culture of sexual harassment, strict discipline and long working hours. “From my experience, it’s still easier for a man to get a job in the culinary industry than for a woman,” said Suchanan Aksornnan, chef at BaoBurg in Brookyln. “Men, generally speaking, may be more competitive and can withstand setbacks better. It’s not just about talent, it’s about perseverance, grit.” How do we fix the problem? As an industry that exudes physical and emotional abuse and hardship, it’s unhealthy for all involved. What needs to change, which is one of the hardest steps, is making a successful environment that makes women feel safe and included in the kitchen.
Next is having the industry decide on a sector-wide level that it is committed to having women join professional kitchens, influence the world of food and make decisions that affect how we operate. This can be with women being judged on television shows and being awarded or acknowledged for their work.
“I believe it’s changing the way everyone speaks and reacts to each other, and it’s creating a more inclusive world, not just in the workplace,” said Bouchard. “No matter the problem, or the driving force, people need to take accountability for their actions, and the #metoo movement has opened many an eye to that. What was once celebrated is now being exposed for the inexcusable behavior it always has been. The pay gap needs to be examined as well. I don’t want to get personal, but I can speak to that as well.”
Last are engagement, communication and recruitment. Restaurants should consider reaching out to recruit female employees. Enrique Olvera, who is a Michelin starred chef, hired Daniela Soto-Innes to be head chef at Cosme in New York City. Because of the opportunity, she is one of the youngest chefs named World’s Best Female Chef by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and has been also awarded a Michelin star.
WOMEN IN CULINARY WORK PLACES
