Why is the Culinary Industry so Male-Dominated?

Having spent this summer working alongside seven others, it came to my attention pretty early on that I was, in fact, the only female presence working amongst an all-male team of chefs. When reflecting on my childhood and teenage years, I found this pretty confusing, seeing as I have such a strong association between female figures who have dominated not only my upbringing, but the kitchen too. So, if an archaic rhetoric that ‘women belong in the kitchen’ still exists, why is the culinary industry so male-dominated?

Thinking back to a five-year-old me who took to the simple mantra of “what you’re good at now, will be your making when you’re older”, it seems to make such little sense that the gastronomical industry is so male-dominated when there is ample global culinary talent from both men and women alike. What is shocking to discover is that even though interest in the profession is booming in the UK, according to ONS figures, only 18.5% of over 250,000 professional chefs are women, showing a pretty steep decrease of just over 20% from last year. When it comes to Michelin stars the story worsens; with only 10 of the 172 Michelin star restaurants in the UK housing female head chefs.

The real crisis in the industry, unfortunately, falls upon reputation. As a society, we suffer from a conflict that it is reputable for women to have a culinary aptitude, but when it comes to them pursuing a professional career in such talent, the general consensus drops dramatically. There is a notion that has been historically ingrained in our culture - established by both culinary professionals and diners alike - that the industry is male-dominated for a reason. There are those who think that men possess the skills, aptitude and resilience to survive the pressures and hardship of a professional kitchen, that women do not. The ‘father of French cuisine’, Fernand Point, embodies this ideology, stating that “only men have the technique, discipline, and passion that makes cooking consistently an art.” What is shocking is how outdated this comment seems, sadly only having been made in the 1950s – the same decade my dad was born. 

It is no secret the professional kitchen is one of the toughest places to work. A concoction of long hours, close quarters, gruelling physical conditions and relentless pressure which rewards endurance and performance. Such an intense workplace, which in some instances can be a positive thing, all too often comes with a heavy dose of testosterone fuelled machismo – or should I say misogyny, which makes working on the hotline a hostile place for women. It is an environment which, at best, encourages sexualised banter, and at worst shielded criminal behaviour, which ultimately gatekeeps the industry for women. It is not uncommon for a woman to be ostracised, harassed or groped in the kitchen. I for one have endured the insufferable winks, invasion of personal space and locker room chat which comes with a restaurant kitchen. 

The glamourisation and normalisation of this hard-charging, profane and sexist atmosphere of the professional kitchen in countless confessional chef memoirs is an unfortunate extension to the problem. These reminiscences, which have become increasingly formulaic, follow a dialogue of late nights, fights, cocaine and fornication in the pursuit of some predatory chef as a ‘rogue genius’.  The message from these books is clear: women hold no place in the professional kitchen, not because they cannot cook, but because they simply are not taken seriously by their competitors. Anthony Bourdain, a big-name in this genre of writing, has even considered the role of his blockbuster book Kitchen Confidential, as a glorification of macho kitchen culture at its height.  “I’ve had to ask myself, and I have been for some time, ‘To what extent in that book did I provide validation to meatheads?’' he said. "To the extent which my work in Kitchen Confidential celebrated or prolonged a culture that allowed the kind of grotesque behaviours we’re hearing about all too frequently is something I think about daily, with real remorse."

The situation could certainly be better in the UK, however, in Asia it shows even less promise, requiring a separate title for Asia’s “best female chef”. On the surface this may seem promising: celebrating female culinary talent and rewarding them for their work… However, it is evidently disheartening that the title is even deemed necessary. All too often women are discouraged from pursuing a career as a chef in Asia because of the physical conditions of a professional kitchen; working hours making it pretty tricky to raise a family, or the often-feared chauvinistic culture in the workplace. Peggy Chan, the chef, and owner of Grassroots Pantry Hong Kong has raised attention to the specific hardships for Asian women in Asian kitchens. She describes the difficulties of working a wok over massive open flames in kitchens and the increased physical demand for women who are much smaller in size to men and manage a male dominant brigade. Peggy, who was recently featured in Forbes Magazine as the “outspoken female chef”, has built up an impressive resume across the kitchens of Hong Kong's top Michelin-starred restaurants. Chan highlights the existing archetypes in the psyches of Asian cultures that lend themselves to the assumption that men - and only men - should be running commercial kitchens.

Peggy Chan, Chef and owner of Grassroots Hong Kong

It’s unfortunate that these ideologies have spawned into everyday assumptions and discussions, which - I will admit - I have been guilty of. It is so easy to draw a picture in your head of a ‘typical chef’ and immediately envisage a cartoon, Ratatouille-esque man with a long hat and white robes, but when asked who is cooking dinner our thoughts fly to Mum or Granny. A key contributor to the enforcement of these stereotypes is the large role the media plays in normalising and preserving this gender imbalance. The reality of the situation is that there are many women in professional kitchens but often the focus of press and television coverage is skewed towards male chefs. According to Manhattan chef Amanda Cohen, this is because male chefs are found to be more financially lucrative. Interestingly, the first person to ever receive six Michelin stars was Eugénie Brazier - a woman! - yet Alain Ducasse (a man) was given far more media coverage over the same achievement. Carrying out a little research of my own, I simply googled the phrase “celebrity chef”. Unsurprisingly, the horizontal scroll bar that loads throws up names and photos of - what Google recognises as - the top 35 celebrity chefs. From that list, only 9 are women.  

That finding is so shocking to me, because I can count on far more than 10 fingers the inspiring, successful and talented women in the culinary scene at the moment. Dominique Crenn, Rachel Khoo, Nancy Silverton, Thamasina Miers and Jeong Kwan, to name a few. These are women who are not only pioneering the professional kitchen but the broader spheres of restaurant entrepreneurship, culinary television and gastronomical writing. 

One female chef, who particularly inspires me is restaurateur Ruth Roger. Perhaps I am biased because I have been lucky enough to taste her food and experience her creation which is the River Café, a Michelin starred Italian restaurant based in Hammersmith. I think Ruth is a shining example of the limits to which women can excel in the culinary industry. Ruth, now 72, was born in Woodstock America and came to London in 1967 as a graphic designer. Her love of cooking was born in Paris where she lived with her husband Richard, who was designing the Pompidou Centre. With no formal chef training she opened the River Café in 1987 next to her husband’s architect office, as a humble canteen with friend Rose Gray. The restaurant, which has nurtured famous alumni including Stevie Parle, Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, is now far cry from the once tiny, almost bankrupt café of the 1980s. 

Ruth Rogers’ River Café, a Michelin starred Italian restaurant based in Hammersmith

I admire Ruth’s obsession with seasonality, but most of all her vision of an egalitarian professional kitchen- where people actually want to come to work. She has been revolutionary in her reinvention of the restaurant kitchen from a hierarchical, military style brigade system, to a family-like environment. Staff take time out every day to sit down to lunch together. I have witnessed this tradition myself, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch. She is a pioneer for women in the industry and continues to be vocal about insisting change. “Times are definitely changing in that respect, but it’s up to us to continue to insist change happens: to be demanding about being treated with respect and equality. We need to be active and not accept inappropriate behaviour – whether that’s a bank manager denying you a loan because you’re a woman or customers being rude to you.”

The aim of this article is not to provide a one-sided rant about how we should force more women into stressful cooking jobs, nor an attempt to dampen the achievements of many male chefs who’ve contributed to making the gastronomical industry a more creative, innovative, and exciting place to work. What I believe is a shame, however, is that the culinary industry has been perpetuated as a male-dominated arena. It is a miserable reality to think of how many talented female chefs have been driven out of this industry, whose passion for food was destroyed by the industry’s toxic culture.  As Ruth Rogers has outlined, restaurants actually work much better with a gender balance in the kitchen. What is promising is her optimism for the future. Ruth believes conditions now are far better than 10 years ago, which -although perhaps worrying in a sense- can only mean greater improvements and more women leading the way as head chefs across the country. 

Today, female chefs must embrace the harsh truth that they do not have the influence, numbers or respect to change the reality of the restaurant kitchen. The media, culinary intuitions and often their male peers are culpable for enacting change in those with influence and clout. We must all question our accountability and power to affect progress in this industry, because the status quo is unacceptable.

Christiane Spring

Christy is a Bristol-based freelance writer, reviewer and full-time foodie. Alongside studying for a Masters in Public Health, she’s obsessed with food, gastronomy and overpriced condiments.