It's long overdue for the restaurant industry to address the blatant sexism that flourishes in kitchens, from Michelin-starred restaurants to the lowliest of chains. But like we saw in Hollywood, there needed to be a spark, a controversy too well-reported, too gross, to overlook.
For food, that spark was the allegations of sexual harassment in John Besh's kitchens by female employees. The issue caught fire when Anthony Bourdain addressed his own "personal failing" of celebrating the "phallocentric, very oppressive system" of restaurants, especially after Kitchen Confidential was published. Then, in Esquire this week, Amanda Cohen challenged food media directly about the inequality of coverage for female chefs, which has long led to inequality of opportunity.
Now, Tom Colicchio has added his voice to the issue. In a strongly worded open letter to male chefs posted on Medium, the Top Chef judge condemned the mythologized hardships of blood, sweat, and tears young chefs are expected to endure, the impossible schedules that force chefs to sacrifice family for a future, and the "dick culture" that ostracizes women in the kitchen.
"Sure, we all sweated and scrapped and worked damn hard to get where we are, but most of us did it without the added torment of sexual harassment. Enough," he says.
He discussed his own mistakes—including calling a journalist a "rumor-mongering bitch" and overlooking inappropriate behavior—and dug deep under the skin of bro culture.
"Assessing a woman as a body, rather than as a person with a mind, character, and talent, denies the full measure of her humanity. It’s wrong and it demeans us all," he writes. "Real men don’t need to be told this."
And then: "Deep down men know that sexist shit-talk is just a lazy substitute for real wit."
Finally, Colicchio issued a challenge: for the chefs now dominating food culture and media (most 0f them male) to shape the next generation to be more diverse, more self-aware, more respectful of their peers—in short, to be better.
"I’m betting we can reinvent our industry as a place where people of all genders feel safe and prepare to lead," he says.
That would be a worthwhile legacy for our current food heroes to leave indeed.
Read Colicchio's full letter here.
