A call for gender equality in the restaurant kitchen

“Achieving gender equality requires the engagement of women and men, girls and boys. It is everyone’s responsibility.” — Ban Ki-Moon

Some say that an image provokes more thoughts and emotions than any combination of words. Advertisers will tell you that if they can create the right image, they can control the behavior of almost anyone.

San Pellegrino recently posted images of the chef jurors chosen to judge a culinary competition. I reposted the images on Instagram and made a comment about the missing faces of female chefs. My post has prompted much discussion, and I want to take a moment to share my thoughts about what made me speak out.

San Pellegrino sponsors an annual culinary competition named Young Chef, and it is one of the many corporate-sponsored culinary arts events that have emerged in recent years, a reflection of the worldwide interest in the work and lives of chefs. Although many of us in the field have appreciated the never-imagined interest and celebration of our craft, such focus has exposed not only the level of dedication required to rise in our field, the high stress environment we endure much of our days and the dire competition to be recognized — but also how we, too, have yet to solve the gender inequities faced in our world.

I am often called a Female Chef, while the stand-alone title of Chef seems owned by my male colleagues. I am aware of these inequities and have thus pledged to speak up about what I feel that we, as a community, need and can do to improve these particular issues.

When I saw the images in question representing nine countries, I was both frustrated and saddened. I immediately noticed the absence of women faces. Yes, there are some “female” chefs selected in other regions; however, the total number — 14 — is a tiny one out of the 100 jurors from all over the world.

We all know this is not representative of the global population of women, nor the percentage of female chefs worldwide, nor the percentage of female chefs skilled enough to participate in this jury. Rather, this image shows the ever-present misrepresentation of women in our field.

Is San Pellegrino a bad company out to do harm to women? No. Is this about San Pellegrino? No. San Pellegrino is a company that produces products that are enjoyed worldwide. Yet they missed an opportunity to create equality access, and they are certainly not alone.

I have no interest in castigating anyone. Rather, I want to invite us all to think about how we can engage gender inequities in ways to promote change, not in ways that sustain and maintain the status quo. I spoke out to create a dialogue, and I am happy to say I am already having a rich one (with San Pellegrino, in particular), and I’m excited to report that they want to learn what they can do to be more supportive of female chefs and future female chefs.

We must come together and think about imagery, jury selection, titles, stereotypes and how we as individuals and organizations take steps to promote those women around the world who are just as talented and just as eager to strive. Way too often the image of a chef is that of a strong, serious-looking man. This is not a true representation. Anyone involved in promoting this single depiction must pause and ask themselves why they are doing so.

For chefs, we must think about the culture of the kitchen and how each one of us makes it safe for all of us to be awesome culinary artists. Although television is in love with the portrayal of our kitchens being places that are culturally abusive, we can no longer play this game and reflect this narrative in our intimate space of creation and mentorship. Chefs need to realize that food is a gender-free item and that our art has been molded and elevated by both male and female minds. And although many of our behaviors are habit, no great changes have ever come from maintaining the status quo.

For me, if I had seen a few more images of female chefs while I was developing my craft, I know that some of my more difficult days — those days spent wondering if I could go on and truly reach for the stars I wanted to touch — would have been filled with a sense of not only camaraderie, but also possibility.

We must commit ourselves to creating a space both in our minds and in our kitchens that invites the next great chefs, some who will be male and some who will be female, to believe that they can come, work hard, learn and strive ... and be awesome.

We are here and we want to contribute and impact. And we will do it better if we are allowed to see ourselves reflected in mainstream media as skilled, present, ambitious and capable. As we are.

Dominique Crenn is the chef-owner of Atelier Crenn and Petit Crenn in San Francisco. She holds two Michelin stars for the former. She is opening Bar Crenn later this year. Instagram: @dominiquecrenn