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A top training provider has cooked up a campaign designed to encourage more women to consider careers in the kitchen and promote greater equality within the industry.
Award-winning chef Sally Abe says only 17 percent of professional chefs in the UK are women, in her book ‘A Woman’s Place is in the Kitchen’, which was published last year. Sally also says women hold just eight percent head chef positions in Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK.
International Women’s Day on Sunday March 8 provided the perfect platform for the launch of The Shef Movement, designed to inspire future talent, encourage women already in the industry and support employers to champion equality. The campaign is led by the HIT Chef Academy, part of HIT Training, a national provider of hospitality and catering apprenticeships which works with employers nationwide through its award-winning Chef Academy.
Through apprenticeships, training and leadership development, HIT supports chefs from entry level through to senior leadership, which it says makes it uniquely placed to lead The Shef Movement. Paul Mannering, National Hospitality and Culinary Lead, HIT Training said:
“The Shef Movement is an ongoing initiative to celebrate, amplify and support female chefs across the hospitality industry.
It will shine a spotlight on real female chef sorties, from apprentices to experienced leaders, and use their stories and experiences to improve visibility, representation and equality in professional kitchens.
It’s a long-term movement designed to create lasting change by celebrating success, encouraging progression and supporting employers to build more inclusive kitchen cultures.”
Last March, the results of a survey of almost 200 female chefs were published, which highlighted gender inequality in professional kitchens. The Countertalk survey found that over half of the kitchens the respondents were working in are predominantly male.
Mr Mannering said: “An alarming 75% of female chefs reported experiencing harassment in the workplace, but only 14% felt supported by management when addressing it.
“Respondents also reported being frequently spoken to differently due to their gender, with many experiencing patronising comments, and almost four fifths of them felt that the public perceived them differently compared to male chefs.
“These are the kind of issues which clearly demonstrate that employers have a crucial role to play in creating inclusive kitchen cultures which then encourages greater staff retention and is also likely to inspire more, new talent to want to enter the industry.
“That’s why our movement is about celebrating and supporting women at all stages of their culinary careers.”
The movement is built around three core pillars: Empower – encouraging confidence, progression and leadership through visibility and support; Enable – creating opportunities and career pathways for female chefs to enhance their knowledge and skills and Elevate – driving positive change by promoting inclusive kitchen cultures across the industry.
Mr Mannering added; “The Shef Movement is for everyone from female chefs to culinary apprentices, as well as hospitality employers, kitchen leaders, industry bodies and partners and anyone else committed to improving equality in the kitchen.
“Together, we can make a positive difference.”
Anyone who wants to find out more about the movement can visit: www.theshefmovement.co.uk
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