When the World's 50 Best Restaurants recently released its 2017 list, just three women-run businesses made the cut. And, as of 2016, it has been estimated that only 4.7 percent of American chefs and head cooks are female. The professional kitchen, it seems, is still a man's turf.
But Bay Area diners are quite accustomed to seeing talented women at the helm of their favorite restaurants, following in the footsteps of such culinary trailblazers as Alice Waters, Traci Des Jardins, and Dominique Crenn. This year, in fact, some of the city's most promising restaurants star lady toques in executive and ownership roles.
To sit down and talk with them about their challenges and goals is telling: There are tales of kitchens fraught with subtle and not-so-subtle discrimination, snubs from investors, and a lot of dudes telling dirty jokes. Nearly all of these women said they are driven by the hope of nurturing young chefs and restaurant talent, men as well as women, and of fostering community, whether through collaborations with nonprofits and school programs or among their own teams and customer base. Every last one of them has, as Barzotto's chef Michelle Minori put it, "developed plenty of grit" to get their jobs done to delicious effect.
Meet eight of the city's hottest chefs (who just happen to have xx chromosomes) who are leveling the playing field in San Francisco.
Michelle Minori, Executive Chef, Barzotto
BONA FIDES: Formerly executive sous chef of Thomas McNaughton's Ne Timeas Restaurant Group, overseeing corporate culinary operations for Flour & Water, Aatxe, Cafe du Nord, Salumeria and Central Kitchen.
PASSION DRIVER: "I like seeing how much respect the public has for where their food comes from and how it is grown and raised. People are not only showing more of an interest in what they are eating, but also how it makes an impact on the world around them."
PRIORITY (FE)MALE: "The biggest challenge as a young female chef is that people sometimes don't take you seriously—whether you're dealing with problematic purveyors or aggressive behavior from delivery drivers or bad attitudes from the staff. However, I've been doing this for 10 years now, and I quickly developed plenty of grit to nip that shit in the bud."
FUTURE PERFECT: "I will continue to do my best to foster the young cooks in this city who want to learn and who care about where their food comes from and how it is made."
Avery Ruzicka, Head Baker/Partner, Manresa Bread
(Aubrie Pick)
BONA FIDES: She trained in baking at the French Culinary Institute in New York and began at Manresa as a food runner before later starting its bread program.
PASSION DRIVER: "I really fell in love with bread and with making it. I like to experiment a lot, and I love the fact that with a simple recipe you can have endless variety of breads."
PRIORITY (FE)MALE: "Women think that they can multitask, but it is very difficult. They cannot do it all at once. This has been a big revelation for me. Women think they have to know how to do everything, but it is not possible and it is a process of learning and time."
FUTURE PERFECT: "I would like to take on more and more opportunities to teach people about bread and pastry-making, showcasing the process at demos and hands-on classes throughout the year."
Kim Alter, Chef/Owner, Nightbird and Linden Room
(John Storey/ The Chronicle)
BONA FIDES: Four years with the Daniel Patterson Group at the helm of Haven and Plum, plus stints at Manresa, Ubuntu, Aqua, and Gary Danko.
PASSION DRIVER: "I like being able to be creative, but also to be able to use business logic, travel, teach. I don't like the strong opinions of people who don't understand the first thing about our business."
PRIORITY (FE)MALE: "The most recent challenge I faced was raising money for Nightbird. I was told that my business plan was great, that I had an amazing location and great food, but that I must be 'emotional' because I am a woman and that they would 'have to pass.' That kind of opened my eyes."
FUTURE PERFECT: "When I think about 2017, I think about growth, evolution and balance. My mindset is to finalize any kinks we are still working out, continue listening to our customers, and grow as a team to be the restaurant I see in my mind. There is so much I want to do in this small space we created, but you have to walk before you run, so I'm quickly walking right now."
Sarah Rich, Chef/Co-owner, Rich Table and RT Rotisserie
BONA FIDES: Formerly of the two Michelin-starred restaurants Michael Mina and Coi.
PASSION DRIVER: "Making people happy. I want them to enjoy my food."
PRIORITY (FE)MALE: "Being in a kitchen with men, you have to learn to make dirty jokes, but it has never been a big deal for me. A few years ago, I was all about my career, now I have kids and they are my priority. I don't feel like less of a business person or a chef because of my choice. I feel lucky that I can spend time with them."
FUTURE PERFECT: "We are opening our second restaurant, RT Rotisserie, in Hayes Valley in early spring. The restaurant will focus on whole-roasted chicken (one of my favorite dishes to make), porchetta and cauliflower, with sides like umami fries and seasonal salads."
Melissa Chou, Pastry Chef, Mister Jiu's
BONA FIDES: 2017 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chefs; stints at Quince, Presidio Social Club, Aziza, and Mourad.
PASSION DRIVER: "Making things like a sponge cake, where air is incorporated to make it light and fluffy but there are no chemical leaveners. There are a great number of variables in a sponge, and I love trying to control them into a consistent product every day. I also love working on a team."
PRIORITY (FE)MALE: "A certain level of bad behavior from male chefs is tolerated. When a cook has worked with a hard-ass chef—meaning they've endured yelling and screaming and tantrums and general disrespect—it seems like a badge of honor. You're a badass if you've worked for someone like this because you took it and came out the other side. If I acted this way, no one would tolerate it. They'd say I was a bitch and quit and I'd have a hard time finding people to work with me. However, being a woman, it's also very important that I not be seen as a pushover, so on many levels I have to be strict. This doesn't win me any friends and puts me in a very difficult position."
FUTURE PERFECT: "It feels like I'm just getting started on creating a Chinese-focused dessert menu. There's still a lot to explore within the Chinese pantry as well, so I'm excited to continue developing and honing the menu."
Angela Pinkerton, Pastry Chef at the forthcoming Che Fico and Theorita
BONA FIDES: The first executive pastry chef at Eleven Madison Park; production kitchen lead at Craftsman & Wolves.
PASSION DRIVER: "Pie—it brings me back to my childhood. It's so simple, but the love and practice of the baking craft is very evident in the results."
FUTURE PERFECT: "I consider myself very committed to my staff (my "kids"), and I will continue to push them to build skills that help them maneuver through life, not just through the kitchen. I hope this translates into the cultures they create when they run their own kitchens. I am also focused on Theorita, a pastry shop/dinette opening in San Francisco this fall. I want to translate what I learned about food and cooking in my past fine-dining experiences, and meld it into meals that everyone has familiarity with while elevating the quality and craftsmanship of the experience."
Marianne Despres, Chef/Owner, El Sur Empanadas (opening May 2017)
BONA FIDES: Originally from Argentina, she trained at Potel del Chabot in Paris and the French Laundry in Yountville.
PASSION DRIVER: "Being able to do what I love for a living. Sharing my culture and upbringing through food. Hopefully creating wonderful food memories for others that they can then share with the people in their lives. Creating a positive work environment for my employees so that they are happy to come to work everyday."
PRIORITY (FE)MALE: "The first kitchens I worked in professionally were in Paris. It was very intimidating and stressful being a woman in those kitchens. It was so hard to be taken seriously. In addition to the humiliation that comes with being the lowest in the pecking order (man or woman), you have to endure a lot of derogatory comments. Also, cooking professionally is very physically demanding. Things are heavy, you have to be strong. I always feel at a disadvantage physically, but just had to figure other ways to showcase my skills. I've always tried to treat others with kindness and compassion, and I think it's served me well in this crazy and wonderful business."
FUTURE PERFECT: "I have gotten so much support from fellow chefs and restaurateurs who have passed along the lessons they've learned and contacts they've made. That is the kind of positive impact I want to have. I want to help others who are just starting out in this industry. I currently volunteer at La Cocina as a member of the advisory committee, helping mostly women with immigrant backgrounds who are trying to get their business off and running."
Cortney Burns, Chef/Partner, Motze
BONA FIDES: Formerly co-chef at Bar Tartine, and co-author of the James Beard Award–winning cookbook Bar Tartine: Techniques & Recipes (Chronicle Books).
PASSION DRIVER: "Cooking is the medium that I use to experience the world. It helps me understand what is going on from the inside out, and allows me to engage people in a certain way, to nourish them, to show them love."
PRIORITY (FE)MALE: "I am not my gender, I am a person and I want to be good one. I don't think I have ever felt attacked. I grew up with women in the kitchen....The challenge is not in the gender, but in my insecurity as a person. This is the real struggle. The bigger challenge is to be a better person."
FUTURE PERFECT: "In 2017, I'd like to find more ways to give back and teach kids cooking classes and work with school gardens. In the restaurant format, I'll be focusing on continuing to grow our larder for Motze, playing with more misos, soy sauces, and vinegars to round out the pantry."
