Women Warriors in the Professional Kitchen

The art of professional cooking has long been a male dominated profession and even with strides toward equality women all over the world are still experiencing a gender struggle in professional kitchens.

There are many theories about why there are fewer women in the culinary arts.  Some believe that the physical requirements of working full time (which is often far more than 40 hours a week) in a kitchen are too difficult for most women to handle.  Professional chefs are on their feet for their entire shifts and the long hours combined with the extreme heat and potential injury due to burns, cuts slips or falls make for a very physically vigorous lifestyle.

Others believe that women are less likely to put up with extreme hours.  Professional chefs are typically asked to work holidays with little to no vacation and even less time for personal relationships let alone everyday necessities such as sleep.  Being a professional chef is a driven profession and one that can often be highly stressful and, while it may be personally rewarding, it takes a significant amount of time and luck to be far enough up the ladder to make a decent living.

While the physical and emotional rigors of work as a professional chef cannot be denied, there is an extra element that female chefs say makes the job even more difficult.  Many female chefs talk about the “guy talk” or the offensive language and topics discussed behind the scenes at many restaurants.  Many women feel that in order to be taken seriously in a male dominated profession, they must relinquish their femininity or resign themselves to being ignored.

The silver lining for female chefs is the rise in women owned restaurants.  Women are making their way in the culinary world and are carving out their own niche subsequently gaining respect on their way up the ladder.

Fiumara Apparel recognizes all of the incredible women working hard in kitchens all over the world to prepare incredible dining experiences.  This is why we make sure that we carry a wide array of culinary apparel for women.  We understand the need to look professional and remain comfortable.  We do our best to make sure that we offer only the best in quality culinary apparel in many sizes and styles.