CONTINUE TO SITE »
or wait 15 seconds

Chef Chatter

How to thrive as a female chef in male-dominated industry

Mary Lou Davis, Chef de Cuisine of Whiskey Cake in San Antonio and contestant on season 19 of "Hell's Kitchen," reveals three pieces of advice to help female chefs succeed.

How to thrive as a female chef in male-dominated industry"Women need to be firm but also flexible at handling stressful situations. It's also important to promote open communication within the kitchen so everyone feels safe to speak out," Mary Lou Davis, chef de Cuisine of Whiskey Cake. Provided


By Mary Lou Davis, chef de Cuisine, Whiskey Cake

When Melinda Gates said, "A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman," she was talking about me. Well, probably. If she ever saw me in my element (AKA in the kitchen whipping up some creative, one-of-a-kind dishes). As a woman, it certainly hasn't been easy climbing the ladder to where I am today, but my voice, determination and spunk are what's gotten me this far.

Anyone that knows me, or has seen me on "Hell's Kitchen" (Season 19, what's up!), knows I'm a loud ball of energy, and I laugh at my own jokes. From time to time, I get wild with my friends. But, beyond being a fun, blue-haired witch (I'll cast a spell on you if you don't watch "Hell's Kitchen"), I also have two college degrees, I'm the youngest chef in my company and the only female chef.

In America, males make up 77.4% of chefs and head cooks, so it's imperative for women to know what to expect before joining the restaurant industry. As a female chef, the higher I got in my career, the more I started to recognize injustices in the workplace. These occurrences have molded me into the person I am today because they taught me to establish invaluable strategies in order to thrive.

Here are three things I've learned as a female chef in a predominately male kitchen:

Work twice as hard.
In the restaurant industry, men have a head start. Many times women in the kitchen are underestimated, and their talent can be overlooked. This predisposition means women have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously. The silver lining here is that when people have something to prove, they're unstoppable.

In my experience, our female staff has shown to be the hardest workers in the kitchen. We're constantly busting our butts to prove we deserve to be in our current positions, and we're working even harder to advance. Take me for example: I'm small, young and a woman of color, but I work twice as hard and twice as fast because I know it's what I have to do.

You are your best advocate.
Throughout my professional development, my strong voice has been my saving grace. Every day, I'm advocating for myself as a woman, and it can be challenging. That's why the one thing I never compromise on is respect in the kitchen. While we're all out there doing our thing, we need to have mutual respect for one another, and we must set our boundaries. In this job, women need to be firm but also flexible at handling stressful situations. It's also important to promote open communication within the kitchen so everyone feels safe to speak out when they feel like there's an issue.

Be unapologetically yourself.
As I like to tell people — I'm like no one you've ever met before, so do not put me in a box. I think this is a big part of what makes me a great chef. Growing up, I never thought I was good at anything — the only thing I liked to do was eat (shrug). So, I rolled with the punches and look where it got me — I just cooked for my idol, Gordon Ramsay! I'm growing into the woman I've always wanted to be, every single day.

In life, you have to do what makes you makes you happy, and then your uniqueness will make you special. It's cheesy to say, but some of the best advice I can give to young women is just be yourself. When you stop trying to be who everyone else wants you to be, you'll shine.

From earning the right to vote to electing the first female vice president, women have been breaking the glass ceiling and showing the world what we're made of for decades. So, when the going gets tough, we all have to remember that we're a part of something amazing. We don't have to hate on men in the process — we need men to make the world go 'round.

What we do need to continue to do as women is support one another, own who we are, and show the world, every single moment, what incredible things we're capable of doing.


Chef Chatter


Keep up with what's happening in the restaurant industry

Subscribe now to the Restaurant Operator Daily, which brings you the top stories from Fast Casual, Pizza Marketplace, and QSR Web.

Privacy Policy

Already a member? Sign in below.

  or register now

Forgot your password?


You may sign into this site using your login credentials
from any of these Networld Media Group sites:

b'S2-NEW'