Female chefs say Canada’s culinary industry changing for the better
TORONTO — It was an Instagram photo that caught long-time restaurateur Stacey Patterson’s eye: six chefs — all men — at a table together playing poker. It’s an image of camaraderie that Patterson says is noticeably absent between women in the industry.
“We’re not in the world together,” she says.
The picture prompted Patterson to found Toronto-based Open Kitchen, a dining event series that features a different female chef every month. So far, Open Kitchen has raised $25,000 towards a scholarship for female students at George Brown College’s culinary school.
The need for female support — and simply more women in the industry — is one Patterson knows well. She says she continues to have fewer female chefs on staff.