I remember getting asked that question a lot back in those days by reporters and TV hosts wanting to interview and have food demonstrations done by women and people of color. I also believe the pressure was there to be more inclusive.
I almost cried one time when a reporter asked me for information on black chefs who were in white tablecloth dining establishments. I could think of nobody! All of my friends were educators or worked in hospitals, catering companies or cafes, not fine dining white tablecloth restaurants. Of course we were there… women and people of color doing their thing at white tablecloth establishments. I was just clueless! Somewhere in my head I decided to find more people who looked like me in this industry. This introvert was already schooled to always speak to people of color and women when I saw them because we always seem to be in the minority at events and conventions. It was pure glee I experienced when I would introduce myself to one of my peers who looked like me in the same space. Counting chips in the cookie was the norm and shamefully so easy to do.
In my adjunct teaching days, women have always been the majority in my classrooms. But somehow this never translated into management in the kitchens. Women were put to work often in the places and spaces that paid the least amount of money.
I’m not sure exactly why that is. I don’t believe there’s any one reason. It could be a lack of support at home, especially when there’s a child involved. It’s hard to care for and feed babies, do school work, and so on, when you have to work a 12-hour day and most of that is during the dinner hour.
Maybe the persistent lack of equal pay for women versus what men earn is also a contributing factor. Having no leadership to support your endeavors in moving up the management scale can be defeating. And sadly it could also be the lack of women just stepping up and boldly taking control of the possibilities that exist.
I have seen all of this or I have heard the stories from colleagues and friends in this industry.
“If it is to be, it is up to me,” is the phrase of a song we used to sing in Sunday school growing up. I was raised to believe in the power of positive thinking, so the song, and this phrase resonates with me to this day.
Women are here. We are growing in our fields of expertise and we are finding ways to thrive and be a blessing to others. In my role of National President I look forward to helping other women reach their full potential and become the leaders we want to see.
Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC, CCA, ACE, AAC
Executive Chef
Culinary Concepts, LLC
Summerville, SC
President
American Culinary Federation
