IT’S the 25th anniversary of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, which lifted the lid on the boiling point world of high testosterone professional kitchens. It remains a riveting, rock and roll read, but the complete invisibility of the ‘gentler sex’ still rankles.
By the time he was a globe-trotting telly phenomenon Bourdain was renouncing that macho persona. In one 2017 magazine interview he admitted: “I found myself in this very old, very, frankly, phallocentric, very oppressive system and I was proud of myself for surviving it,”
Fast forward to 2025 and there’s still a market for dishing the dirt on kitchens’ steamy, dark side. Slutty Cheff’s anonymous Instagram account has 43,000 followers for its tales of sex, drugs and chicken breasts. There’s a book out and maybe a film to follow.
Each to his (or her) own. I’d recommend instead last year’s A Woman’s Place is in the Kitchen by high-flier Sally Abé, which “lifts the lid etc” from a feminist perspective. Calling out continuing discrimination against women in the industry, her autobiography hit a raw nerve. Not that it deterred white male superstar chef Jason Atherton from declaring in a February interview: “I haven’t seen sexism in the kitchen.”
This tone-deaf dismissal sparked an open letter from 70 prominent women chefs calling for an end to sexism in hospitality. Signatories included Abé and leading North West chefs Stosie Madri (Parker’s Arms) and Mary-Ellen McTague (Pip). Less than a week before, the 2025 Michelin UK Awards in Glasgow had paraded on stage the 22 new one-star chefs; only one, Emily Roux, was a woman and she had accidentally been fitted with a male chef’s jacket, it turned out. A compensatory video featuring female kitchen experiences was embarrassing.
The workplace numbers do tell a tale, though. Just 13 per cent of kitchen staff are women; under half that in the Michelin sector.
Thankfully this perceived talent imbalance is all bollocks (if you can bear with the gender-led expletive)
Maybe too sweeping a statement, but this article has been inspired by a new generation of talented chefs who are heading up the kitchens of many of Manchester’s finest indie restaurants. Take Higher Ground’s Rosie Maguire. Just two years after joining (from Michelin-starred Mana) the 27-year-old was appointed Head Chef and this year was shortlisted for Chef to Watch at the National Restaurant Awards. She was also on Code Hospitality’s ’30 Most Influential Young People In Hospitality’ list.
Her grill expertise combines with an extra-curricular project studying and recording the Dexter beef breed the restaurant sources from Jane’s Farm. Further Higher Ground commitment to female talent is evidenced at their natural wine bar offshoot Flawd, where Korean head chef Seri Nam uses advanced fermentation techniques for her small plates menu.
Eight female head chefs tell it how it is…
To gauge their career experiences I have interviewed a cross section of female head chefs around Manchester: Mary-Ellen McTague (Pip at Treehouse Hotel), Ruby Jary (Madre Group), Jessica Furniss (Where The Light Gets In), Caroline Martins (SAMPA Project), Rachel Stockley (formerly of Baratxuri and another sexism letter signatory), Beth Hammond (Tawny Stores), Fabiola Bonacci (Tast Catala) and Alison Beardsley who, as Harvey Nichols head chef Alison Seagrave, was the first female Chef of the Year (2007) in the Manchester Food and Drink Awards. The only others to scoop the award are Mary-Ellen (twice) and Rachel.
And did you fall in love with food by your mother’s stove?
What follows are snapshots of their answers to issues I raised. The questions ranged from… How did you start in hospitality? Has being a woman made it harder to succeed? Have you encountered sexism? Is all this changing? Why suddenly so many female head chefs? As one, are you committed to easing your team’s work/life burden? Which chefs have inspired you along the way? Does Michelin matter? Most embarrassing kitchen moment? Your style of cooking/signature dish? Top kitchen tip? What do you like to eat off-duty? Hospitality is an a perilous state – what can be done to rescue it?
MARY-ELLEN McTAGUE
46, started her career at Sharrow Bay in the Lakes, then worked for Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck, Bray. After Ramson’s in Ramsbottom, she opened Aumbry in her home patch of Prestwich, The Creameries in Chorlton and is now exec chef of Pip in Manchester’s newest hotel, Treehouse. She is co-founder of Eat Well MCR, a hospitality collective that has delivered over 130,000 meals to people sidelined by poverty.
Is the head chef trend encouraging?
I think if you look at London there’s a similar pattern in the last 10 to 15 years, more female head chefs and more diversity in general. Which is good. Possibly it may be more a city thing. Really, anti-social hours is a big issue. We are busier in the evenings and at weekends. You can’t access normal child care if you’ve got children unless you’ve got family who live close by. My Auntie Steph is currently picking up my son from school and then collecting his prescription.
Fairer conditions?
It’s still a struggle. What’s good about working for a big company like this (Treehouse Hotels) is the financial burden is on the company and the requirement to create reasonable working conditions. When you’re an independent it’s really hard, the margins are so squeezed in cooking. When we first opened Aumbry VAT was 12.5 per cent and that was really hard but just about doable. The economics make it hard for a small business to be as flexible with staff as they would want to be.
Harder to succeed?
Oh yeah, you had to suppress things, show no weakness, work twice as hard, be twice as good as your male peers to get half the recognition. The Fat Duck was the only kitchen where there was at least one other woman. Heston was a really good boss and I didn’t feel I was being treated any differently from the boys.
At least these days most young women working in kitchens expect there to be other women around. When I started (at Sharrow Bay) it was “what fresh hell is this? They had never had a woman in the kitchen before. It was 25 years ago. When you talk to chefs like Ruby and Rose they’re a different generation. They’ve got a whole different perspective. It’s ridiculous to say there’s no sexism in kitchens but hopefully they will have experienced less.
Even now only a quarter of my brigade here is female. The more women there are in kitchens the better it will be for all women in kitchens.
What made the early days so bad?
There were a number of things that shocked me. One was how hard it was. I thought I’d worked hard in housekeeping, front of house but the kitchen felt absolutely like a baptism of fire. Thew tolerance of working in hot conditions, hunger, needing the toilet, completely ignoring any of your own physical needs. I was like ‘wow this is mad’.
There were three head chefs. Two of them took a year to speak to me directly. It was always via other chefs. Like having an alien in the kitchen. Obviously in those days I was completely useless, a total waste of space. Eventually it was fine when I became a needed member of the team; I moved up as people left.
Have you shouted at staff?
Yes, I try not to. It’s not an edifying thing that you are so stressed you are shouting at someone. As you get more experienced you see trouble coming. Nowadays I try to be a more mentoring figure.
Most embarrassing moment?
It was at the Fat Duck. I was on the section where we did foie gras and duck liver parfait. I went to take my next parfait out of the fridge to start plating up and it was an empty terrine mould. Someone had just put it back in the fridge and I should have checked. We’d already had one order and for Heston this happening was an absolute no-no.
At that time he had a little bistro at Bray Marina; they also had parfait. He called them and they brought some up. It was like Fawlty Towers. He looked at it and said “we can’t serve this/“ They then got balled out. So I not only got myself in bother but a whole other team too. They hated me.
I thought this was game over, that’ll be me out of the door. I’d been there just three months. Perhaps I was so devastated they couldn’t bear to fire me. If I’d got sacked it could have changed the course of my life. That’s the one I think about at 3am.
RUBY JARY
English-born, 26, started at 19 as a commis in her sister’s Galway restaurant Ruibin. She trained in pastry at the university there, then worked in East London for three years, mostly at Manteca but also at Sager & Wilde. She moved to Madre in Manchester and went on to open Medlock Canteen, which sadly shut last month. She has just taken on an exec chef role under Madre founder Sam Grainger.
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Why so many women head chefs suddenly? Down to a new wave restaurant culture?
I don’t necessarily think it’s ‘so many’ as women in the industry are still few and far between. I also don’t think there is any one particular reason that women are taking on head chef roles other than them being extremely talented as chefs rather than having anything to do with gender.
New wave? I think so because of the light that is being shone on the patriarchy in general and not just in the kitchen. I’d like to think that has filtered into restaurants and kitchens. This shift isn’t just a trend, it’s the result of women challenging a male-dominated kitchen culture for years.
Women are finally leading, innovating, and owning their space. It’s not just appreciation, it’s reclamation. I think it would be wrong of me to say I don’t have Michelin star ambitions but I don’t want them anywhere near me just yet! It is certainly an end goal for me, but I have a lot of ‘side quests’ to complete in my career first.
First job?
Working for my sister in her newly opened restaurant, I was blessed as not only is she my sister but as a teacher and a head chef she is the most kind, amazing mentor I could’ve asked for. No first job in a kitchen is ever easy but I couldn’t have had a better first environment.
Have you encountered sexism?
Of course. That’s just part and parcel of being a woman. I absolutely regard sexism as a problem and wouldn’t be the loud feminist I am if I didn’t. There are so many things fundamentally wrong with that Jason Athertoninterview, and it undermines everything women and a lot of men have been fighting for to keep our work environments safe. Sometimes people don’t actually realise they are or have been sexist, and by saying ‘sexism doesn’t exist in the kitchen’ it really solidifies that lack of self-awareness.
As a head chef is it your aim to lower brigade stress?
I would say, yes, I’m committed to that. I always think that I could be better, we all could. I like to show my commitment to my team by asking them what they want to work as opposed to just throwing hours at them and this is then reflected in their contracts. Also keeping up to date on your knowledge with certain apps/websites that track your staffing hours/costs (ours physically puts them in the red for doing too many hours) is important too. If I want a work life balance and don’t want to work all the hours under the sun why should I expect my team to do it?
What sparked your love of food?
I got into food because I love to eat. It was really that simple. My family have always been big eaters and good cooks. My older sister is a chef for over 15 years and now a restaurant owner; you can find my older brother cooking with his Kamado and pizza oven in his garden all year round; my mum is the one who started that all for us and she got it from her mum. She taught me how to make my first loaves of bread (proofing on the radiator is a core memory for me).
Your chef inspirations?
It changes all the time. At the moment I absolutely love Josh (The Whole Fish) Niland. What that man does to fish is just absolute wizardry! Other big inspirations for me are Asma Khan of Darjeeling Express, where the team are women that are not trained chefs, Anna Higham (The Last Bite, ‘best book ever’) and Ixta Belfrage. On a day to day, my sister Alice and my partner Archie (sous chef at Winsome, Manchester) inspire me to do more and step up my game. I have a huge list of pastry ideas on my phone. Heaven knows when I can try them out.
Your style of cooking?
I would probably say sweet and heavy. I’m an absolute sucker for sweets and carbs. Its the pastry chef in me. My signature dish is probably the deep-fried rhubarb pie and custard from Medlock Canteen. Again it always changes with the seasons, but my favourite ingredient right now is a British strawberry. Unmatched. Off-duty I really love with all my being a good curry and rice. Whether it’s Dishoom, home-made, Indian, Chinese or Thai. Can’t go wrong.
Most embarrassing moment?
Oh god where do I start? The fact that quite a lot of generic chef trousers are made for men has led to me ripping more pairs than I’d like to admit – and yes, during service in an open kitchen.
Top kitchen tip?
A pre service freshen up! Travel face wash, mouthwash and baby wipes, and a fresh set of clothes is an absolute must if you’re in a kitchen that does lunch and dinner service.
How to rescue hospitality?
More help from our local councils and government. Hospitality is a vital part of our culture, and the support for small businesses just isn’t there – this also falls under the umbrella of what our British government is doing to our farmers. The poor farmers are being crucified from every angle, so they cannot afford to sell to small local business and are being forced to sell to corporate companies. Which means our prices as buyers are then being hiked, which means we then have to charge more and it becomes unaffordable for your local people to turn into regulars.
JESSICA FURNISS
29, born in South West London, in 2019 she moved up from Cornwall to Manchester to work at the Midland Hotel while completing a patisserie qualification before becoming head of pastry at Pollen Bakery. Next move was to run the pastry section at WTLGI in Stockport; after a year she was promoted to head chef.
Why this female trend?
There are some incredibly talented women working here, attracted by the opportunities that are on offer and Manchester’s entrepreneurial spirit. It’s great to see and to be one of these women who are being recognised for their tireless efforts, creativity and mentorship skills.
To build a successful restaurant you need a talented chef team and to really entice this talent you need to build the right environment: one where you can learn, explore, joke, teach and most importantly cook. And from where I’m sitting I see so many female head chefs that have cultivated this environment.
Many restaurants in Manchester are focusing on culinary excellence rather than trying to win accolades. Sadly in this current climate, a Michelin star can often be something that ends up restricting your ability to adapt and innovate your restaurant. With always the pressure of it being taken away and the consequences.
So no starry dreams?
I respect all it has done for hospitality globally and, to be recognised for a green Michelin star at WTLGI is certainly gratifying. However Michelin does not guide my ambitions. My priority is the restaurant, our suppliers, our guests and the supportive community we have built in Stockport, whether or not that leads to a star.
First job?
As a commis in a hotel in Surrey. That job was eye opening, it showed me just how difficult it can be to be taken seriously as a young woman. Especially as that was 10 years ago and the head chef’s mentality was not healthy nor inclusive. I remember feeling so lucky to have been given the opportunity to work with these rather gruff but talented men that I felt the instant need to prove myself. Growing up in kitchen environments like that is an experience often described as “character building”. However I am almost certain I had enough character to start with. Would I have rather someone listen to and nurture my curiosity rather than berate and make light of it? Of course. Am I glad I have managed to model my leadership on more progressive behaviours than this? Damn right.
Have you encountered sexism?
Of course, I have. Even though we may be in 2025 sexism in the workplace is still rife. The unfortunate (depending on how you see it) thing is that sexism has evolved; it’s an undertone, a background noise and a gut feeling rather than the incredibly obvious heckles of the past.
At the end of the day women in this industry will suffer from a lack of understanding. Our bodies change every 28 days, that’s 20 services to endure, 20 times you’ll mask and put on a brave face whilst hormones are wreaking havoc on your mind and body. I think the problem is a lack of education on the matter, if we understand these differences we will have the resources to deal with them.
Are you committed to easing that pressure?
Absolutely. I think if anyone has answered this with a ‘no’ then that undermines all our efforts, doesn’t it? The concept of your cooking being valued on your suffering has to a great degree been ‘glamourised’ by TV and media. But it’s outdated and unnecessary. We are all aware of the high-pressure environment a kitchen can be.
Having to create and prep dishes in tight time frames, all while spending almost the entirety of your waking day standing up. That, as far as I know, has and will not change dramatically. But if by encouraging my team to take their holidays, book that doctor’s appointment during the work week, stay at home if they are unwell and spend time together outside of work, then yes.
We should also prioritise making the time we spend in this profession a positive, healthy and balanced one. Luckily at WTLGI we have the Landing (rooftop market garden), which allows us to take some time away from the kitchen in the fresh air and feel connected to our food sources. To get our hands dirty, hopefully in the sun and remind ourselves of the beauty in what we do.
What sparked your food passion?
This romanticism of cooking as a child is a funny thing. But the tattered old chocolate chip cookie recipe card my family friend has too willingly got out after a few drinks would suggest I was lucky enough to have my curiosity with food well nurtured from a young age. My well-travelled parents would always encourage us to try things and we were blessed with some excellent culinary experiences early on. My connection to food is still very grounded by my father, often sharing our newest cheese discoveries in depth. Every Christmas, I treat him and my stepmother to a gift voucher for an excellently curated restaurant, and look forward to his feedback.
Chef inspiration?
Anna Higham – her use of seasonal ingredients is second to none. Her dessert book,The Last Bite, has some truly incredible bits of information and I loved what she brought to Lyle’s in London. Out of all the forced rhubarb and custard desserts I’ve ever had (and will), hers was the best. Such a beautiful use of the raw ingredient to achieve a wondrous mix of texture. The combination of rustic refinement and simplicity she does incredibly well.
Your style of cooking?
My style is very much based on my experience of bakeries, giving me a controlled but curious approach to food, driven by seasonality and a respect for the origins of our ingredients. My favourite ingredients are flour, butter and eggs. The differences each of those commodities offers in variation, there are endless possibilities.
Signature dish? I am most excited for the next dessert I’ll be putting on to highlight the Landing berries. The tayberries and loganberries have come early with the good weather, so I’ve collected them up and preserved them to coincide with wineberries later in the year.
I plan to make a refined British classic: The Summer Pudding. Making a tarragon sugar shokupan and soaking in the fermented tayberry juice. Picking (daily) and romantically placing the fresh wineberries. A roche of creamy woodruff infused sorbet with a pool of sheep’s cheese whey sauce. Complemented with crystallised white chocolate, some fresh herbs and blackcurrant leaf oil. (Let me know when it’s on the menu, Jess).
My days off food is influenced by how tired I may be. In an ideal world I would be brining and roasting a chicken every Sunday, but I think we’d all know that’s not happening. If I’m cooking it’ll be highly influenced by the selection at Unicorn, Chorlton that day.
Most embarrassing moment?
Not sure I can remember a certain moment. The kitchen feels like a very natural habitat for me so I don’t tend to get embarrassed easily. Coming into the open kitchen environment of WTLGI, having been recently diagnosed with AuDHD was quite daunting. Feeling like all 80 eyes were on you and the pressure of telling the story of our farmers, beekeepers, fishermen and friends all felt very overwhelming. But in getting to know these incredible people involved in our project, I feel nothing but pure delight using my passion to explain to our guests who they are, the challenges they may face and why they should be supported.
How to rescue hospitality?
The UK sector is facing incredible challenges primarily due to increased operational costs and reduced support from the government. Changes that would really help would be to address the increased national insurance contributions and the reduction of business relief rates, as well as providing some specific support for hospitality.
I fear these issues will be the nail in the coffin for many independents as rising energy prices and inflation are already contributing to a toxic environment. The industry cannot afford to absorb these increases. And passing the costs onto the consumer isn’t the solution either.
There are some longer-term solutions which could help reduce costs. Smart water and energy management, for example. But when most businesses are struggling now, with many not even having three months of cash reserves and any resilience to stay afloat, overall something needs to change.
CAROLINE MARTINS
39, from Brazil, trained as a plasma physicist but gave it up after appearing on MasterChef Brazil. She moved to London to gain a Cordon Bleu diploma, working at Michelin-starred establishments Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs, Galvin La Chapelle and Pied à Terre. She currently runs SAMPA, a chef’s table restaurant in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
Why this head chef trend?
With all costs rising, loads of restaurants are having to decrease their opening times, changing working hours to save on utility bills but also creating a better work/life balance. As a result, women are more encouraged to stay and work their way up the brigade. When I started we used to work from 7:30am to 1am. There wasn’t any work-life balance, it was pushing women away, especially the ones thinking of having a family/husband, etc…
Michelin stars?
I have ambitions for this ‘elite’ because that’s how I was trained as a chef and for me it would mean the UK is finally opening up to Latin American cuisine.
But I don’t think accolades appreciate women in general. It made me really sad to see only a couple of female faces at the last Michelin ceremony. So many talented women chefs are not even on the radar of many of the big awards.
First job?
My first job was as a stagiaire (intern) at two-starred Trenkerstube in North Italy. I was the only female chef there, but everyone was so nice to me. I always noticed staff are treated much better in hotels. Maybe because they’ve got an HR department? Also, because I was fresh out of culinary school, the chefs really took their time to teach me. Italians do fine dining differently. It never felt draining.
Did you encounter sexism later?
Oh yes. Sexism is behind the reasons I left most places I’ve worked in fine dining.
If you’re a female, head chefs try to stick you in the pastry section. Not giving you a chance to learn the other sections. I even got the head chef at one Hackney place back in 2019, telling me that the barbecue “is not a woman’s section”, because “women’s skin is thinner than men’s skin and if there’s a burn, it would take longer to heal”.
At another, Michelin starred, London restaurant one former head chef used to make sexual comments about one of the girls in pastry, very nasty sexual jokes for everyone to hear. She used to go to the bathroom to cry. When we reported the matter it was all swept under the rug. I got really upset and left the job. Often as a commis chef I kept being placed to the most insignificant jobs folding dish cloths, making coffee, polishing the whole stainless steel kitchen with baby oil.
I got frustrated and quit.
Many of these chefs now hold important positions in the industry. It seems that hospitality rewards sexist behaviours like that. It pushes away female interest to join.
In contrast, an inspiration for you?
Chef James Knappett (of Kitchen Table, London). He taught us about ‘urban foraging’. We would go out on our days off to collect delicious ingredients, such as meadowsweet, elderflower, wild leek and pineapple weed. Then he would use his creativity to come up with the most delicious dishes.
How did you first get into food?
With my Portuguese grandmother Alice, making bread from starch, and with my father Marcos learning how to barbecue for family and friends.My favourite off-duty food remains rice, black beans, steak, farofa (cassava crumble) and iceberg lettuce and tomato salad. Plus my fermented dedo-de-moca chilli sauce on the side.
Your own food style?
Brazilian-British Fusion. I try to match the best British produce with Latin American vegetables and fruits, and Brazilian techniques. My signature dish is barbecued Orkney scallops served with heart-of-palm (the core of the palm tree) and a cassava mousseline.
Most embarrassing moment?
Recently: I was explaining a beef+sugar cane molasses sauce reduction for my guests at SAMPA chef’s table, while saucing their dishes in front of them. I got distracted and sauced a vegetarian lad’s main course (smoked tofu), while he was trying to ask me not to. Luckily he was a good sport and I had time to make him another main course.
How to rescue hospitality?
VAT is actually what is killing restaurants in this country. You’re demanded to charge your guests 20 per cnet on top of what it really costs, but when it’s time to fill in your VAT return, you don’t get anything back, because there’s no VAT to claim back in food Ingredients. The same does not happen in bars, as all alcohol purchases are VAT-included. Something needs to be done very fast, or restaurants will keep dropping like flies.
RACHEL STOCKLEY
37, she started out 13 years ago as an apprentice at the old Palace Hotel kitchens, then rose to become head chef of Baratxuri in Ramsbottom for five and a half years. Since then she has become a freelance chef/consultant and is currently a home economist on the BBC series, Great British Menu. She played a chef in the Beeb drama Boiling Point.
Why so many more women now in head chef roles?
I am totally oblivious to the fact that it’s ‘recently’. I feel like it’s been like that for years; it’s just the spotlight is being shone more on them now. When i was at Baratxuri, our sister restaurant, Levanter, was headed up by a brilliant head chef, Yvonne Lumb.
Michelin star ambitions?
No.
First kitchen job? Was it easy being a young woman?
I took a job as an apprentice commis at 23 years old at the Palace Hotel because I finally realised that cheffing was the only thing I would be half decent at. So maybe coming into the industry not wet behind the ears and with a little bit of life experience of working in hospitality since 15 helped me to understand what chefs would be like. I’d had some horrible experiences in that period but in my first chef job the kitchen was split almost equally male and female. My exec chef was so fair and mentored me so well that I have to credit him for being such a good role model and instilling those key good practices into my work ethic.
For the first few years in different jobs I encountered sexual harassment, sexism, racism, the lot. It was a pirate ship. But when you’re a teenager and these are your first few jobs, in systems where you’re at the bottom of a pile, you don’t see any way of complaining about it.
What sparked your food passion?
My mum and dad always cooked for me growing up, it was extremely rare to have takeaways – only fish and chips. I probably started helping to cook dinner at eight years old and continued until I could do it all myself and that felt so normal that it never occurred to me to do it as a career. Until two failed attempts at different degrees and years cooking for all my friends in Uni.
Career inspirations?
I think for me mostly it was my peers at work. When I was a commis or a chef de partie you’d be watching the chef above you and thinking, right, that’s what I need to do, to get to the next step. I never had grandeur expectations, I just wanted to be respected within my kitchen and thought upon as reliable and someone that could handle big services and pressure.
Your own style of cooking?
I suppose I have been known for Basque style cuisine and cooking over fire. I think in general seasonality remains key to everything I cook and my favourite ingredients, of course, change with the seasons. Off-duty I like to eat Thai, Filipino food and reaaaaaaally good pizza.
Most embarrassing moment?
Not embarrassing for me but…. I had customers once at Baratxuri thank me for their meal and then say ‘compliments to the Chef; tell HIM, HE’S amazing!’ I also had another set of customers asked if I’d previously worked in the Thai restaurant around the corner and after I I’d said no, insisted that I had.
How to rescue hospitality?
Substantial government changes. It’s action right from the very top.
BETH HAMMOND
34, after travelling for much of her early twenties she started working for Richard Carver of Honest Crust, running his Little Window offshoot at Altrincham Market. She later joined the team at Flawd before creating the dining menu at Stockport’s Yellowhammer, bakery project of Where The Light Gets In. A year ago she realised her dream of launching her own casual destination, Tawny Stores in Marple (with an 80 per cent female team).
Why the female trend?
I think a big part of it is the kind of restaurants being built here are smaller, owner-led, value-driven spaces that are less about hierarchy and more about collaboration. That makes space for women to lead without having to mirror an old school ‘chef’ persona. Manchester’s food culture feels like it’s moving forward, even if awards culture still lags behind.
Michelin star ambitions?
Not really. I love great food and consistency, but the pressures that come with that world don’t interest me. I care more about creating a kitchen that people enjoy working in, that puts out beautiful plates without breaking people.
Have you encountered sexism?
I’ve had my skills questioned, been talked over, ignored, and been called ‘bossy’ when leading a team. It’s not every kitchen, but it’s common enough to still be a real problem. I’ve always been quite selective in places I have worked, looking for female-led spaces and kitchens (like Flawd) that appreciate work ethic.
I have a lot of women working for me and do believe women are more drawn to female led,-owned business to be heard and seen, and understood with life balances with children. No one should have to burn out to be taken seriously. We work hard, but I try to build in balance, fair rotas, breaks, time off. You can make good food without having to glorifying the stress that comes with it.
What sparked your food passion?
We are a family of foodies, Grandparents great cooks, Mother is a great cook, we used to come home from school and food network would be on the TV, my sister is a chef now living in New York and my other sister works with food as a developer at the Co-op.
Chef inspirations?
I love Flawed head chef Seri’s style of food and love that she has such skill, which comes from her Korean heritage, and then uses the ingredients available to her with these techniques. More well-known chefs, Gill Meller and Anna Tobias, cooks who let ingredients speak, who value simplicity, seasonality, and a sense of place.
Your own cooking style?
Seasonal, produce-led, no fuss. I would credit Richard Carver for this, who taught me the value of really good quality ingredients and that if you have amazing ingredients you really don’t need to do much to make them taste amazing. I do love Asian food from my travels, which often creeps into my dishes. I am often aware of my white privilege and don’t feel comfortable ‘elevating’ other people’s food which isn’t my own. So influence only and recognition. Off-duty dining? Thai, Vietnamese and Korean.
Most embarrassing moment?
Splitting the custard as my first task when I did a week at Where the Light Gets In.
How to rescue hospitality?
VAT being one of the biggest things to change, the model does not work for hospitality, especially for establishments who are always using non-rated products. People have to understand the rising costs for businesses and recognise why places are having to put up their prices.
FABIOLA BONACCI
36, after studying for a maths degree this Italian chef kicked of her career as an events chef in Pisa before, at 24, moving to Tarragon and Reus, where she mastered Catalan cuisine. After a spell in Germany she moved to London in the midst of Covid and rose to be head chef at tapas bastion Barrafina in Covent Garden. Tast Catala, Manchester outpost of Michelin-starred Catalan chef Paco Pena, is her next big career step. The majority of the menu is Paco dishes; she contributes weekend specials and her own signature dinners.
How has being female affected your career?
I had a lot of discrimination, from Spain to the UK. In Spain, one summer, I was working all week, without day off, from morning until night and my salary was less than the male chef who had my same duties and role. In the UK in 2022, when I came back from maternity leave, I found out that all the other male head chefs of the company (I was the only female) had a raise of salary while I didn’t get one. They also assigned another male head chef who was still on probation as my superior when, based on seniority, he should have responded to me. Honestly, sometimes it is quite hard to combine work and personal life, but I make it work.
What sparked your food passion?
I started to be at the stove when I was very little. I used to cook with my mum and grandma, and I fell in love with the smell, sound and flavours of the kitchen.
Chef inspirations?
Italian chefs like Massimo Bottura, Carlo Cracco, Antonino Cannavacciuolo. I watched how they work, their different styles and found them fascinating.
Michelin star ambitions?
In the past I was a bit more obsessed with stars. Now it would be wonderful to win one, but I’m enjoying my job as it is.
Your own cooking style?
I call my style ‘Spanian’, a mix between Italian and Spanish food. Mediterranean ingredients are my favourite, simple and tasty. And my comfort food, you guessed, Italian recipes.
ALISON BEARDSLEY
51, worked on a Bury Market butcher’s stall from the age of 13 and at 19 went straight from Hopwood Hall College, Rochdale to London, working as a pastry commis in a string of elite kitchens – including the Berkeley under the legendary John Williams, whose Ritz dining room is the current UK Restaurant of the Year. In 2003 she moved back to Manchester to open Harvey Nichols Second Floor, three years later promoted to executive chef. In 2009 she quit to open Macaroon by Alison Seagrave, a shop/cafe in Bamford. These days, with a family, she runs her acclaimed online bakery Macaroon by Alison Seagrave from home. Do check it out.
Why this female trend?
Because of their talent.
First job? Was it easy being a young woman?
It was the SAS Portman hotel, Marble Arch and I was just 19. It was around a 70/30 men/women split. My immediate team was two women and one man, so I had a good introduction into work life. I think I was lucky, I’ve always had great teams around me that all included women (including back at Bury Market).
Have you encountered sexism?
Yes of course. I’m a woman and sexism is everywhere, not just in kitchens.
I have always worked in a male-dominated industry, so I’m totally used to it. That doesn’t make it OK, but I’ve grown up with it all around me, so I know how to handle it. As head chef I used to give the brigade cans of full fat coke and bars of chocolate to get through busy shifts.
What sparked your food passion?
My Nan was a great cook/baker. I loved watching her and sometimes helping. We always went out to nice restaurants for family birthdays and celebrations. I was used to eating out from an early age and have always loved it.
Your comfort food?
I like simple home-cooked food like pies, chilli and curry and I love my slow cooker. I don’t own an air fryer yet.
Top kitchen tip?
When juicing a lemon, place it whole in the microwave for 30 seconds. You’ll get double the amount of juice.
How to rescue hospitality?
Its the cost of living crisis thats the problem, sky-high rent, rates and ingredient costs. We all feel it when grocery shopping. We all have less money to spend. I don’t go out for dinner as much, but I still want to go out. So it’s more cafes instead of restaurants, coffee, cake and breakfast instead as that’s cheaper. We still need to socialise and have treats but with a lower spend.
• Apologies to other Manchester head chefs not interviewed such as Lucie Sainerova at Australasia, Georgie Tamara Hewitt at MAYA and Danielle Heron of OSMA, all of whom are doing amazing jobs.