Where are the Women Chefs In India

In the recent time, the world has witnessed a growing awareness among women. The feminist movement has strengthened all the more.

In our male dominated society, where at some places, girls’ education is considered secondary and their ability to make round chapatis is considered primary; it is indeed an irony that women Chefs are still a rarity in the food business.

You may say that it is good news indeed. Kitchen has been considered a territory of women since ages. If we see great number of male Chefs shouldn’t we be overjoyed?

Well, in large parts of the country, women are still confined in the walls of the home kitchen. However, whenever there is a scope for business, it’s usually the men who take over.

Since it’s a patriarchal society we live in, men often face a problem taking orders from a female chef, and hence women are neglected when it comes to this field.

One of the most prominent reasons given regarding this issues is that being a chef means one has to cook in a ‘hot’ temperature, pick up heavy utensils, work as quickly as possible, which can, supposedly, be physically exhausting for women.

Rhea Barucha, a 23-year-old pastry chef at The Sassy Spoon, Nariman Point, Mumbai, who is the only female member of the culinary team at the eatery once said, “It’s not that a woman can’t work in the hot kitchen. But I wasn’t trained.”

This clearly suggests that it’s a preconceived notion that women can’t work in heat or can’t carry a heavy sack of bag or utensils.

But the reality is that this is not just the case in India, the industry is male dominated across the world.

London is one of the few countries where kitchens are designed according to the preferences of women, and both genders are given equal responsibilities.

The saddest part is that sometimes it’s the women who back out because of the struggle to choose between a career and having a family.

Women are not provided the liberty of managing both those fields as men are. They are not even granted flexible timings.

The scenario is slowly and steadily evolving. Women are actively joining the industry. They are excelling in almost all cuisines. India itself is witnessing an increase in number of Indian Women Achievers in the hospitality industry.

Women too need to understand, that every field needs some sacrifices to be made in order to achieve success. To excel in the hospitality business, you will have to give priority to your passion.

And for your dose of inspiration, Feministaa provides you with the motivational advice by Celebrity Chef Ajay Chopra, to all the aspiring female chefs in the world.

One should remember that in any profession the skill matters and not the gender. Especially, when it comes to cooking, all that is required is love and effort, which is definitely gender neutral.