Women Chefs

Yesterday, we discussed what it means to be a woman who cooks. We had determined that there is a difference between a chef and a cook. Often women are framed into the limited category of being a cook. Either this means women cannot ever be linked with a profession or they are less likely to take charge in a commanding position. When people think of meals they usually think about a mother's home-cooked meal. However, women are just as capable to run a kitchen and make spectacular dishes no matter the taster. This was evident when I was introduced for the first time to Julia Child's cooking lifestyle.

Julia Child is inspiring to the female community because she brings her food alive. She has stepped up the ladder and earned her recognition in the culinary community. Julia came from a prosperous family who wanted her to be successful. Julia was encouraged to go to Smith college to continue her educational career. After she left Smith college, she tried to enlist into a caretaking military branch, however, despite her passion, she was rejected because she was six foot two. Fortunately, after WWII, she moved to Paris with her husband where her cooking career kicked off. Eventually, she attended one of the best french Culinary schools in France. This opportunity was rare to hear about because women did not usually attend culinary schools. especially one with such a rigorous reputation.

Short story long, Julia Childs, became an incredibly outstanding chef where she, yes, she ran the kitchen. Childs brought excellence, colorful energy, humor, and passion for the art of cooking. If she were to have a take-home message, I would define it with one offer quotes that Ms. Hamovit shared with us: " Find something you're passionate about and be tremendously interested." This quotation can apply to all of our lives where you may have heard "Do what you love, love what you do."

It was incredibly surprising to hear that only seven percent of restaurants in the United States of America hire women to be their head chef. It is unfortunate where people expect women to do all of the household (chore) cooking and meal preparation, and cannot expect the women to work in a cooking profession where it involved a business. In my opinion, women are both chefs and home cookers and men should be just as responsible to feed a family. I hope that one day women will be considered under professional and family titles rather than just being enclosed into a selective, sexist fence.