Yes, boss! Why we need more visibility for women in gastronomy

If the Michelin stars are awarded, it is always obvious: unfortunately, top cooks are still outnumbered in Germany. Only four percent of the excellent chefs were 2024 women. And this is not because women work less often as a cook. According to the microcensus, there were around 285,000 cooks and 249,000 chefs in Germany in 2022. Happiness is the gastronomy new ways. The trend is based on casual dining (no stars but very good food in a relaxed atmosphere). And women also play at the top of food pop-ups, dinner clubs and food design. So women have long been there!

“They conduct star restaurants, develop innovative concepts and have long since developed the future of German gastronomy. And that experiences a fundamental change. With their expertise and leadership, more and more women shape the culinary landscape, ”says food journalist Denise Snieguole Wachter. But this development needs a lot more attention. And that's why food enthusiast Denise Snieguole has her platform at the beginning of the yearChef:infounded– Click here for the website.

Denise Snow:German gastronomy urgently needs more visible female role models. I have been watching as a food journalist for over 10 years: there are successful top cooks - but they are rarely in the spotlight. We finally have to tackle this discrepancy between the existing talent and the lack of visibility.

D.S.:We want to actively help shape the change in German gastronomy. Boss: In should be more than a platform - we tell the stories of these cooks, show their culinary philosophy and provide insights into their career paths. Through monthly portraits, events and networking options, we create a community that shows the next generation: You can do it too!

D.S.:The challenges in top gastronomy are immense: services from morning to midnight, permanent weekend work, 16-hour days for perfect service for low salaries. In addition, there are maximum pressure, the demand for perfection and physical top performance. A compatibility with family? Almost impossible. Despite these hurdles, more and more cooks are developing new, forward -looking concepts: shared management positions, fair working hours, family -friendly structures. But the structural problem remains: In the patriarchal structures, men prefer men, cooks fight prejudices and often experience sexism. The fact that more and more women are successful in top gastronomy shows their extraordinary strength.

D.S.:German top gastronomy is experiencing a fundamental change. With their expertise and leadership, more and more women shape the culinary landscape. But this change still takes place too often in secret. The numbers speak a clear language: only four percent of the excellent cooks are women.

D.S.:Unfortunately, the numbers clearly show it: yes. But we see that something is moving. With cooks like Julia Leitner (Coda, 2 stars) or Alina Meissner-Bebrout (Bes: rasclas, 1 stern), rosina ostler (Alois – Dallmayr Fine Dining, 2 stars) we have strong role models that prove that women play with talent, creativity and entrepreneurship in the first division.

D.S.:The development is positive, but too slow. There are definitely more successful top chefs than ten years ago, but they don't get the same attention as their male colleagues.

D.S.:We have to make these success stories actively visible. In addition to theWatch ListWe plan various networking events and panels at important industry events. Each cook should be able to decide how she wants to get involved. We need more networking, more exchange and above all: more visibility for these extraordinary talents.