Walk into almost any large hotel kitchen anywhere in the world — whether in India, Europe, the Middle East or the United States — and one thing becomes strikingly visible. The chefs leading the brigade are almost always men. Shelves rumble with noise, pans fly, orders shout back and forth — but women are rare among the senior culinary ranks.
This imbalance is one of the biggest paradoxes of modern food culture.
Food, cooking and culinary tradition have always been heavily linked to women inside homes. Mothers, grandmothers and daughters have been the custodians of flavours for generations. Yet, the moment cooking becomes a profession — the moment the chef’s coat enters a hotel kitchen — the majority of those jobs suddenly go to men. For decades, women who want to become profession…
Walk into almost any large hotel kitchen anywhere in the world — whether in India, Europe, the Middle East or the United States — and one thing becomes strikingly visible. The chefs leading the brigade are almost always men. Shelves rumble with noise, pans fly, orders shout back and forth — but women are rare among the senior culinary ranks.
This imbalance is one of the biggest paradoxes of modern food culture.
Food, cooking and culinary tradition have always been heavily linked to women inside homes. Mothers, grandmothers and daughters have been the custodians of flavours for generations. Yet, the moment cooking becomes a profession — the moment the chef’s coat enters a hotel kitchen — the majority of those jobs suddenly go to men. For decades, women who want to become professional chefs have been fighting not only heat and pressure inside the kitchen, but also stereotypes, biases and system-level obstacles outside of it.
So why does this gap still exist?
The Culture of Hotel Kitchens is Historically “Male”
Hotel kitchens did not evolve from casual domestic cooking. Their roots came from military style cooking systems, where the hierarchy, command structure and discipline resembled an army unit. Executive chefs, sous chefs, garde-mangers — these titles emerged from a brigade system built around physical strength, long hours, intense pressure and authoritarian leadership.
Inside such a setting, masculinity became the norm. Aggression became the language. Surviving 12 to 14 hours per shift became the benchmark of seriousness. Work culture inside hotel kitchens still remains deeply influenced by this military heritage — which naturally discouraged women from entering and staying.
Even in modern times, the culture has not changed rapidly enough.
Practical Challenges Hit Women Harder
Being a chef in a busy hotel is not just about creativity — it also involves:
- lifting heavy pots and trays
- standing for hours at a stretch
- working weekends/late nights
- missing family time and festivals
- constantly battling fire, heat, burns, slips and cuts
These are not easy for anyone — but women often face extra pressures from society.
In many households, women still shoulder more responsibility regarding home and children. When a hotel job demands 12 hour shifts and working weekends, it is women — not men — who are expected to make “adjustments”.
Thus, the system pushes many talented female chefs out of the pipeline.
Lack of Support Stops Women From Rising Up
Even when women enter culinary institutes and kitchens, most remain stuck at entry level.
Why?
Because the next step in a kitchen career often requires:
- mentorship
- sponsorship by senior chefs
- access to networks
- visibility with management
Many male chefs receive this support informally — they join “boys clubs”, they get recommended for promotions, they get picked for special training or competitions. Women often get left out from these informal networks.
The result: fewer women become sous chefs or executive chefs.
And once there are fewer role models, the belief that men naturally belong at the top becomes stronger.
Stereotypes Still Hold Power
When a man cooks professionally, he is called a “chef”. When a woman cooks at home, she is called a “good cook”.
This difference in perception runs deep in society.
People assume a professional chef must be:
- strong
- dominant
- tough
- commanding
- loud
These traits are associated with men — even though women are equally capable of leadership and authority.
In fact, women chefs often bring different strengths that benefit modern kitchens:
- precision
- patience
- emotional intelligence
- team management skills
- hygiene and organisational discipline
But these are undervalued in a field that glorifies drama and aggression.
Can Things Change?
Yes — but not automatically. Change must be intentional.
Hotels and hospitality institutes need to:
- actively hire and promote women chefs
- offer flexible work schedules and childcare support
- create safer kitchens free of harassment
- invest in leadership training specifically for women
- highlight successful female chefs as icons and mentors
The rise of women-run kitchens is already visible in some boutique hotels and specialty restaurants. Food media today is beginning to celebrate women chefs more than before. And new generations of female culinary students are entering the field with more confidence.
The Talent Exists — The System Must Rise to Meet It
Women are not missing in hotel kitchens because they lack skill, passion, or creativity. They are missing because the system was built around male dominance, and that system has not been reformed fast enough.
From culinary schools to five-star hotels, the industry must stop assuming that the best chefs are automatically male. It must build pipelines that allow women to rise from trainees to sous chefs and eventually to executive chef roles.
When hotels finally recognise that good food has no gender — the culinary world will only become richer, more diverse, more creative and more inspiring for everyone.