As International Women’s Day is for celebrating female achievements, let’s salute some of the women who have made a difference to our restaurant culture
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Joanna Jagger once worked front of house, back of house and in human resources in the restaurant industry. She worked harder and longer, and took on more stress than male counterparts.
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“I felt I had to prove myself differently than men,” she says. “I remember a sous chef telling me I was a pretty good cook for a girl.”
Jagger, now an instructor in the School of Tourism at Capilano University, is also president and founder of Worth Association, a non-profit advocating female equality and empowerment in hospitality, recreation and tourism fields.
Research shows that women want to be leaders in the restaurant industry, she says, yet male chefs outnumber females by three to one in B.C. and by four to one across Canada.
“Women are in the majority in culinary schools and gain Red Seals at higher rates than men,” she says. “So why do women exit? That’s why I started Worth.”
It could be the long hours, lack of family time, burnout, toxic environments or opening their own businesses, like bakeries.
“Anyone in the industry has stories about what was once tolerated and things are changing,” she says.
But, still, women generally remain in lower-ranking, entry level jobs.
Worth program Yes Shef, an annual gala fundraiser (for scholarships and programs) and food event, pairs female chefs and culinary students.
“One hundred per cent of the chefs say the event gives them a sense of community and more excitement about their careers,” says Jagger. “We want to see more women owning and operating restaurants with access to funding, mentorship and leadership opportunities in every city in Canada.”
She points to a study showing that companies with more than 30 per cent women on executive levels significantly outperform those with fewer women execs.
Elizabeth Blau, who operates five restaurants in Parq Vancouver and the JW Marriott Hotel, co-founded a similar organization in 2020 in her hometown of Las Vegas. Women’s Hospitality Initiative empowers women through mentorships and sponsorship programs.
“Women face a variety of challenges in the hospitality industry when striving for leadership roles, and addressing these barriers requires systemic change and support,” Blau says, referring to gender bias, workplace culture, gendered pay gaps, work-life balance, networking opportunities and lack of mentors.
As International Women’s Day is for celebrating female achievements, let’s salute some of the women who have made a difference to our restaurant culture.
Ophelia Arida, Mèreon
The name Mèreon is a mash-up of mère and Lyons — the “mothers of Lyon” were accomplished female chefs who trained France’s greats like Paul Bocuse and Georges Blanc. Arida pivoted from another a career in marketing to follow her heart, which told her to show love, you make food. Her sunny French bistro in West Vancouver offers brunch, lunch and dinner.
Elizabeth Blau, Honey Salt, Victor and D6 at Parq Vancouver
Blau is the spark plug that transformed Las Vegas from a buffet culture into today’s starry culinary destination by persuading A-list restaurateurs to open there, starting with the Le Cirque at the Bellagio. She (and her chef husband) also operate a couple of restaurants there. In Vancouver, she’s the creative force behind five food spots at Parq Vancouver and JW Marriott, including Honey Salt, The Victor steakhouse, and D6 Bar and Lounge.
Shira Blustein, Lila and The Acorn
This punk rocker took the Birkenstocks off of vegetarian dining, zhuzhing it up in finery at The Acorn, a Michelin-recommended spot. Her second vegetarian spot, Arbor, recently morphed into Lila, which she operates with Meera Dhalwala. As for punk rock? She’d recommend it to her kids. “There are so many worse things they could get into,” she once told me. “We were protesting for equal rights, human rights, feminism and all that.” Go, kids!
Andrea Carlson, Burdock, Bar Gobo and Harvest Community Foods
Someone hand this superhero Wonder Woman’s gold tiara. Carlson, a Michelin-star chef/restaurateur, has been doing local, sustainable and responsible in her own inventive way since, well, forever, including a 100-mile menu back in the last century. At Burdock today, she’s still nailing inventive, earth-wise cookery.
Inez Cook, Salmon n’ Bannock
This restaurant restores Cook’s Indigenous ancestry, stolen from her during the ’60s scoop. Food on her menu represents Indigenous nations with modern interpretations (pemmican mousse with smoked and dried bison, bannock taco, candied salmon with maple drizzle). Wines are from Nk’Mip Cellars, an Indigenous B.C. winery. In 2022, she added Salmon n’ Bannock on the Fly at the Vancouver International Airport (international departures).
Meeru Dhalwala, Lila
Values from an earlier career in human rights and international development has followed er as restaurateur and chef at Vij’s, which she co-founded, and at Rangoli, where the cooks were all women. Now she is chef-owner at Lila, a modern Indian, with an emphasis on vegetables and seafood and kindness in the kitchen.
Ying Gao, Araxi, Whistler
After working in Vancouver at Blue Water Cafe, Cincin Ristorante, Elisa Steak House and Riley’s Fish and Steak, the outdoorsy chef Gao got her dream job as executive chef at Araxi, a jewel of a restaurant. Her beautiful cooking is perfect for this restaurant.
Betty Hung, Beaucoup Bakery and Café
Once a graphic designer, Hung decided “it really wasn’t me,” and pursued her No. 1 love. Largely self-taught, she took over Beaucoup Bakery, where she had apprenticed and carried on its stellar reputation — it’s my go-to for the most satisfying croissant. Hung has checked off another dream, publishing a cookbook and watched it win gold at the Taste Canada Awards.
Erin Ireland, To Live For Bakery
Her vegan bakery café is next level vegan. Croissants that outshine most others in town? You bet! Ireland’s crusade to turn people on to veganism began with banana bread and lemon loaves but she’s gone on to rebrand vegan cafés from frumpy to desirable and sophisticated.
Irina Karpenko, Kozak Ukrainian Eatery
Karpenko’s forever dream was to run a restaurant, so she got her masters in restaurant management in Kyiv. Cut to Vancouver, where she started off by selling her baking at farmers markets. Now, she runs three bakery-, restaurants with homey, comforting Ukrainian food and baked goods include chocolate babkas (they take flight off the shelves) and tempting jumbo croissant cubes.
Claire Lassam, Livia
Lassam’s the portrait of a workhorse, dressed always in a black and white striped top, so — like Steve Jobs’ black uniform — she spends little time pondering the daily wardrobe. Livia is a popular Commercial Drive bakery and café with sourdough bread and lemon danishes flying out the door. She cut the Italian dinner menu when her son was born to scale back from 80-hour work weeks but excellent pastas and rustic Italian dishes live on at brunch and lunch.
Tannis Ling, Bao Bei, Kissa Tanto, Meo
Ling’s a co-owner and the creative mind behind the three sensational, jazzy spots (one of them, Michelin starred). While a chef-owner oversees the brilliant menus, she gives each place their distinctive, cool esthetics and personalities.
Elpie Marinakis, Bacchus Restaurant and Lounge, Wedgewood Hotel
Eleni Skalbania opened the elegant Wedgewood Hotel in 1984 and now daughter Elpie Marinakas runs the hotel and restaurant (another daughter, Marousa Dumaresq, is co-owner) and granddaughter Eleni Jackson heads PR, marketing and the spa. The late matriarch’s legacy of detail-oriented hospitality and European charm lives on.
Susan Mendelson, Lazy Gourmet
This queen of catering elevated and redefined catered food in 1979. She sold Lazy Gourmet in 2023 to Compass Group Canada but stayed on as a consultant. During its 40-plus years, she’s catered events such as the Molson Indy (for nine years, feeding 30,000 folks over a weekend), the Dalai Lama Conference and the 2010 Olympic Games. Let’s credit her for making the Nanaimo Bar go viral, in a before-times way, entrenching it as Canadiana via her catering and cookbook called Mama Never Cooked Like This.
Ly Nguyen, Anh and Chi
She and husband Hoang operated the super successful Pho Hoang Vietnamese restaurant. When he died unexpectedly, she ran it on her own until her son and daughter pivoted from their careers, rebranded it to Anh and Chi, with mom performing her magic in the kitchen, attracting daily lineups, and winning a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
Farida Sayani and Sofia Sayani, Azur Legacy Collection Hotel/Dahlia Restaurant and Bar and Lavantine Rooftop Restaurant and Skybar
Matriarch Farida Sayani opened the boutique hotel with two restaurants in 2023. Daughter Sofia is head of food and beverage, and granddaughters work as a sales executive and assistant office manager. In other words, it’s a fiercely female operation.
Nutcha Phanthoupheng, Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine, Richmond
If (or should I say when) Michelin Guide decides to move on to Richmond, Baan Lao would certainly be clutching a star or two thanks to her amazing precision, flavour skills, perfectionism and vision. And if that’s not enough, she has plans to open three more places in Vancouver over the next year. Stay breathlessly tuned.
Zohra Sawari, Afghan Kitchen, Surrey, and Zarak, Vancouver
Widowed with four young boys shortly after arriving in Canada from war-torn Afghanistan, Sawari started cooking with love — first for her boys, then for customers at her Surrey restaurant, Afghan Kitchen, a popular spot that appeared on Food Network Canada’s You Gotta Eat Here. Her sons opened Zarak, a modern Afghan restaurant in Vancouver with Sawari as chef. “She’s the kindest lady,” says son Hassib. “We tell her she’s gotta get mad at someone one day. But she’s the most loved person.” In my mind, another wonder woman.
Malindi Taylor, Fanny Bay Oyster Bar and Shellfish Market
From a fifth-generation shellfish farming family where seven of eight in the current generation are women. She’s also the face of Fanny Bay Oyster Bar and often, it’s ruddy from her hardworking ways, shucking oysters at events, running a restaurant and a wholesale shellfish company. She did, however, stop to savour the moment when the restaurant was awarded a Michelin recommendation.