Earlier today I was watching one of my favourite TV shows. Its called qui sera la prochain grand patissier. You probably haven’t heard of it, but you should most definitely be watching it.
Anyway as of late, I’ve had a great deal of time to reflect on everything from Kim and Kanye’s wedding, to why someone would ever name their child Albus Severus, but one of the things that has been itching at my brain the most is the Topic of women in the kitchen. In the recent season or shall I say saison of qui sera la prochain grand patisier, they focused on Christelle Brua, the pastry chef at a three starred Michelin restaurant in France. I couldn’t help but notice that Christelle wasn’t man-ish, she had a full face of makeup on, and hair done up for the kitchen, her nails were well manicured, and her demeanour calm. Chef Christelle wasn’t yelling, her chef uniform curved to her figure, and I just couldn’t help but gaze in awe as she single handily represented female power in a male dominated industry.
Every experience I’ve had so far, in many a kitchens near or far, have all been the same. Try to be as manly as possible, in order to gain respect. Look at the all the top Chefs named this year… can you spot a woman? Better question, does she look like a woman? The other day I walked in a kitchen and the chef asked me sarcastically “how long did you spend getting ready today”? He was poking fun at the fact that I was wearing make up in a kitchen full of 15 or so men. I ask you this… Who would you rather have cooking your meal, the greasy guy that needs a shower, or someone who took the time to look nice, and carried the same efforts to your plate? Someday I hope to join the ranks of Christelle Brua or Christina Tosi, girls who are doing it differently, with style and grace.
Below are my bakes this week, a honey bumblebumble cake, and some breakfast crepes.