In Las Vegas, it is a bright time as the women in the hotel or restaurant industry are finally making a breakthrough with increasing their presence in the field, compared to their male colleagues.
Chef Gina Marinelli is one of these brave women who recently nominated for a James Beard Award, which is one of the highest honours a chef can receive.
In her speech she mentioned about the crises of not having a role of a female executive chef as non- existent. Although today more roles for women have come up recognised, it’s still rare.In a recent estimate, it was found that less than seven percent of head chefs and restaurant owners nationwide are women. ‘Seven percent,’ Marinelli worked her way from dishwasher to owner with that motto in mind.
To Maricelli, who fought her way from being a dish washer to a restaurant owner, it was this percentage she used at motto to get her to her goal.
Another legend in the field; restaurant owner, Jolene Mannina realised the two skills of working harder and smarter helped her launch the women’s hospitality initiative which is a program that helped more women get into leadership roles around the field.
Hence, a 16-week course is now offered at specialty schools across the United States,named as“Women In hospitality leadership”. Each week Dr. Lisa Cain features a different speaker who shares their story. “Celebrity chefs speak in our class, and they talk about the challenges they’ve had, so if they’ve been able to overcome them you can too.”
She has been pleasantly surprised that several men are taking the college course as well, making them aware early in their career about the title and salary disparity. And hopefully, they can be part of the solution when it comes to hiring and placing women in executive positions in the upcoming future of the professional world.
