As of: March 26, 2024, 11:57 a.m
By: Jana Stabener
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Sophia Hoffmann is a chef, author and restaurateur.
In her restaurant HAPPA in Berlin she serves vegan zero-waste dishes.
© Zoe Spawton
Why are women still underrepresented in starred restaurants?
Shortly before the Guide Michelin star award ceremony in Hamburg, we asked two chefs this question.
It's that time again: On Tuesday evening, March 26th, Michelin stars for 2024 will be awarded in Hamburg.
The Michelin Guide broadcasts the star award ceremony in a live stream.
Since 1966, male and female chefs have been allowed to receive this award for one year at a time - although the latter only rarely do so.
In 2023, the Michelin Guide honored 334 restaurants - only around nine of them were female-owned.
Top chefs are therefore a rarity.
This is not because women are less likely to work as chefs.
According to the microcensus, there were around 285,000 female and 249,000 male chefs in Germany in 2022.
So what's the problem?
BuzzFeed News Germany
, a portal from IPPEN.MEDIA, asked two women from the industry.
More on the topic: Awarding Michelin stars: Munich chef creates a “sensation” straight away
Are Michelin Guide and starred restaurants still relevant?
The entire system behind the Michelin Guide is “elitist and outdated,” says chef Sophia Hoffmann from Berlin to
BuzzFeed News Germany
when we ask her about her hopes for the 2024 star awards.
She is the chef at the Happa restaurant, which offers vegan zero-waste cuisine.
“The Michelin Guide’s evaluation criteria really need to be overhauled,” says food stylist and former “The Taste” candidate Hanna Reder.
In Berlin in particular, she repeatedly sees that fine dining restaurants have to close because demand is simply no longer that great and the trend is more towards casual dining.
“The way people eat has changed, and Michelin stars and Michelin-starred restaurants may no longer keep up with these changes,” says Reder.
There are so many new avenues in gastronomy, such as food pop-ups founded by women, for example.
“It is time for the recognition and reward of gastronomic concepts outside of the classic star restaurants to become broader and more inclusive,” says Reder.
In her opinion, a fair rating in the Michelin Guide should not only take into account culinary quality, but also social and ethical aspects.
Hanna Reder took part in “The Taste” in 2021.
Since then, the trained chef has also worked as a food stylist, recipe developer and content creator.
© Annika Krüger
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Michelin Guide 2024: When things get “tricky” for women in top gastronomy
Of course, it's not just the Michelin Guide that bears responsibility: "The model of top-class gastronomy is overall not very employee-friendly and difficult to reconcile with family," says Hoffmann.
You are expected to sacrifice a large part of your private life, which is out of the question for many women because of their care work.
Especially in the professional kitchen, the old role models are much more present than in other industries where, for example, part-time work (which can also have disadvantages) is more common.
In order to receive a Michelin star, a female chef must have already spent a certain amount of time in this job, and at an age when many women have to think about starting a family.
“That’s where it gets tricky,” says Reder.
This wouldn’t work without family or partner support.
“I personally no longer work in a restaurant because the working hours no longer work for me,” said the 31-year-old.
The male jury for “The Taste”: Frank Rosin, Alex Kumptner, Alexander Herrmann and Tim Raue (from left).
© Sat.1/Jens Hartmann
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Few women today complete their professional training to become chefs
“The difficult balance of family and work, coupled with an atmosphere in the kitchen that is often still very male-hierarchical, is rather off-putting for many women,” says Hoffmann.
The Berlin chef talks about “a lot of verbal and physical attacks” that she experienced as a woman over the course of her career.
“I don’t know a chef of my generation who hasn’t experienced this in some form, and even though many people want to downplay it now, discrimination still happens,” she says.
“I am friends with a vocational school teacher who trains cooks, and unfortunately she is still experiencing cases among trainees.”
Figures from the Federal Institute for Vocational Training about trainees show: Only a quarter of all people who completed their vocational training as a cook or cook in 2021 Those who graduated as chefs were women.
So that there are not fewer and fewer top chefs instead of more, the Vice President of the Association of German Chefs (VKD), Marketa Schellenberg, demands: “So that women do not have to choose between children and a career, we need structures that ensure the compatibility of family and career make possible."
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(With material from dpa)