Female Top Chefs Cook at RIJKS
The world of restaurants is still a man’s world. There are still very few women working behind the stove. A telling fact: of the 111 Michelin-starred restaurants in the Netherlands, only one has a female chef, Margo Reuten of Da Vinci*.
And that needs to change, says Joris Bijdendijk, chef at RIJKS. Since RIJKS opened five years ago, he has regularly invited internationally renowned guest chefs.
This year, he is using International Women’s Day to announce the line-up of international guest chefs who will come to cook at RIJKS in 2020. Big surprise: this year, his list consists exclusively of female stars from the international culinary world. Because especially in South America and Asia, there are indeed female chefs at the helm of top kitchens.
Manoella Buffara
With this, Bijdendijk wants to offer a platform to a new generation of female-gamechangers. First in line is Manoella Buffara of the much-acclaimed restaurant Manu in Brazil (winner of the One-To-Watch Award 2018 and #42 on the list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants). As previously announced, she will cook on March 14 and 15.
The other names in the 2020 line-up are:
Garima Arora (May), restaurant Gaa, Thailand
Asia’s Best Female Chef 2019 and #16 on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list
Pía León (July), restaurant Kjolle, Lima
Rising Star Award 2019, Highest New Entry Award, #21 on the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list
Margot Janse (August), charity project Isabello, feeding hungry minds, South Africa. Formerly of restaurant Le Quartier Français, highest ranking #11 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list
Isabella Potí (September), restaurant Bros, Italy
Rising Star Award 2018, The Best Contemporary Restaurant Award in Italy 2019
Leonor Espinosa (November), restaurant Leo, Colombia
Latin America’s Best Female Chef 2017 and #49 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list
Machismo
Bijdendijk on his initiative: “Kitchens in the Netherlands are generally organized in the French way, like the army. As a result, a macho culture has developed that is far from always female-friendly and therefore not safe either. What a shame, because in South America and Asia it is quite common for kitchens to be run by women. In those cultures, there is more respect and appreciation for food, and especially for the person who prepares it best. Women rightly occupy the top positions there.”
Take Garima Arora, for example, who is also coming to the Netherlands. In 2018, she became the first Indian female chef to earn a Michelin star and is the ultimate role model for all those women who dream of becoming successful in the restaurant scene.
Reservations
The last spots for RIJKS x MANU can be reserved via the RIJKS website. For the other events, guests can already sign up for the waiting list by sending an email to: reserveren@rijksrestaurant.nl
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