10 Academic Venues
onference Aston , the largest conference venue in Birmingham , is bucking the trend in its kitchens , with almost double the number of women in chef roles than the national average . International Women ’ s Day was marked on 8 March , and Samantha Brown , head of Conference Aston , called for more women to consider a career in hospitality . She said the venue is already flying the flag for females : with a strong history of female directors leading the business since Conference Aston began operations in the 1980s , to present day where its kitchen team comprises 30 % women - which is almost double the industry average . Figures from the Office for National Statistics ( ONS ) in 2016 showed that women chefs are becoming ever-more scarce , with just 18.5 % across the industry in the UK . However , Brown said she would love to encourage more girls and women into the sector . “ We ’ re very proud of our record when it comes to attracting women to our team and this International Women ’ s Day was particularly poignant because we have already marked 100 years of women ’ s suffrage in the UK ,” she explained . “ The catering industry has been notoriously dominated by men and has long been considered a macho environment but this culture has changed dramatically over the past few years and it is more women friendly , as we have demonstrated . Despite its image ,
It is reported that the UK has 172 Michelin star restaurants but , strikingly , only 10 of those have female head chefs . It goes to show how far ahead the acadmemic venue sector is .
Bucking the trend for women chefs
Conference Aston flies the flag for female chefs
it can be a family-friendly career and we ’ d welcome more women to use their talents and consider catering as a career .” Wilson Vale , Conference Aston ’ s on-site catering partner , agrees that this is an industry-wide issue that many operators are addressing . While 51 % of its 750 employees are female , the company believes that when it comes to chef roles , a better gender balance can be achieved by making it easier for women to return to the workplace and by supporting female talent to move up the ranks through craft training , mentoring and development . Clare Kemp ( pictured ), who has been a chef for more than 20 years and has worked as a pastry chef at Conference Aston for five years , said she could not imagine doing any other job . “ I love my job - it isn ’ t just a career ; the people who work with me are like family too ,” she says . “ I ’ d recommend becoming a chef because it is so fulfilling . Commercial kitchens tend to be male-dominated but there is a good balance at Conference Aston and it is great to work in such a supportive environment where , regardless of gender , talent is recognised and celebrated .” Conference Aston employs 10 full-time chefs , three of whom are women . www . conference-news . co . uk