When you think of sisterhood, you probably don't think of a restaurant kitchen. In fact, 2018 Office for National Statistics (ONS) statistics show that while 56% of hospitality workers are female, rising to 60% among front-of-house staff, only 17% of chefs are female. This inequality means that if you don’t fit a certain mold, the kitchen can become a segregated space. The plot of Stephen Graham's restaurant drama Boiling Point may be fictional, but the aggressive chef it features has similarities to real life. Take Eater London's 2021 report to understand gender inequality in London's restaurant industry. Research has found that female chefs use words like "abuse" and "trauma" to describe their work experiences.
Clearly, sisterhood and a sense of community can be strengthened in many restaurant kitchens. Thankfully, there are initiatives that can help make this happen, such as Junior Bake Off host Ravneet Gill's Counter Talk and #FairKitchens. The other is Queers in Food and Beverage (QFAB), run by Peckham chef Rachel Rumbol, one half of catering company Butch Salads.
Rumbol, 31, has worked in the hospitality industry for 12 years, including eight as a chef. She started working in the hospitality industry at the age of 19 while still at university, working at Islington's The Diner in 2009 and Union Chapel in 2011. After graduating at the age of 23, she returned to hotels and in 2013 worked as a waitress at Elliot's restaurant in Borough Market. She credits this with sparking her interest in food. She decided to become a chef after realizing she might be better suited creating dishes rather than serving them. Learning on the job, she went from oyster shucker to sous chef to partner in a catering company. Ramball loved her job as a restaurant chef, but as a queer woman, she found kitchen culture difficult to accept. Until 2015, she found a job as sous chef at Louie Louie, a restaurant co-owned by Hanne, who is now her business partner.
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While sisterhood may not be a feature of every or even most restaurant kitchens, it can be found, and when it does, Rumball describes it as "life-changing." In her experience, female-run kitchens are more collaborative and supportive. “The fewer questions [the better], don’t bother the chef and just get on with it,” she says of traditionally male-dominated food spaces. In kitchens run by women, “it’s more about letting us do it together.” This thing. You bring your whole self. It's not about dividing yourself into two parts. It's much more freeing than that."
Rambol said that while she has found workplaces where she feels supported, uplifted and accepted, visibility remains an issue in the industry, especially for queer women. "There are a lot of big names from the LGBTQI+ community, but that's often just a footnote. There's absolutely no way I could tell you the many queer or gay chefs I know, and I definitely don't know any women. No one really looks like me, as a Women who look more manly," she noted.
So she founded QFAB in March 2021 to celebrate and connect queer people in the industry. Running the platform has made Rumbol acutely aware that male-dominated kitchens can be particularly marginalized for some people. "I've noticed that open environments are difficult for the trans community and non-binary communities. You might like food. You might like cooking, but you might go, you know what, I don't think I can be a Celebrity chef. For me, even as a person who is really looking for those voices, it’s a struggle to find those voices.”
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Ramball made it clear that no one should have to endure a "macho, toxic" workplace. There are other options. She recommends the restaurant industry, which gave her another way to deal with food when the long restaurant hours turned her into a "beast" and hampered her relationships. “For example, I wish I had known that the restaurant industry is an extremely female-dominated industry,” Rumball said. "That's because people are actually more likely to build their own lives. A lot of women-run catering companies want other women to join them. It caters to mums going back to work and it caters to all kinds of different lifestyles."
For those who struggle to find sisterhood and a sense of community in restaurants, Rumball can relate. "It was definitely me at one point. I made the mistake of thinking that you had to cut your teeth in a traditionally male kitchen to be respected and to get a job elsewhere." Her advice to others is don't stay in a place that's not a good fit for you place. "Find a place that's more in line with the culture you want and the staff you want," she said. "There are many more places like this. It just needs more research."
Sisterhood is so important for lifting each other up. There is no scarcity. The idea that you have to push each other to make progress is outdated.
As for where to conduct this research, she recommends social media. "Look at female chefs running restaurants and look at their Instagrams." When you go for an interview, remember that you have power, too. "Go try out shifts and treat it like it's not just them testing you, you're testing them. Ask questions about the culture," she advises. When all else fails? Go with your gut. "When you walk into the kitchen, you see the demographics. Do you feel like that's going to benefit you? Are those people going to lift you up and make you a better person and a better cook? Listen to you Just know that there are a lot of people out there who want you to be on their team,” she advises.
That's where her own Instagram community comes in. Rumbol recommends QFAB as a resource for finding queer-friendly workplaces in the hospitality industry. "Go to my page and look through the people I've profiled or some of the companies that are obviously queer-focused or queer-owned. You can message them and ask them. They have jobs, and there are jobs out there," she said.
While full equality within the hospitality industry may seem out of reach, Rambol is a firm believer in the transformative power of sisterhood. she told me: "Sisterhood is so important for lifting each other up. Scarcity doesn't exist. The idea that you have to push each other to advance is outdated. I think we're all now fully understanding that we can work together, and if anything, that's what we We become stronger together."
