Gordon - A Ladies' Man in the Kitchen
Wednesday, July 16 2008 | Comments (0)
Gordon Contratulating Christina
in Hell's Kitchen Finale
Yes, it might be old fashioned to say that a woman's place is in the kitchen; unless, of course, you are talking about the kind of kitchen that serves up gourmet entrees in the swankiest of restaurants. For many years, it has been the men who are the honored chefs in upscale kitchens. Most picture a chef as a fat man with little wire rim glasses and a tall white hat. One doesn't usually picture a 24 year old culinary student. Christina Machamer was just that when she one Hell's Kitchen. And she's not the first female winner of Hell's Kitchen, nor the first woman Gordon has put in charge of his kitchen.
Gordon is on the rise of a trend in modern culinary careers. Women are working their way out of the traditional kitchens of the home and into the large prestigious kitchens of 5 -tar restaurants, the likes of "Gordon Ramsay at the London, West Hollywood.
Gordo with Three of his Ladies, Claire Smyth, Angela Hartnett, and Gemma Tuley
"We are seeing more and more women working in our kitchens and more importantly taking the highest positions," Ramsay says. And Gordon seems to be right in the midst of it. Not only has he appointed Christina as his Senior Chef at his newest American restaurant, in December, he hired Claire Smyth to head his flagship restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at London on Royal Hospital Road. He recently put the soft spoken Gemma Tuley in charge of the kitchen at his revival restaurant, the Foxtrot Oscar, in Chelsea (The Telegraph, 2008). He also employed and worked with Angela Hartnett, his his former student who has become his leading chef in multiple restaurant endeavors. She was the long time head chef of his restaurant at the Connaught Hotel in London, until it closed in 2007, upon which she moved to another Gordon Ramsay Holdings location at the newly opened, York and Albany hotel (The Caterer Search, 2008).
Hartnett has worked along side and for Ramsay for nearly 14 years, and she now not only heads various kitchens for him, she is also an advocate for female chefs. She is heading the Knor National Chef Awards this year, and called for more female chefs to submit their work, as she is increasingly impressed with the work of women in the industry.
Gordon's newest hire, Christina, weighed in on the woman's role in the kitchen. She is quoted on YumSugar as saying: "I think a lot of the things you hear about being a female in the kitchen are not true. I don't think of it like it's hard and "boo-hoo, I'm a female in the kitchen I'm treated differently," females are treated differently in a lot of ways. Being a female in the kitchen gives me strength. Women are amazing multi-taskers and it's beautiful to see a woman in that role."
Christina is among (girl)friends in a Gordon Ramsay kitchen. And, given his track record for noticing and cultivating strong talents, he has likely made another wise choice.
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