Artisan Handicrafts :: Handicrafts from the heart and soul of Artisans
Article of the Week
Posted on: Thursday March 9th, 2006
The Lady Chefs in India
The Lady-Chefs:
Pictures and text by Sanjay Austa
It is a strange irony that though the kitchen has been the woman's domain in Indian homes since times immemorial, it is the gaggle of male cooks led by a portly male chef what makes up the kitchen of the fancy Indian hotels. Here the female presence is frowned upon and should a female become a cook, eyebrows are raised. Females in hotel kitchens are regarded with almost the same mistrust as a female behind the wheel.
Little wonder not many women have ventured into this profession in India. In fact, one can count the female chefs on the fingers of one hand. Three of them happened to be in New Delhi. Says Manisha, executive chef ast Hotel Marriott, Delhi, "In this line it is a lot harder for a female to make it to the top. It's a lot smoother for males. A female not only has to work harder but longer. She constantly has to prove herself", she says.
Chef Manisha
But this may be the lament of any career women in any profession in India. However, working in the all-male kitchen is different. Says Veena Arora, Senior Thai Consultant and Master Chef at the Imperial Delhi, "Most of the men working in the kitchen are not very well educated. They are usually course, brusque and pass lewd remarks. This is quite a bit of harrassment when you are younger", she says.
Chef Vanita Arora
Neeta Nagraj, corporae chef at Hotel Vasant Continental, says one has to develop a thick skin. "You can't sprout abuses if the men in the kitchen are doing so. You just have to learn to ignore and get on with your work", she says.
Things are however changing. More and more youngsters entering the kitchen line are graduates and have a diploma from a reputed hotel management institutes to boot. They share all the niceties and mannerisms of the hotel front-office attendants. The image of chefs in general has changed. From the mere bavarchis of yesterday to the glamorous page-three regulars today, chefs now command both respect and attention.
![]("http://www.artisanhandicrafts.com/en/chefmanisha.jpg")
![]("http://www.artisanhandicrafts.com/en/chefvanitaarora.jpg")