20 women shaking up the world of gastronomy

In 2021, there will be 39 starred female chefs in France, compared with 27 in 2019. Gastronomy, whose roles of power have long been held by men, has become the playground for a growing number of women chefs and entrepreneurs.

Credits Fred Dufour

They're shaking up the restaurant world! Chefs and entrepreneurs alike, they're innovating and shaking things up. Full of ambition, curiosity and talent, here are 20 women who embody the industry of today and tomorrow. 20 inspiring women with very different backgrounds and achievements. In fact, there are many more than 20, and you can discover many more power women, for example on the Girls in Food podcast, which relays "the voices of women who make gastronomy"!

Stéphanie Le Quellec - La Scène**, MAM

Credits Thuriès Magazine / Pascal Lattes

Winner of Top Chef season 2 and two-time Michelin-starred chef Stéphanie Le Quellec occupies an important place on the French gastronomic scene.

For the past 2 years, she has been expressing her very own cuisine in her two-Michelin-starred restaurant La Scène. Her latest project, MAM, a hybrid catering, grocery and pastry store, has been a success since it opened during the health crisis. At the same time, Stéphanie continues to fulfill her family life! Full of drive and determination, she's always looking to innovate, with seasonal produce and homemade products at the heart of every plate.

Credits MAM

Céline Pham - Touring chef

Credits Puxan Photos

A travelling chef, she cooks on request or as a guest in a restaurant or pop-up. Tailor-made menus that leave no one indifferent. Céline Pham 's career path has given rise to a unique culinary and aesthetic universe. Céline redirected her career towards cooking. After a spell at Ferrandi, she joined the ranks of modern kitchens such as Septime. Little by little, she got to know herself and created her own world. A culinary universe where each of her dishes has a precise objective: to arouse emotion. And she succeeds to perfection.

Credits Puxan Photos

Laurence Mentil - Cyril Lignac Group

Credits Thomas Dhellemmes

A discreet woman, yet one without whom Cyril Lignac might not have enjoyed such media and... economic success. economic success. Born in Marseille, Laurence later moved to Paris, where she met the chef and propelled his career. Considered a "power woman with a real vision of business", Laurence Mentil today holds the role of "boss of Cyril Lignac's little empire" and a true woman of gastronomy. Since they met in 2015, she's been making the right decisions for the chef. She leads the group to a fine ascent. Today, Cyril Lignac's little empire boasts 150 employees, 1 Michelin-starred restaurant, 2 bistros, 1 sushi bar, 2 chocolate shops, 5 patisseries and numerous media appearances.

Crédits Aux Prés

Anne-Sophie Pic - Maison Pic*** (France)

Credits Arnaud Dauphin

No need to introduce her! Anne-Sophie Pic has made a name for herself in a world which, at the time, was still very male-dominated. She wasted no time in climbing the ladder and winning the stars. In 2007, Anne-Sophie Pic became the 2nd woman in the world to be awarded three Michelin stars, and an emblem of women in gastronomy.She dared to shake up the classic cuisine inherited from her father and grandfather, without ever making it disappear. Her cuisine has earned her the title of "World's Best Female Chef". Her signature dish? Berlingots, which she adapts to each region!

Credits Ilya Shnitser

Shirley Garrier - The Social Food

Credits Valerio Geraci

With her husband Mathieu Zouhairi, they form an inseparable duo. Together, they create The Social Foodstudio, whose Instagram account Followed by almost 200k followers, theaccount showcases Shirley's creative cuisine, poetically immortalized by her partner. An assertive, respectful Franco-Japanese cuisine with surprising alliances, that Shirley learned on her own. A home chef, restaurant art director, graphic designer, cookbook editor and, like her partner, culinary photographer, Shirley Garrier is a multi-talented woman!

Credits The Social Food

Clarisse Ferreres-Frechon - Melchior Agency

Credits Benoit Linero

12 years ago, Clarisse Ferreres-Frechon, who had just graduated from university, embarked on her entrepreneurial career. She founded her communications agency MelchiorMelchior hasbecome a key agency, sought after for its values and the quality of its work, providing day-to-day image management support to chefs, restaurants, restaurant groups and brands. Big Mamma, the Eclore group, Cali Sisters and Stéphanie Le Quellec are just some of its customers!

Credits Eve Campestrini

Estérelle Payany - Télérama

Credits Anne Zunino

Estérelle Payany "eats, drinks and talks about it. A "slogan" that defines the curiosity of this independent and active woman. As a food journalist, culinary critic and author of numerous books, Estérelle has no secrets from the world of the restaurant business: as head of the "Ma vie à table" column in Télérama, she writes daily articles on the best Parisian restaurants. A committed cook, she also writes recipe books, for which she received the "Gourmet World Award" in 2016.

Christelle Grisoni - Groupe Bertrand

Credits Florie Berger

Now Managing Director of Groupe Bertrand Restaurationone of the largest groups in the sector, Christelle has had a remarkable career. Bertrand Restauration boasts 250 establishments, including the iconic Parisians: Flora Danica, Auteuil Brasserie, L'Ile, Sir Winston, Quai Ouest and Polpo, which we are happy to support on a daily basis at Malou. Having joined the group in 2001, Christelle Grisoni has asserted herself to take on her current responsibilities.

Credits L'Ile Paris

Julie Gerbet - A Poêle

Credits A Poêle

Le Fooding, ELLE, Grazia, Version Femina, ParisWorldWide, l'Express, L'Hôtellerie-Restauration: this food journalist and columnist has lent her pen to numerous media outlets. In 2018, Julie Gerbet decided to share her passion for chef stories in her podcast À Poêle. In it, she "lays bare" the restaurant personalities of today and tomorrow. Julie also co-founded the creative food agency La Relève, dedicated to young talent in gastronomy.

Céline Chung - Bao Family

Credits Welcome to the Jungle

Raised by Chinese immigrant parents who were attached to their traditions, Céline succeeded brilliantly in her studies at the EM Lyon business school. She became interested in the restaurant business at an early age, and trained at PNY, the leading brand of Parisian restaurants. Struck by the fact that she couldn't find a nice place to enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine, in a cool setting that would welcome Parisians and tourists alike. She decided to do something about it, and launched Petit Bao: an establishment far from the clichés of Chinese restaurants, serving typical dishes in a relaxed, trendy atmosphere. Its immediate success led to the birth of Gros Bao, the second address of the Bao Family. A group for which Céline Chung has great plans.

Credits Carole Cheung

Claire Heitzler - Committed pastry chef

Credits France 2

Pastry-making has always been a passion for Claire Heitzler. She decided at an early age to make it her profession, and began training with such greats as Georges Blanc, Ducasse and Thierry Mulhaulpt.

Voted pastry chef of the year twice in a row by Gault&Millau, then awarded the Prix d'Excellence du Meilleur Pâtissier, Claire Heitzler's creations sublimate seasonal produce. A true businesswoman, she is launching her own consulting company, and in 2021 her own online boutique for responsible and committed pastries. Boutique available soon.

Credits Cécile Burban

Mercotte - Le Meilleur Pâtissier M6

Credits Marie Etchegoyen / M6

Mercotte, a real star! She is best known for her recipe blog La Cuisine de Mercotte, followed by her role as jury member on Le Meilleur Pâtissier Rally co-pilot, bridge champion, mother of 4, before launching her blog for fun, without knowing that it would become a professional springboard. A far-from-ordinary career path, but one that today makes Mercotte one of the emblematic faces of French cuisine.

Hélène Luzin - Brands & Chefs Agency

Credits Roberto Frankenberg

Many chefs combine their restaurant kitchens with the media spotlight. How do they do it? Hélène Luzin accompanies them on a daily basis with her agency Brands & ChefsKei, Eric Pras, Glenn Viel... they all entrust their image to the magician Hélène Luzin, who becomes their true ally. A chef's agent as well as an author, she published her atypical book, which quickly became a best seller: "50 gâteaux de grands pâtissiers qu'il faut avoir goûter une fois dans sa vie".

Yoshimi Landemaine - Maison Landemaine

Credits Alain Bourdeaux

At the origin of Maison Landemaine, Yoshimi and her husband are pushing the bakery envelope. Hailing from Japan, Yoshimi Landemaine brings a dimension of creativity and impeccable quality. An ambitious entrepreneur, she and her husband have opened not just one bakery, but twenty in France and four in Tokyo! By combining her two cultures, tastes and techniques, Yoshimi brings emotion to every product, an ingredient for success.

Credits Maison Landemaine

Hélène Pietrini - LaListe

Credits World's 50 Bests Restaurants

Hélène Pietrini: the eye of world gastronomy. Today, she manages La Listeone of the world's most comprehensive and qualitative guides, with an extensive repertoire of restaurants around the globe. Director of the World's 50 Best Restaurants before joining La Liste, Hélène Pietrini's expertise is beyond doubt. She's a committed woman, who defends chefs' cuisine, the promotion of new cultures, gender equality and more.

Nadia Sammut

Credits Benjamin Bechet

Born into a family of gourmets, with a difficult health background, Nadia has made gluten-free the challenge of her cooking. And she succeeded! Her kitchen became the first 100% gluten-free restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star. Nadia Sammut has turned her home, La Fenière, into a place to live, to stay or just to eat. A table close to nature, with local producers at the heart of her dishes. A place where you can get away from it all.

Credits Benjamin Bechet

Adeline Glibota

The gastronomic journeys of these and many other women can be found on the Girls in Food podcast, created by Adeline Glibota. An entrepreneur with a passion for gastronomy, Adeline took her CAP at the Ferrandi school and went on to found Mimosa Bakerya B2B caterer. She then launched her own podcast dedicated to women, "Girls in Food", and produced a second podcast, "À table avec...", with Le Chef magazine. Adeline Glibota also writes columns for the Fou de Pâtisserie and Fou de Cuisine media.

Brigitte Houssou - Villa Maasaï

Credits La Maison de l'Afrique

Originally from Benin, Brigitte Houssou heads up France's largest African restaurant , La Villa Maasaïalongside her 4 brothers. An active entrepreneur and woman of influence, Brigitte has done everything in her power to bring her dreams to life, and today she makes her 3 establishments shine: Villa Maasai, Café Maasai and La Suite 34, which we are delighted to support with the MalouApp. Above all, she inspires many women with her determination to succeed and her self-confidence.

Credits Villa Maasai

Capucine and Juliette Vigand - Cali Sisters, Cali Uptown

Credits Instagram Cali Sisters

Sisters Capucine and Juliette Vigand have succeeded in bringing a little California to the heart of Paris. Since its opening, Cali Sisters has become one of the capital's hottest restaurants. Finance and marketing for one of the sisters, and the food sector for the other, their complementarity and complicity have enabled them to bring these exciting projects to fruition. Cali Sisters and Cali Uptown embody the fruit of a passion shared by both sisters: the Californian good vibe.

Credits Cali Sisters

Despite the disparities that still exist, women are changing the face of the restaurant business! Our CEO Louiza is also part of this trend, having created Malou 4 years ago :)