International Women’s Day

mymuybueno is a female-founded and led company. Flying the flag and triumphing women is hugely important to us.

Today, on International Women’s Day, we are championing the women who are shaping our culinary industry of today, both in front and behind the scenes, and a great many more too.

We are celebrating women across the world, within all walks of life.

According to the World Economic Forum sadly none of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes, and nor is it likely many of our children will. Gender parity will not be attained for almost a century. Therefore, everything we do here now and tomorrow, for our futures and for the future of all women, matters significantly.

Below are introductions to 16 incredible women, all doing amazing work in the culinary world. In their different ways they are all making phenomenal contributions to the industry, bringing people together through community, leading by example and inspiring others.

Maria Nguyen

Maria Nguyen is the brilliant Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Art of Plating, an international media platform for food as a form of high art. Realising that there was no platform dedicated to the artistry involved in cooking, she launched The Art of Plating as the destination for the hungry and curious. Today, TAOP reaches over 1million followers and fans across social media. Maria also produces On The Pass, a p100 food podcast available on Apple, Spotify and Amazon, and hosts The Art of Plating Rising Talent, an annual award celebrating change makers in food and hospitality.

Instagram:   @mariataop       @theartofplating

Website: www.theartofplating.com

Hélène Darroze

Hélène Darroze is an outstanding French chef with three Michelin stars, one of only seven female chefs to be awarded this accolade across the world. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught in London opened to great fanfare, and within three years had gained two Michelin stars. It has recently, in 2021, gained its third. She also owns and runs Restaurant Hélène Darroze in Paris, and travels between the two. Hélène’s cooking offers a truly unique interpretation of French fine dining, with international ingredients and flavours accentuating incredible produce.

Instagram:   @helenedarroze          @helenedarrozeattheconnaught

Website: www.helenedarrozeattheconnaught.com

Harriet Mansell

Rising star and one to watch. A Devon-born chef who was recently on the Great British Menu, mega talented Harriet is a former superyacht chef, and was represented by our mymuybueno Private Chef agency for many years, where she cooked for countless high-profile guests. Prior to this she worked in many Michelin star restaurant kitchens too. Harriet now brings all her expertise, experience and passion to the table in her own restaurant, as Chef Patron of Robin Wylde in Lyme Regis, which she opened last year and has many exciting plans ahead – focusing on local seasonal ingredients, championing the region’s farmers, fisherman and dairies, as well as her passion for ensuring zero waste and sustainability.

Instagram:  @harrietmansell          @robinwyldedining

 Website: www.robinwylde.com

Shalina Tobin

Passionate and innovative, the brilliant Shalina hails from a diverse creative background which has seen her excel in the field of fashion photography as well as interior design. Using her Instagram platform and brilliant podcast to support the food industry, interviewing chefs and restaurateurs and helping us see what’s behind the food we eat. A massive foodie, she also regularly reviews restaurants around the world, and is fast building a fantastic reputation within the industry thanks to everything she is doing – and all of it with so much passion and heart.

Instagram:  @poshnoshgal          You Tube:  You Tube Interviews 

Podcasts: Podcast Interviews

Emma Bengtsson

Emma Bengtsson, is a talented Swedish chef who holds two Michelin stars at the New York City based restaurant Aquavit. Following her arrival on the New York culinary scene, Emma changed her career from pastry chef to executive chef in order to lead the city’s Nordic food trends. Less than a year into her tenure as head chef, the restaurant won a second Michelin star, confirming her as a force to be reckoned with on the US food scene. She is the first female Swedish chef to win two stars, and only the second female chef based in the United States to do so.

Instagram:  @emma._bengtsson @aquavitnyc

Website:  www.aquavit.org

Aiste Miseviciute

Former supermodel turned journalist, Aiste Miseviciute is the incredible founder of Luxeat, an international platform dedicated to discovering mind-blowing gastronomical experiences. Her incredible blog shares all the wonders she finds as well as her top picks each year for the best eats around the world, and she passionately supports each chef.

In addition to exploring and critiquing the world’s best restaurants and gastronomical experiences on Luxeat, Aiste organises exceptional culinary events throughout Europe, drawing on her immense passion, knowledge and love for authentic Japanese gastronomic culture, and sharing it with others.

Instagram: @luxeat

Websitewww.luxeat.com

Clare Smyth

Clare Smyth is super inspiring, and UK’s first female three-star Michelin chef. Her restaurant Core celebrates the finest British ingredients within an exceptional and relaxed dining experience, in the heart of Notting Hill, London. Clare grew up on a farm in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Since moving to England at the age of 16, she has worked with an uncompromising devotion to her craft, training in some of the most celebrated kitchens in the world. During her time as Chef Patron at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Hospital Road, her many awards included 10/10 in the Good Food Guide, five AA rosettes and an MBE for services to the hospitality industry. Clare also won the Cateys Chef of the Year Award 2016.

Photo Credit: @foodstorymedialtd

Instagram: @chefclaresmyth @corebyclaresmyth

Website: www.corebyclaresmyth.com

Maria Solivellas

Maria is the wonderful Mallorcan chef and owner of restaurant Ca Na Toneta in Caimari, Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands of Spain, which she runs alongside her sister Teresa. Described as rustic chic with a big focus on organic and seasonal produce, Ca Na Toneta shares the true flavours and experiences of Mallorca. Using trusted local suppliers as well as produce from their own garden, they create delicious seasonal dishes based on traditional Mallorcan recipes. Maria is hugely committed to sustainable gastronomy.

Instagram: @mariasolivellas   @canatoneta

Website: www.canatoneta.com

Chantelle Nicholson

Chantelle Nicholson is an amazing New Zealand chef who has lived in London since 2004. Chantelle is chef owner at Tredwells, and is also the former Group Operations Director for Marcus Wareing Restaurants, having spent many years also working as a chef within the group. Chantelle recently opened All’s Well, her own debut restaurant, in Hackney. Hyper-seasonal and sustainable, the restaurant’s ethos is driven by her own ethics and passions. Chantelle also recently published her first cookbook, Planted, full of seasonal, sustainable and flavourful plant-based dishes at restaurant level.

Instagram: @chef_chantelle       @tredwells       @whereallswell

Website: www.whereallswell.com

Kat Odell

Kat is a remarkable food and travel journalist. She is the author of low-alcohol cocktail book Day Drinking, as well as Unicorn Food, a plant-based cookbook hinged on medicinal ingredients. She is also a long-time food and restaurant editor, having served as the Editor of Eater LA and Eater Drinks. She has written about food, beverages, travel, plus health and wellness for The New York Times T magazine, Vogue, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, Bon Appetit and many more. Kat’s finger is fully on the pulse when it comes to all the best food, chefs, restaurants and more. Frequently travelling to incredible places to explore, taste and experience different dishes, she is never far from something delicious to share on her Instagram platform.

Instagram: @kat_odell

Dominique Crenn

Dominique Crenn is an exceptional, world-renowned French chef. She is the first and only three-Michelin starred female chef in America, and one of only seven in the world. Dominique has created the Crenn Dining Group, which includes Petit Crenn – her Michelin starred eatery, Atelier Crenn, and the adjacent Bar Crenn, all of which, when the pandemic hit, she transformed so as to be able to provide meals to frontline medical workers. Her immense passion, pleasure and love for everything she does – be it her food, her teams or her restaurants – is always more than evident. She beat breast cancer too, and passionately lives her life to the full, inspiring us all along the way.

Instagram: @dominiquecrenn    @atelier.crenn

Website: www.ateliercrenn.com

Maria Canabal

Maria is an outstanding author and journalist, and a passionate campaigner for women’s roles in the culinary world, something that has led her to become the founder of Parabere Forum, an incredibly important annual event for women in hospitality. Parabere is an independent, international and not-for-profit platform featuring women’s views and voices on major food issues. Maria is a trailblazer with heart and drive in all that she does, and continues to do.

Instagram: @canabalmaria       @parabereforum

Website: www.parabereforum.com

Vivienne Kong

The fabulous Vivienne Kong, is based in Singapore, started Gourmet Artistry in an effort to share the sensory appeal that is the visual sensation of beautifully plated cuisine, or “art on round canvas”. Just as artists spend years creating masterpieces, chefs take years to hone their skills in creating works of edible art. Gourmet Artistry aims to inspire people into recognising that what is served to them on a plate has just as much artistry as the canvases and sculptures on display in museums and galleries around the world. Inspiring creativity within our global community has long been – and continues to be – a catalyst for everything they do. Today, Viv has made it a part of her unwavering mission to support, lift and empower the next generation of industry talents.

Instagram:  @vivgourmet      @gourmetartistry

Sally Abé

Sally Abé is a brilliantly talented British chef hailing from Nottinghamshire. She is the chef behind the famous scotch eggs and amazing Sunday roasts that gave gastro pub the Harwood Arms a Michelin star during her role there as Head Chef. Sally began her career at the Savoy Grill, before moving on to Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s for two years. After this, she spent five years at two-Michelin-starred restaurant The Ledbury as sous chef. Sally continues to do amazing work and is very much one to watch, as she has recently moved into the very exciting and brilliant new role of consultant chef at The Conrad London St James.

Instagram: @littlechefsally      @conradlondonsj

Website: www.londonconradstjames.com

Olivia Burt

Rising star and one to watch, inspiring and talented chef Olivia Burt embarked on her culinary career at the age of 18. Originally from Worcestershire, Olivia completed her culinary studies in Paris and took a job at Joel Robuchon on the Champ Elysees in Paris, where she worked for a year before becoming a private chef. Olivia then returned to London which led her to the kitchen of Claridge’s in Mayfair, starting out as part of the team for Simon Rogan’s Fera for three years before progressing to sous chef. Whilst fulfilling her role at the hotel, in early 2019 Olivia made the finals of the prestigious Roux Scholarship, the only female chef to do so in four years. At the age of 23, Olivia competed in BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals, 2019. Olivia is now Head Chef at Restaurant Stanley’s in Chelsea, where the focus is on British seasonal produce and showcasing the very best of British ingredients.

Instagram: @cheflivburt    @stanleys_chelsea

Website: www.stanleyschelsea.co.uk

Justine Murphy

Last but by no means least, our very own amazing trailblazer Justine Murphy. Founder & CEO of mymuybueno, a luxury food and lifestyle company and brand. Justine worked as a private chef on superyachts for six years, travelling around the world cooking for high-net-worth guests, and prior to this had a background in hospitality with restaurant management in London. Initially self-taught, Justine went on to complete her Cordon Bleu certificate at Tante Marie in the UK.

She started mymuybueno in 2011, born from a vision to create her own business with a love and focus on good food and good people, and her strong core values running through the heart of it. mymuybueno has grown into an incredible brand widely recognised in the industry, largely thanks to her vision for connecting all the many different facets of the brand, such as the mymuybueno Chefs platform, the Chefs Get Personal interviews, and her cookery school, all of which both feature and teach the very chefs on her agency books, making incredible talent fully accessible.

An umbrella brand with multiple companies within the group, mymuybueno includes a private chefs’ agency, cookery school, superyacht brokerage, luxuryware and more, and is located in Michelin House in Chelsea, London. Justine is also passionate about supporting women, and over the years has invested much time in growing her communities. Now in its second season, and currently at the number one spot in Ireland’s podcast charts for business and entrepreneurship, Justine hosts the mymuybueno Women in Business podcast, available on Apple, iTunes and Spotify, to inspire, empower and strengthen women in business by sharing her own journey, and bringing on other female guests to share theirs. She also recently published her first cookbook, The mymuybueno Cookbook.

Instagram: @mymuybueno    @mymuybuenochefs

Website: www.mymuybueno.com

mymuybueno Team
mymuybueno Team
http://mymuybueno.com