Celebrating the women leading today's kitchens

Food has always been a space where women have carried traditions, safeguarded recipes, and fed families. Yet professional kitchens haven’t always offered them the same recognition. That’s changing, as more talented and determined chefs step forward to claim their space and redefine what leadership in the kitchen looks like. 

As a proudly female-founded company, we’re inspired every day by the women we work with, from producers crafting exceptional ingredients across Spain to the chefs transforming them into dishes here in the UK. 

To mark International Women’s Day, we spoke to four brilliant chefs we’re proud to work with and supply about their journeys, inspirations, challenges, and what it means to be a woman in the industry.

Samantha Clark - Chef Patron at Moro Restaurant 

What inspired you to become a chef? 

I didn’t plan to be a chef, having studied languages at uni, but I did love to cook for friends and family. Then by chance, in 1993, having returned from Paris, I walked into the Eagle Pub in Farringdon and met Michael, the owner. Our conversation steered to cooking and how much I liked their menu. Michael suggested I come in for a trial.  The Eagle was and still is iconic, being the first ever gastropub serving locals and Guardian journalists alike, the best Mediterranean pub grub with queues around the block. It was nerve-racking to start with, but after 3 months, I had a lightbulb moment, realising I had found my vocation, and I never looked back. 

Who has been your biggest influence in the kitchen or in your career? 

My other half Samuel, who has been by my side throughout my cheffing career. I remember thinking before I met Sam how impossible it would be to find someone to share my passion for food, but luckily, I was wrong, fate intervened, and I met someone who even had the same name and was a chef!! He came to work at the Eagle, he told me to work at the River Café, and 4 years later, we opened Moro together alongside our other 2 partners, Mark Sainsbury and Jake Hodges. 

What is the proudest moment in your career so far? 

Watching our daughter Eve take the reins at Moro. She studied fashion at Manchester, but after travelling, found her way into the kitchen. As a youngster, she would inevitably help during the holidays on the market stall, at festivals and in the back kitchen, but it was the 3-month course at Ballymaloe Cooking School in Ireland that gave her enough confidence to become a chef in her own right. She is still young – 23 – so has time to work in other places, but watching her blossom at Moro certainly makes us both very proud. 

Sara Thomson – Head Chef at Little Duck Picklery

Who has been your biggest influence in the kitchen or in your career? 

I can't pick just one, sorry! Rosie Sykes (Chef and food writer), Laura Jackson (Head Chef at Towpath), and Helen Graham (Ex-Bubala exec and food writer) are all female chefs I've worked under and learnt from. These inspirational women have shown me what's possible as a woman in this industry and supported and championed me throughout my career. Also, my closest friends, Sarah Benjamin, who has just finished her residency at Leila's cafe and Lucy Elwood, now of Bottega Caruso in Margate. Both incredibly talented chefs who inspire and support me daily.  

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned as a chef? 

Humility is key! Not to take things too seriously, keep humour in all situations, and respect everyone's opinions, from KP to exec. It's important for people to feel like their voices and opinions are valued and for everyone to have a degree of autonomy.  

Can you share the proudest moment in your career so far? 

Working as head chef at Little Duck! I still pinch myself on a regular basis, knowing what I've achieved and how far I've come since my first chef job 14 years ago.  

What advice would you give to other women thinking about becoming chefs? 

Support and champion one another! 

What do you think still needs to change in the hospitality industry? 

Approach towards women's longevity in kitchen roles - supporting maternity and flexible working hours/roles on return from having a baby. There's a reason that many women leave kitchens and make career changes when they have children, and I think we need to find a way for the industry to adjust, rather than women having to compromise and sacrifice.  

What keeps you going on the hard days? 

My incredible team ❤️ 

Beatriz Casanovas - Head Chef Kroketa Broadgate

What inspired you to become a chef? 

I don’t think there was one exact moment. When I was little, I loved playing in the kitchen, mixing all sorts of things together just to taste and experiment. I would watch my grandmother cook, and my eyes would light up observing and tasting that wonderful, homemade food. As I grew older, I developed a real love for going out to restaurants and discovering new flavours. I’m deeply passionate about travelling, learning about new spices, aromas, textures and different ways of cooking beyond what we’re used to in Europe. I believe all of those experiences combined are what led me to dedicate myself to this profession today. 

Which dish do you always return to when you need comfort? 

Galician cocido. It represents where I come from and where I was raised. It means home. It’s a hearty, generous dish made with simple ingredients but full of flavour. It reminds me of my small village, the pig my grandmother used to raise, and the vegetable garden we had at home. Every spoonful feels like going back to my roots.

What keeps you going on the hard days? 

On the days when I don’t feel like giving my best, I think of my mother. The strongest woman I ever met and now my angel in the sky. That thought gives me the strength to push forward and find energy where it seems there is none. I want to show her that her daughter, Bea, is strong and capable of achieving whatever she sets her mind to. And I also remind myself that nothing is impossible; obstacles only exist if we allow them to. 

Larissa Galdini - Head Chef at Brindisa Richmond 

What inspired you to become a chef? 

Since my teenage years, the kitchen has been my safe space. I remember coming home from school and baking cakes for my sisters or planning dinner for the family. I never saw it as a possible profession, so I struggled to find my path when applying to university. 

I studied Hotel Management and began working at a hotel as an event coordinator, yet I found myself constantly drawn to the kitchen. There was something about it I simply couldn’t ignore. 

Unhappy in my job, I went to law school. Although I was fascinated by philosophy, I couldn’t see myself living that routine. Meanwhile, I continued cooking for family and friends—every birthday, every Christmas, every gathering. 

At one point, feeling frustrated, I decided to open a café with just one table that could seat up to twelve people. I handled everything myself: cooking, shopping, serving guests, and managing the marketing. In addition to the café, I began catering small events, serving finger food and buffets. 

The real turning point came when a friend suggested hosting dinners at that single table. I started creating Facebook events, explaining that there was only one table and guests would likely sit with strangers—sharing a meal as if they were family. The experience was incredibly fulfilling. From that table, I witnessed the beginning of friendships that have lasted to this day. 

Who has been your biggest influence in the kitchen or in your career? 

I have had many influences throughout my journey. I have consistently followed Brazilian female chefs such as Helena Rizzo and Manu Buffara, whose ability to elevate local Brazilian ingredients into extraordinary dishes deeply inspires me. 

I have also been fortunate to work with incredible chefs who became my mentors, including Carlos Miranda (formerly of Barrafina) and Simon Shaw from El Gato Negro, both of whom made me fall in love with Spanish cuisine. 

Another major inspiration—the Queen, as I like to call her—is Nieves Barragán. I had the opportunity to work with her briefly, and learning about her trajectory and witnessing how she expresses such profound flavours through her food, without ever losing her roots, was truly inspiring. It is simply beautiful. 

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned as a chef? 

Respect for the ingredients. Respect for the people who work tirelessly on every dish that leaves the kitchen. 

A kitchen must function like a well-oiled machine: everyone engaged, committed to a single goal, and working as a team. Otherwise, the work—which is already demanding—becomes unbearable. 

What do you think still needs to change in the hospitality industry? 

In my experience, the old-school kitchen environment is slowly disappearing and that is a positive change. The days of shouting and harassment are fading. Kitchens do demand discipline, that is true, but discipline can and should be achieved through respect. 

This work is hard, both physically and mentally, and we need to normalise asking for help. Strength should not be measured by how much pressure someone can silently endure. 

I also believe there are countless ways to cook the same dish. Instead of criticising other chefs, we should support and uplift one another. There is room for creativity, individuality, and collaboration in this industry.