Where My Ladies At?
The year was 2008. Michelle Bernstein won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South. Cindy Hutson’s Ortanique in Coral Gables already had a decade of accolades for its soulful Caribbean cuisine. In F...
My Miami Story: Women in the Biz
How to attract women to the restaurant business in South Florida, keep them there and allow them to thrive? It’s the complicated topic we chose to explore in “Where My Ladies At?” in our fall issue. We invited some of the women we interviewed to join a My Miami Story conversation on Oct. 23, hosted by Camila Ramos at All Day Miami in downtown Miami.
Participants covered a range of topics, including the challenges of expanding while creating a better community for employees; making connections with other women in the business as well as farms; and developing necessary skills. Being content – in the midst of grueling work in the kitchen – was a key concern. So is connecting with other women, for business and for support.
Photo 1: Val Chang of Itamae
Photo 2: Paulette Bilsky of Rolling Kitchen
Photo 3: Camila Ramos of All Day (foreground) and Chantelle Sookram of Urban Oasis Project
Ramos says she would observe what happened during poker games among male counterparts in the restaurant business. “At the end of the games, there were transactions – business was being conducted,” she noted. Women need similar encounters, she says.
The participants were:
Christa Tawil of Zaytouna Foods, prepared foods and sweets prepared by Syrian women who have resettled in South Florida
Camila Ramos of All Day Miami, a coffee shop in the Park West neighborhood
Chantelle Sookram of Urban Oasis Project, a chef and farmers market manager, and cofounder of Love and Vegetables, a vegan pop-up dinner series
Karina Rivera of Bachour Bakery and Restaurant (opening later this fall), pastry chef and founder of Women Chefs 305, an online support group for women in the industry
Debbie Rabinovici, formerly of Cafe Curuba (now House of Per’La), a coffee shop and cafe in downtown Coral Gables
Val Chang of Itamae, Peruvian-inspired sushi at the St. Roch Market in the Design District
Paulette Bilsky, corporate chef, event planner and owner of Rolling Kitchens (miamikitchenrental.com), a portable demo kitchen company
My Miami Story was a series of conversations held across Miami and organized by The Miami Foundation to make Miami-Dade County a better place to live for everyone.
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