It is difficult to drive change in such a hierarchical and codified male environment as that of gastronomy. Chef Manon Fleury, at the helm of the newly starred Datil restaurant, has had the bitter experience of this. Thursday 21 March, one issue Special Correspondent was dedicated to the former French junior fencer champion and her 100% female brigade. A sight that no longer appealed to the Internet’s masculinists since the restaurant suffered an incursion of misogynistic Google reviews in the process.
A progressive discourse that doesn’t pass
In recent years the restaurant world, governed by a rigid hierarchy, has proven permeable to the Me Too movement. The few women who work there often describe a testosterone-fueled climate, where sexism and harassment coexist.
It is to transform this universe that chef Manon Fleury co-founded, in May 2021, together with around twenty sisters, the association Bondir.e, which “works to transform the catering professions by preventing violence in the kitchen”.
Her commitment therefore continues in the kitchen, where she prefers to recruit other women to make up her brigade and advocates benevolent management, the antithesis of the military functioning traditionally prevalent in the sector.
This prejudice, highlighted in the issue ofCorresponding broadcast last Thursday, visibly irritated the machos as the restaurant was flooded with very negative opinions, which criticized not the quality of the dishes, but Manon Fleury’s commitment to the representation of women in the kitchen.
THE Dietwho awarded Datil the Best Team Spirit award in its 2024 ranking, gave his support to the chef:
“Today in France, when a chef is rewarded and publicized for his innovative cuisine and his progressive discourse, this is what he has to endure. A punitive practice that, through the individual, aims to silence women and minorities”
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
