Dr. Diane Dodd, President and co-founder of the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT), revealed a vision of women that, “are committed to solidarity, sustainable values, to improve the planet and our environment.” As one fo the founders of the European Young Chef Award, she explained how the European Young Chef Award encourages the participation of female finalists but does not use positive discrimination because she believes women have value on their own without needing special treatment. Having a balance of gender on the jury and/or strong role female role models can be a good influencing factor to encourage female participants. This was a notion that the other participants strongly shared. Diane Dodd noted that two years ago the annual competition started out with no women competing and through actively encouraging women to participate, this year the competition will see at least three female chefs in the finals. Aside from being a competition about great gastronomy and innovation the European Young Chef is about sustainability and Diane concluded that this is a field where “women are leaders and have much to give.”
The debate stood as an open reflection of women’s roles and influence in different aspects of gastronomy. The participants of the round table concluded that, while the role of women increasingly stands out in the world of gastronomy and important steps are being taken, women must also bet for competitive work and trust their ability to achieve success.
