World’s top female chef... from Co. Antrim
SHE hails from near the famous village of Bushmills, and Clare Smyth will surely be having a celebratory tipple after being named the world’s best female chef.
The Co. Antrim woman already had the title of being the only woman in Ireland and the UK to hold three Michelin stars when she ran London’s Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.
Now she has just topped a poll of more than 1,000 experts to win the Elit Vodka World’s Best Female Chef Award.
She was with Ramsay for more than 13 years before opening her own restaurant, Core by Clare Smyth in Notting Hill, London.
She said she hopes the award inspires other female chefs.
‘This accolade is not for me but for all the women working in the hospitality industry around the world. I hope to use this platform to encourage and mentor more women to achieve success.’
Ms Smyth left Antrim to go to catering college in Portsmouth aged just 16 and is best known for her light and modern interpretation of classic French cooking.
She has removed tablecloths and stiff service at her Core restaurant and instead offers new dishes such as a starter based around a single potato served with beurre blanc, herring and trout roe. The lunch menu costs £65 (€74) and dinner is £75 (€86).
Her award has proved controversial for some, mostly male, chefs and food writers who have reportedly said it is insulting to have a separate award for women.
Ms Smyth said in a past interview she was ‘absolutely petrified’ when she became Gordon Ramsay’s head chef aged just 29.
‘Since I was 15, I had dreamed of working at Michelin level alongside these amazing chefs. But had I failed, I could see everyone blaming it on the fact that I’m a young woman,’ she said.
‘As a result, initially I probably went over the top to prove that I was capable. Respect has to be earned in the kitchen. Once the guys saw I knew what I was doing, though, they had no problem taking their orders from a woman.’