Women Who Have Been a Milestone in Gastronomy

There are women with a long career in gastronomy. What is certain is that many of them are standards of international cuisine. Throughout the world, some women have achieved incredible gastronomic achievements. Below, we will detail the history of some of the most relevant women in gastronomy. You will see that there are not only men who stand out in this professional field. 

Elena Arzak

She is an outstanding Spanish chef who managed to overcome many prejudices. Mainly the fact that she is the daughter of a renowned chef, Juan Mari Arzak. Elena began her training at the Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern in Switzerland at the end of the 80s.

After having worked in different elite restaurants, such as Louis XV, Pierre Gagnaire, or La Gavroche, she decided to work in her family's restaurant. Currently, she runs the Arzak Restaurant with her father, one of the most essential restaurants in the world. Now, she is a regular chef in different gastronomic events, such as Madrid Fusion.

She has won several awards and accolades. Perhaps most notably in 2012, when she was voted Veuve Clicquot World's Best Female Chef. 

Bo Songvisava

She was known as the best chef in Asia. She is originally from Thailand and, along with her husband, chef Dylan Jones, owned Bo.Ian. It is a restaurant in Bangkok, which allowed her to gain recognition. Mainly because it represents the best of Thai food. 

She was unable to study in her country, so she studied for a master's degree in Gastronomy at the University of Adelaide and Le Cordon Bleu. From that moment on, she got different recognitions. For example, in 2019 Bo.Ian was named as one of the 18 best restaurants in the world by the World Restaurant Awards. In 2018, she appeared in the fifth season of the documentary series Chef's Table. This trajectory demonstrates her enormous importance to world cuisine. 

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Anne-Sophie Pic

She is a French chef who has become one of the most recognized chefs in the world. Unlike the others, Anne-Sophie Pic is a self-taught chef. Although she studied business administration in the 1990s, she gained her culinary knowledge from family cooking. 

She was the heiress of Maison Pic, a restaurant that was the family business for several years. She was voted best chef in the world in 2011 by Veuve Clicquot and in 2012 she received the National Order of the Legion of Honor in France. She earned this achievement for her tremendous work in her restaurant. 

Her career shows that it is not always necessary to study gastronomy to become an expert in the area.  

Nadia Santini

She is a chef of Italian origin. Nadia Santini started cooking at a very young age and always dreamed of the possibility of a woman having a big kitchen. Currently, she has a restaurant, known as Dal Pescatore. This place is located in Lombardy, Italy. In 1996, she received three Michelin stars and Santini was the first woman chef in Italy to obtain this recognition. 

In 2013 she was chosen as the best cook in the world for Veuve Clicquot. In this case, that restaurant was a family inheritance, although she managed to enhance the taste with Italian recipes. Many diners from all over the world seek its dishes. In other words, some people want to taste the true essence of Italy.

Without a doubt, if you ever visit Italy, you should go to this emblematic restaurant in Europe. 

Narda Lepes

Finally, we have a woman from Argentina who is one of the best in Latin America. She did a gastronomic internship in Paris in 1995. There she learned a lot about the gastronomic culture of Europe. By the year 2001, she became a television personality for her participation in the program El Gourmet. 

Her specialty is fusion cuisine, where she mixes Japanese and Argentinean cuisine. Over the years, Lepes has written several books and has had several television programs. She also has a restaurant, known as Narda Comedor, which opened recently and seeks to represent the best of her food.

Undoubtedly, Narda Lepes is one of the greatest exponents of Latin American gastronomy. We hope you liked this top of the most important women in gastronomy!