You don’t have to look very far these days to find inspiring women who’ve risen to the top of their fields. From public relations and marketing, to finance and healthcare, the business world is replete with female innovators, thought leaders and decision-makers who embody the fearless spirit of their predecessors.
Yet there are some industries in which the word ‘trailblazing’ remains particularly salient – industries that continue to be largely male-dominated. The culinary profession is a fairly typical example.
For many years, restaurant kitchens were considered bastions of male authority, with men typically occupying top-tier chef positions and holding key decision-making roles. But the tide is most certainly turning.
More and more women are stepping into head chef and restaurant owner positions, earning high praise for their culinary creativity and business smarts. By way of example, we present to you 5 top female chefs and restauranteurs who define what it means to lead, succeed and inspire.
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Lisa Goodwin-Allen
"It’s about taking that local produce and putting my twist on it – working with the seasons, to bring out the best of every product to create new exciting dishes." - Northcote Hotel
Lisa Goodwin-Allen is one of the top female chefs in the UK. And her rise has been meteoric.
Starting out at Holbeck Ghyll in Cumbria, where she worked part-time while studying for her National Vocational Qualification, Goodwin-Allen also had a stint at Le Champignon Sauvage.
It was here that she sharpened her technical skills with the guidance of world-renowned chef David Everitt-Matthias – a person who she credits as having an enormous influence on her culinary development.
Upon returning home to Lancashire she joined the Northcote and her prodigious talent was further honed under the tutelage of Nigel Haworth. Beginning as a demi chef de partie, she quickly rose through the ranks to the position of sous chef. A little over three years later, she was named head chef at the tender age of 23.
Under her guidance, the restaurant retained its Michelin Star in 2017 while the hotel was named Hotel of the Year by both Visit England and the AA. Goodwin-Allen has herself won a string of accolades, among them Restaurant Chef of the Year (Craft Guild of Chefs), Hotel Chef of the Year (CATEY) and Female Chef of the Year (AYALA Square Meal).
She also appears regularly on television shows including the BBC’s Great British Menu as well as James Martin's Saturday Morning.
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Adejoké Bakare
"I feel a responsibility to tell people the story of the food I experienced growing up and do it in the best way possible. That is my entire focus." - Great British Chefs
Few leading female chefs in the UK have shattered as many barriers as Adejoké Bakare. Despite having no formal culinary training, Nigerian-born Bakare became the first black woman to win a Michelin Star in 2024 – a world away from her early days in which she operated a chip cart during her spare time. In 1999, she moved to the UK in order to study Microbiology.
Working in a variety of jobs to support her academic pursuits, Bakare also ran supper clubs for families and friends. Despite an enthusiasm for cooking, she considered it nothing more than a hobby. All of this changed in 2019 when she entered a competition to run a three-month restaurant pop-up in Brixton.
Easily progressing through to the final, she eventually impressed the judges with her vibrant interpretations of West African cuisine and was named the winner. Emboldened by her achievement, she staged at the Michelin-starred Ikoyi Restaurant in Strand before launching her pop-up.
Naming it Chisuru, her West African dishes soon caught the attention of critic Jay Raner. Following an excellent write-up in the Observer, Bakare opened popups at 180 The Strand and the Globe Tavern. In 2023, Chisuru was moved to its current home at Fitrozia. To go along with her Michelin Star, Bakare was declared ‘Chef of the Year’ at the National Restaurant Awards in 2024.
Asma Khan
"An all-women team of housewives runs the kitchen at Darjeeling Express, and have been doing so from day one. What you will taste is home-style food, cooked with passion." - Darjeeling Express
Asma Khan is one of the leading lights in the Indian culinary scene. Like Adejoké Bakare, Asma began her storied journey by hosting private supper clubs at her home. The popularity of her authentic, home-style Indian dishes led to a pop-up at the Sun and 13 Cantons in 2014. Garnering considerable praise from the likes of food critic Fay Maschler, the pop-up turned into an eight-month residency. Three years later and Khan opened the Darjeeling Express.
Managaging a female-only kitchen team, the Express specialised in home-cooked Rajput and Bengali food. The cuisine was declared a ‘smash-hit’ by the Food and Wine magazine, with Asma also featuring in a BBC documentary. Flushed with success, she then published her first cookbook, Asma's Indian Kitchen.
Further television appearances followed, most notably, Chef’s Table, which traced her Indian roots and progression as a top female chef. In 2020, Khan became the first chef to be included on Vogue’s list of 25 most influential women. She’s since earned an Honorary Doctorate and Fellowship from Oxford University.
Clare Smyth
"We must be connected to our food. It must create an emotion, a memory, warmth, hospitality, generosity." - Core
Clare Smyth MBE is a UK female chef of international repute and holder of no less than three Michelin Stars. Hailing from County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Smyth moved to England at 16 to attend culinary college. After serving an apprenticeship at Grayshott Hall, she worked full-time at a number of high-profile establishment including Alan Roux’s Waterside Inn and St Enodoc Hotel in Cornwall.
It was at the St Enodoc that she became head chef. While there she was named Young Cornish Fish Chef of the Year, which helped secure a post at Restaurant Gordon Ramsey in 2002. Within five years, she was announced as the new head chef.
Of the seven UK female chefs with Michelin stars at the time, Smyth was the first to run a restaurant with three. Deciding to expand her horizons, she left for Monaco to work at Alain Ducasse’s famed Le Louis XV restaurant, returning to Ramsay’s restaurant eighteen months later to replace Simone Zanoni.
As testament to her remarkable culinary skills, Smyth was declared National Chef of the Year by the Good Food Guide in 2013 while also being appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire. After opening her own restaurant, Core, she received further accolades including the 50 Best Restaurants award for Best Female Chef. By 2021, the restaurant had been awarded three Michelin Stars – the most held by any female chef.
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Marguerite Keogh
"Being awarded the Michelin star was an amazing feeling; a mixture of pride and relief which you really cannot describe." - Luxury London
Marguerite Keogh is another top female chef with Michelin stars. She grew up on a farm in County Clare, Ireland, helping her brothers and father plant and harvest vegetables. Her mother and aunt were also gifted cooks. From this, Keogh developed a love and fascination for food as well as a strong understanding of seasonality.
At 15, Keogh secured a placement at a local hotel kitchen before getting a kitchen job at Dromoland Castle. This lead to a five year apprenticeship. Upon completion, Keogh moved to London and worked at Marco Pierre-White Restaurant, Drones.
She then applied to work for the Ramsay Group which, at the time, had six restaurants. Royal Hospital Road, The Grill at the Savoy, The Connaught, Boxwood Café and Petrus at the Berkely. Displaying a precocious drive and ambition, her application included one condition – that she only worked at one of the restaurants which held a Michelin star. Accordingly, Keogh was offered a job at the Michelin-starred, Pétrus at which Marcus Wareing was chief patron. During her time there, the restaurant received a second Michelin star.
In 2013, Keogh opened the Five Fields restaurant with friend and fellow chef, Taylor Bonnyman. Quickly gaining a reputation for its elegant and modern British cuisine, the Five Fields became a notable destination in London’s dining scene, earning a Michelin star in 2017.
From Lisa Goodwin-Allen and Adejoké Bakare to Asma Khan, Clare Smyth, and Marguerite Keogh, these remarkable female chefs truly epitomise how women are redefining the UK’s gastronomic landscape. Their ambition, passion, and entrepreneurial spirit are benchmarks for younger generations looking to further elevate the craft of cooking. Trailblazers, each and every one.
