The year of the woman

In 2018, less than 3% of women leaders were Michelin-starred. And since the creation of the famous red guide in 1889, only Four French female chefs have been awarded three Michelin stars: Marie Bourgeois and Marie Brazier in 1933, Marguerite Bise in 1951, and finally Anne-Sophie Pic in 2007. The latter is even the most starred female chef in the world, with seven stars for her ten establishments. So, is Michelin misogynistic?
By inevitably!
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Already in the time of Saint Louis, most professional statuses were recorded in the Book of Culinary Professions, Louis XII granting only “Rôtisseurs” the right to roast meats and poultry, while caterers were the only ones allowed to offer stewed and sauced dishes. These were all exclusively male brotherhoods, which did not allow female cooks to make a place for themselves in this small macho world. Given the current ratio of women to men at the helm of the kitchens, arithmetic logic alone therefore dictates that there are mostly “male” Michelin-starred chefs. However, this should soon change, because today, French hotel schools have, in their cooking classes, a roughly equal number of students of both sexes… with even a majority of young women for the pastry sector.
The 2019 Michelin Guide was therefore a faithful indicator of this recent development, awarding its second star to Stéphanie Le Quellec of the restaurant La Scène at the Prince de Galles, as well as a first star to around ten female chefs from France out of the first 68 stars awarded in 2019. A record which, we have no doubt, should logically be beaten every year... to be continued!

Saga of the youngest Michelin-starred chef in France
Hired in 2012 at the age of 18 as
kitchen assistant at Les Fables de la Fontaine, in Paris 7th, Julia Sedefdjian, originally from Nice, became chef of this already starred restaurant in 2014, and managed to retain this Michelin star in 2015. We find her today on the Left Bank of Paris, at the head of her own restaurant called Baieta (Little Kiss in Nice dialect), opened in spring 2018. The Michelin, sometimes so slow to react, did not waste any time, and awarded her a star in its 2019 edition. A well-deserved reward as our meal in this restaurant attests.
charming gourmet stopover in a smart setting
adorned with light wood paneling. Julia Sedefdjian's very Mediterranean cuisine combines classics and creative dishes like this impeccable crispy egg yolk with raw and cooked haddock and leeks in seaweed vinaigrette, then a succulent aioli (not too strong!) of line-caught pollock with firm flesh, accompanied by small vegetables cooked al dente, a quail egg and crispy mussels, and finally a fennel shortbread, light lemon mascarpone cream and lemon/pastis sorbet, full of delicate Provençal flavors. Everything you need to make a very pleasant Michelin-starred meal for around €75 excluding drinks.