CODE Hospitality’s Woman of the Year 2025: Natalia Ribbe

The seed that grew into Ladies of Restaurants (LOR) was planted in an email exchange between two industry colleagues, Natalia Ribbe and Grace Welch in 2016. Sharing war stories about the trials and tribulations of being woman in hospitality, they decided to take the conversation down the pub. A few pints snowballed into a monthly meet-up, a series of supper clubs, events, and a stall and stage at Taste of London, all under the LOR banner.

Today, almost a decade later and after a brief hiatus, LOR is back, with Ribbe the sole figurehead of the growing community. There’s been a flurry of activity this last year, with festivals, meet-ups and workshops for women and allies in Glasgow, Bristol, Manchester and London which Ribbe has managed alongside running her neighbourhood restaurant and natural wine bar Sète in Margate.

Much like Sally Abé, Dara Klein and Joké Bakare – who spearheaded the headline-making open letter calling out industry sexism – Ribbe, an adopted Brit who grew up in New Jersey, has witnessed gender inequality throughout her career, especially when starting out in New York. “In the early 2000s at Danube, my first job, we weren’t allowed to wear trousers. As maître d’s, we had to wear dresses and skirts. At Le Cirque, women were only allowed to work in the cocktail bar. They had that old school mentality of where women should sit within the business. It was very much, you know, being a hostess or being in HR, events, or PR – not being a person in authority.”

I think it’s clear that systemic change needs to happen 

Her work with LOR is an ongoing reminder of the issues women can face in the workplace. “I did some work with women who work for an international hospitality group. They all got given a post-it note to write down a question, comment, or concern they had about working in hospitality anonymously, and, oh my God, there was so much anger in that room. But it’s OK to be mad.”

Nevertheless, today Ribbe is certain, “it’s 100% a stereotype that all men are bastards and all men are anti-women in the kitchen. I think it’s clear that systemic change needs to happen, and I don’t think it’s necessarily gender – I think the way that the industry is set up is not sustainable or perhaps welcoming to everyone in terms of gender, race and background. There is an issue with a lack of diversity across the board. It’s gotten a lot better in the 13 years I’ve been in the UK, but when you look at the Michelin Awards – how many people of colour are represented there? Not loads.”

The way forward? Taking inspiration from the likes of Lorraine Copes of Be Inclusive Hospitality, Sandia Chang of Bubbleshop, Lauren Barnett of Home Hospitality, and Will Beckett of Hawksmoor, Ribbe has a lot of ideas. “First and foremost, having a healthier dialogue around how we can keep great people in the industry who also want to have a family is essential. Plus, those in the industry need to own their actions while embracing tough conversations. I do think we need to allow people the opportunity to grow and learn from mistakes. We need to see less cancel culture and more accountability,” she says. “I’m a big believer in you can’t be what you can’t see. I’m saying this as a white woman of privilege, all I can do is try and have the conversations that are difficult. It makes everyone uncomfortable, but there’s nothing comfortable about conversations about sexism and racism. I’m having them constantly, and I’m learning, I’m educating, I’m reading, and I’m making my own mistakes. I’m sticking my foot in it here and there, but I’m taking accountability for it. I’m doing the work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

We need to see less cancel culture and more accountability

Besides sexism in the workplace, Ribbe is all too aware of wider issues business owners face in modern hospitality. In 2022, she and her then partner were forced to close their Margate restaurant, Barletta, after falling victim to fraud. “I was full of shame. You think it’s never going to happen to you.” Nevertheless, her seemingly boundless strength pulled her through. “Giving up was just not an option. My mental health completely deteriorated, but I’ve been healing through exercise and great friends. The drive and focus to do something great with my life is just what keeps me going.” 

Looking to the future, Ribbe hopes LOR will become a “global forum” dedicated to cultivating connections with hospitality professionals far and wide. Meanwhile, she’s optimistic that with a little teamwork, a shift could be in sight. “I think we see it with the response to the open letter and LOR coming out of hibernation. I’ve had individual women come up to me and say, ‘I’m so glad to see you’re back. We really missed it’. That gives me purpose to keep going…change wants to happen, it’s just going to take some solutions.”