Monday Bulletin: 70 female chefs sign open letter & One Club Row

Catch up on the latest industry news stories of the week from the CODE Bulletin

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The 70

What a week. It started on Monday with an off the cuff comment made by Jason Atherton in the Times: “I haven’t seen any sexism in the kitchen”. By Wednesday, a group of 70 female chefs, led by Sally Abé, Poppy O’Toole, and Dara Klein, had written an open letter – first revealed in the Telegraph – denouncing the sexism and inequality that they’d all seen in the restaurant industry, even if Atherton hadn’t. They pronounced themselves “exhausted by an industry so systematically flawed”, they struggled to see themselves in it. By Friday, the story was all over the press and social media, as more and more women came forward and added their names to the open letter.

Is this the restaurant world’s #metoo moment? The reckoning has certainly been a long time coming. The 70 original signatories – some of whom requested anonymity for fear of professional repercussions – acknowledge that progress has been made. However, there is much, much more to be done.

It’s not about piling on individual men. Jason Atherton bore the brunt of much criticism that might equally have been levelled at Michelin after their outdated awards event and tin-eared, if well-intentioned, film about female chefs. Some may say that internecine strife is the last thing an embattled hospitality industry needs right now as it is attacked on all fronts by financial, economic and political forces beyond its control. However, we would argue that of all the challenges the industry faces today, this is the one it has the greatest power to do something about. This issue is deep-rooted and it is systemic. It demands that all hospitality professionals, junior and senior, young and old, take the time first to listen and to learn, then to act. Women account for approximately 60% of the UK hospitality workforce. No employer, no leader, can brush off the question as simply not their problem. A time of change is one of opportunity and we welcome the shift. A more inclusive and diverse workforce is a happier, healthier, safer, and more productive one. In the words of Abé, O’Toole, Klein and their co-signatories, “diversity is not just a goal; it is a source of strength, creativity, and resilience.” Characteristics that our industry needs now more than ever. You can add your name to the open letter here.

One Club Row

The paint’s barely dry at their new Shoreditch pub, the Knave of Clubs, and already James Dye and Benjy Leibowitz of High Note Hospitality are onto their sophomore project: One Club Row, a New York-style restaurant in the grand panelled dining room above the pub. Chef Patrick Powell (Allegra, the Midland Grand, Chiltern Firehouse), as culinary director for the building, has created a timeless menu that might have been inspired by every movie you ever saw and every book you ever read about the Big Apple. Oysters and Martinis are a given; so too tuna crudo, lobster tagliatelle, bone-in-ribeye, and New York cheesecake. The house signature will be a burger au poivre. One Club Row will pay homage to New York hospitality at its old-school best, all live jazz, late nights, and classic cocktails. Opens late March.

Small Plates

• Be Inclusive Hospitality has released its latest report Careers in Hospitality: Removing Barriers to Progression. It is free to download at the link here. Lorraine Copes founded BIH in 2020 to address the lack of diversity in senior hospitality roles.
   
• The Boglione family, owners of Petersham Nurseries in Richmond, have closed the doors to their two Covent Garden outposts, The Petersham and La Goccia. The twin closures on 16 February follow a rental dispute with landlord Shaftesbury Capital. Brexit and the “looming impact of the Budget” were also cited as factors.
   
• Harvey Nicks is back in vogue. From 3 March, Patsy and Edina’s favourite department store will welcome Islington trattoria Trullo for a three-month residency on the Fifth Floor. Swanky new dishes include tagliarini with Beluga caviar and Dover sole with Palourde clams. Pass the Bolly!
   
• Suppher’s Anna Søgaard and Sinead Murdoch and a crew of female chefs and sommeliers are taking over Cav in Bethnal Green for IWD on 9 March. A £65 ticket gets you dinner, drinks, and a ticket to the after-party. In aid of CoppaFeel! and East London NIA Rape Crisis.
  
  
• London didn’t know brisket from burnt ends when Bodean’s BBQ came to town in 2002. Over two decades on, Bodean’s BBQ is ready to re-establish itself among the city’s elite BBQ spots with the aid of new chef director Richard H.Turner of Hawksmoor, Pitt Cue, and Meatopia fame. New menus drop 20 March.
  
  
• Phil Howard is handing over his Elystan Street kitchen to eight female alumni from the Chelsea restaurant and its sister restaurant Kitchen W8 on 6 March for a special International Women’s Day dinner. The brigade will include MasterChef: The Professionals winner Nikita Pathakji. Eight courses, £140.
  
  
• The latest instalment in the JKS Presents series, The Women Who Make Us, takes place at the Barbican on 10 March to mark IWD. Panel topics will include Gen Z and the future of hospitality. Proceeds to Smart Works. Tickets here.
  
  
• Nominations are now open for hospitality network Checking-IN’s 10 LGBTQ+ Hospitality Champions list for 2025. Checking-IN also has a panel discussion about inclusive recruitment coming up in London Victoria on 12 March.