"You'll always run into people that won't respect you as a woman and won't respect you as a professional in the kitchen because you're a woman" - Jill Mundry

According to Jill it isn't. When we asked her about issues concerning women in the culinary field, she was very sure of herself when she said that anyone that has the desire and skills, whether male or female, can make it.

"If you're good, you can get a job pretty much anywhere, irregardless if you're male or female..." - Jill Mundry

The Educational Culinary Experience

Jill was emphatic when insisting that both men and women can make it in the culinary industry, but she confessed that women may face obstacles that men do not. It seems that women are constantly put in the position where they have to prove that they are up to the challenge of cooking professionally. Jill described such experiences as beginning even in culinary school. But even though she realized she was being treated differently than her male peers, she was thankful for being pushed to her limits. She admitted openly that professors generally rode the women harder, just to see what they were made of and whether they could stand up and work hard.

"...My pastry arts teacher actually was really hard on the women in the class but he said it's because you're going to experience it more once you're in the working field. People are going to be really hard on you and I need to make sure that you guys can handle the discrimination." - Jill Mundry

With the experience of culinary school behind her, Jill moved into the real world, ready to face the challenge of being a woman in man's industry. With the rigorous training behind her, Jill admits to being extremely lucky, never having experienced overwhelming discrimination in the field due to the fact she is female.

"I've never really run into it, honestly, I've been extremely lucky" - Jill Mundry

Can You Handle It?

"You definitely need to have a strong sense of will and you have to have the confidence that you know what you're doing because if you walk in and you have no confidence, you're not going to gain your staff's respect, you're not going to gain the wait staff's respect. You know, you got to go in there with a certain amount of confidence and you've got to know what you are doing" - Jill Mundry "They'll see how much you'll put up with but just as long as you stay solid, they won't give you too much of a hard time" - Jill Mundry "When [you] first start a new job, the guys are usually pretty hard on you, you know, to see what you're made of. But once you prove yourself, that you know what you're doing, they'll respect you." - Jill Mundry

Jill realized when each new job required her to be strong and confident to earn the respect of her staff in order to succeed. To her, confidence is the key to holding her place in the culinary field as a woman of power, success, and happiness. She knows that because she is a woman, she will be tested and watched until she earns the respect of her workers. However, Jill is well-prepared for many challenges and feels that any woman can be as well. In addition, she feels that anyone, male or female, needs to prove themselves in the kitchen to gain the respect of the staff.

Then vs. Now

Upon Jill's realization that she has been fortunate in her experiences within the culinary field, we posed a question to her about attempting her career thirty years ago instead of today. As candidly as ever, Jill's reply was honest and open. She plainly said that the industry was a different world for women back then and that people like Julia Childs and Alice Waters have helped to pave the way for other women in that time. She admits that today, even with their influences, the kitchen still remains predominantly male.

"But, thirty years ago, I wouldn't have even considered it..." - Jill Mundry

Opening Page	Introducing Jill
Jill At Work	References