Spotlighting Indomitable Women In The Singapore Restaurant Business
Gender equality has come a long way in the last decade, especially in the male-dominated F&B industry. This International Women’s Day (8 Mar), we spotlight five firebrands who embody the tenacity, grace and strength that women in any industry can admire.
IMAGE: SOSPIRI
Who is she? Head Chef, Sospiri
Like many avid chefs, Ashley’s love of cooking began at home in Kuala Lumpur, where preparing meals was a family affair. “My mom loves to cook, my aunties love to cook – it was our safe space. Over time, I found my passion there and turned it into a career,” she shares.
That passion has led her to work in stellar restaurants, including Tippling Club and the three-hatted Clooney in New Zealand. She was also named Junior Chef of the Year at the 2022 World Gourmet Awards. Just three years later, at 29, Ashley has risen through the ranks to become the new head chef of South Italian restaurant Sospiri.
Proving her mettle wasn’t easy. In an industry dominated by men, she was routinely underestimated – given menial tasks, passed over for promotions, and even set up to fail. “I’ve had to work twice as hard just to prove I belong,” she says. “Many times I felt like giving up, but I persevered.”
At Sospiri, Ashley is crafting a menu of elegant, soulful South Italian cuisine prepared with deep respect for ingredients. More than that, she aims to pave the way for a new generation of chefs. “I hope to empower young chefs in the industry and guide them even further,” she says. Success is, after all, about making an impact, and for this plucky lass, this is just the beginning.
IMAGE: ROSE ANG
Chef Rose Ang
Who is she? Chef-owner, Domo
Despite an outstanding résumé that spans famous restaurants like Nobu, luxury hotel openings in Europe and Central Asia, and heading a major Australian catering company, many Singaporeans have never heard of Rose Ang.
That will soon change as she opens Domo, her first restaurant in Singapore, this month. This deeply personal venture serving Japanese cuisine with European influences reflects her extraordinary journey, which has seen her working in countries like Azerbaijan and Georgia for some of the biggest conglomerates in the world.
“In the early days of my career, I was always the only female in the kitchen,” recalls the 51-year-old. “Back then, the chefs wouldn’t let women touch the hot kitchen. I would have to peel onions or work the salad station.” But the thing about Rose is that she sees obstacles not as problems but as experiences.
To prove she could work as hard and as well as her male peers, she worked long, unpaid hours after her eight-hour shifts, eventually earning the respect of her mentors. The proof of her calibre is evident in the fact that she has never had to apply for a job in the last 25 years. Every job she’s had resulted from being headhunted by recruiters all over the globe.
Now that she’s home, Rose is set to shake up the local dining scene. After years of shaping big-name restaurants from behind the scenes, she finally emerges from the spotlight. And if her track record is anything to go by, we’ll all pay attention.
IMAGE: AIR
Natalia Lachova
Who is she? Executive Pastry Chef, AIR
Natalia Lachova never planned to be a pastry chef. In fact, she never planned to be a chef at all. Born in Slovakia and raised in California, she pursued a career in art history, working in galleries before an unexpected love affair with food changed her path forever. “I was always interested in art and beautiful things,” says the 28-year-old. “But when I left California to travel, I kept finding myself in kitchens (as a means to earn money). Cooking and art are very similar in that the dedicated people are obsessed with beautiful things, and it’s communal.”
That realisation led her to culinary school in 2016, where she trained as a savoury chef before switching to pastry a few years later. “Pastry has rules,” she explains. “But once you learn them, you can break them. That’s when it gets fun.”
Now, as the executive pastry chef at AIR, she is pushing boundaries with a philosophy rooted in sustainability and creativity. “We use every part of an ingredient – if we use a banana, we find a reason for the skin,” she says. One of her desserts utilises the byproducts of chocolate production (cocoa husks) and coffee production (cascara) to yield brown butter ice cream and candied cascara topped with a crisp banana tuile.
Natalia says she’s never felt out of place in a professional kitchen. “I was lucky. I worked under strong female chefs from the start.” She now hopes to inspire others just as they inspired her.
IMAGE: ARAYA
Who is she? Pastry Chef & Partner, Araya
Fernanda Guerrero has been in the restaurant business for as long as she can remember. Her family ran a small restaurant in Chile, where her mother served hearty, home-cooked fare, and everyone was expected to participate in its operations. “I think the smells of being in a restaurant and the passion for hospitality made me fall in love with cooking,” she says.
Those early years laid the groundwork for a career that would take Fernanda far from home. But not before she reconnected with her childhood friend, Francisco Araya, when they found themselves working in the same restaurant in El Pariso in 2013. In 2015, the couple moved to Shanghai to work before relocating to Singapore in 2023 to open Araya, the country’s first Chilean fine dining restaurant, which earned a Michelin star just eight months later.
Part of Araya’s charm is Fernanda’s irresistible breads and show-stopping desserts that celebrate her Chilean roots. "I want to show people my heritage and create a memorable experience from start to finish," she explains.
Proving herself in a male-dominated industry is par for the course. “It’s annoying that you have to go out of your way to prove yourself when you’re just as good as anyone else,” says the 37-year-old, “but you just have to maintain a positive mindset and consistency, and people will see and respect you.”
When asked what she’s proudest of, she replies, “That I am able to have a relationship and work with the man I love. What also makes me happy is seeing people appreciating the love and flavours in my desserts. I love that people start and finish their meal at Araya very happily. From start to end, it’s a wonderful experience for them.”
IMAGE: ODETTE
Who is she? Head Sommelier, Odette
“In Taiwan, this is impossible,” said Lan Shu Chen, one of Taiwan’s best-known chefs, when Lesley Liu told her she wanted to become a sommelier. At the time, Taiwan’s fine dining scene was in its nascence.
“Our drinking culture was not developed and we didn’t have a lot of resources. Mostly people drank from three regions: Burgundy, Champagne, and Porto. So she [Chen] said if I want to become a sommelier, especially since I had no experience, I would have to leave Taiwan and maybe work my way up from a small restaurant,” Lesley recalls.
So she did. Lesley packed her bags and moved to Shanghai, where, after countless rejections, she landed her first sommelier job at the one-Michelin-starred Maison Lameloise in 2018. “I think they hired me because they needed someone who could speak English,” she says.
With no structured education, Lesley built her own – studying independently and earning international certifications on her own dime. “Wine is complicated. It changes every day and you have to update yourself all the time,” she says. To do that, she wakes at 7am to study before heading to work at three-Michelin-star restaurant Odette. Her gruelling workday begins at 10am and ends at midnight, but it is pressure she clearly thrives on, as she was named Sopexa’s Best Sommelier in French Wines (Singapore) in 2021 and 2023.
“I can’t say that I’m proud of myself because I haven’t achieved the peak of my journey,” says the 32-year-old matter-of-factly, “but I’m very appreciative of the chefs I’ve met who share their knowledge so willingly with me, especially chef Julien (Royer, Odette’s chef-owner). I started late (at 26). That’s why I feel I have to push myself harder to study for my certifications and competitions.”
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