Honeysuckle cocktail created by Aisha Sharpe of Contemporary Cocktails for the event.

Because of my not-so-secret foodie crush for Grant Achatz, my husband, Willy, and I went to the panel Gender Confusion: Unraveling the Myths of Gender in the Restaurant Kitchen held at the Astor Center Monday night. The panel included not only my favorite molecular gastro-genius of Alinea, but also heavy-hitters Dana Cowin of Food & Wine, Ed Levine of Serious Eats, and writer Gwen Hyman.

Panelists were presented with five courses, each consisting of two preparations of the same main ingredient (say squab or pasta + asparagus), one by a male and one by a female chef. The question: could the panelists tell if each dish was the man’s or the woman’s?

The panelists were reluctant to say that they thought there would be a discernable difference. They were, however correct in their guesses more times than not. Grant Achatz pointed out that while the panelists didn’t believe in gendered cooking, many of the participating chefs did. Anne Burrell said she “cooks like a girl chef,” because that’s all she knows how to do.

Male/female stereotypes were both supported and debunked. Dana Cowin correctly guessed that a “pasta” course conceived by Brad Farmerie of Public and Double Crown consisting of shaved salsify “noodles” was the man’s dish, because of the heavy use of cooking gadgets. Cowin came to her conclusion by way of the observation, “Who likes toys? Boys like toys.” Hilarious.

The warm fava bean salad with spring garlic, chilis, and tofu prepared by Julie Farias of The General Greene however, was mistakenly thought to be made by a man, as it had a greater number of ingredients than Doug Psaltis’ of Smith’s sautéed scallops, fava beans, and smoked ham prep which was tossed together and presented in a bowl. The panel concluded that the more carefully composed composition was that of a man.

Through all of this, Willy and I wondered:

• Why are we tying gender to sex? Can’t men make so-called “feminine” food?

• Why not talk about the elementary fact that women outnumber men as home cooks but not professional cooks? Why is home cooking so-called women’s work and restaurant cooking is not?

• Would it be more interesting to talk about how hospitable (or not) professional kitchens are to women chefs?

Lastly, might I mention that the cocktails made for the cocktail “course” by Eben Freeman of Tailor (Rhubarb Gimlet: gin, fresh rhubarb juice, sugar, lemon, celery bitters) and Aisha Sharpe of Contemporary Cocktails (Honeysuckle: gin, lemon, honey syrup, grapefruit, tonic), included in the $35 admission, were lovely and plentiful?

xoxoMeg

p.s.: I was curious where Grant Achatz would have dinner when he was in town. He then tweeted that he went to Ramen Setagaya. Good to know. Sincerely, A Stalker

Tags: Astor Center, Dana Cowin, Ed Levine, Gender, Grant Achatz, Gwen Hyman

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