‍Zineb Hattab: “I'm hoping for more diversity”

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We are in such an automatic mode that we only ever invite and introduce people with the same profile to a gastronomic forum. We women need representation: We should be more present and see each other so that others can be inspired and believe that they can do it. And we need to talk not only about women, but also about gender, different gender identities. For example, if someone comes to my restaurant to repair the stove and sees me and my sous chef, who is a white cis-man: Who does he think is the chef? Him, of course. We must therefore change this social construct that a profession belongs to a specific gender.

I hope that there will be more women leading teams in the future, and I hope for greater diversity in general, including when it comes to ethnicity, for example. I don't just want to focus on women, I hope that the gastronomic landscape becomes more diverse, because without diversity, it is very homogeneous and boring. Diversity is important for creativity, a good working environment or more sustainable workplaces. I don't want a place where people work for a year, burn out emotionally and physically, and then want to change their jobs. There are nice jobs in the restaurant that you can do for many years if the conditions are right. That can be sustainable. But we need to make a lot of changes.

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Zineb Hattab is a top chef and operator of the plant-based restaurants “KLE” and “DAR” in Zurich.