Marco Pierre White says women are ‘too emotional’ to be chefs

Celebrity chef Marco Pierre White seemingly isn’t happy that Gordon Ramsay routinely tops the culinary douche list, so he’s decided to up the ante.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, Pierre White made the emphatic (and hilariously baseless) claim that women aren’t equipped to be chefs on account of their feebleness and emotions.

“The real positive with men is that men can absorb pressure better, that’s the main difference, because they are not as emotional and they don’t take things personally.

“Look at the size of some of the pans you are carrying. Can you imagine you’re a lady in the kitchen and saying: ‘Will you carry that pan for me? You don’t want to say that, do you? So men are physically stronger and they can absorb the pressure of the kitchen better.”

Who can argue with that logic?

Unsurprisingly Pierre White’s controversial comments prompted a torrent of livid backlash from chefs and hospitality heavyweights across the world.

Neil Rankin, the owner of the Temper steakhouse and barbecue restaurants in London, labelled White a “rambling dinosaur”, adding on Instagram that “The only real difference between men and women in the kitchen is that men don’t have to put up with this nauseating baseless antiquated bullshit everyday.”

 

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The only real difference between men and women in the kitchen is that men don’t have to put up with this nauseating baseless antiquated bullshit everyday. Women not only have to do the same exact job in every area of hospitality but also have had to contend with every oppressive jibe in the book from day one and not only from their colleagues but from industry leaders like this in 2019 ffs 🙄. Frankly I don’t think men could handle this bullshit every day. I think they’d crumble under the pressure. The whole article if you read it actually comes up the conclusion that women are better in the kitchen but unfortunately via all this clickbait nonsense from a rambling dinosaur . How about we just start judging people based on their individual performance and start promoting the much needed diversity within this dying industry that so desperately needs it.

A post shared by Neil Rankin (@frontlinechef) on Aug 29, 2019 at 12:50am PDT

While Asma Khan, the head of London Indian restaurant Darjeeling Express – which is run by an all-female kitchen team – said Pierre White’s comments had no place in a modern industry.

“Like a three-day-old fish, [these comments] reek of patriarchy, and there is no place in the kitchen for rotting fish or chefs with these attitudes,” she told Big Hospitality.

Perhaps putting it best, Australian/British author Kathy Lette tweeted the following:

Marco Pierre White says that females make bad chefs because we’re “too emotional in the kitchen & lack strength to carry heavy pans.” Hmmm. What shall I cook today? I’m thinking chauvinist pig on a spit. @ChefMarco

— Kathy Lette (@KathyLette) August 30, 2019