When planning our recent vacation, realizing we would have a few hours in London, I knew I had to get my priorities straight, starting with where to eat. As I polled various foodie friends who had been through the city, I received a number of suggestions, but one was listed over and over again — The Ledbury. Thus, like any good global food lover, I watched the reservation window and pounced on an appointment for a long lunch on our one full afternoon in the city. Given our short stay in London (under 48 hours), I had booked a hotel in nearby Notting Hill — The Laslett (more on that experience later). I chose the property primarily because of its location, thus, we could easily stroll to lunch. Hubs and I lucked out for our brief visit, and had a clear walk to make our 1:15 reservation. Interested in the…
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]]>As Gordon Ramsay might say, “Let’s get one thing straight…” That is, I cringe desperately when awards are given in certain fields that recognize one gender and not the other. In this instance, earlier in 2018, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants identified chef Clare Smyth as the best female chef in the world. It’s an award they give out every year. Having worked in a 3 Michelin star venue for many years (Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, 2012-2016), I respect Chef Smyth’s pedigree. However, this distinction puts me in a conundrum. Why does an award need to seek out a specific gender, when their current list (and really, the list any year) includes so few restaurants that are female-led? I know this is not a problem that is going to solve itself overnight, however, I do like that some progress being made in the States (a look at the James Beard nominees year…
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