Women in Culinary Program Empowers Promising Placemakers 

In response to both the ongoing challenges that women face in the culinary industry and the dearth of women in senior culinary positions, ISS Guckenheimer launched its Women in Culinary program in May of 2022 to transform the way the company attracts, retains, supports and develops female culinarians. The first 22 participants in the program — hailing from across North America and holding positions from executive chef to sous chef, chef manager, and executive pastry chef — graduated in mid-November in a special virtual ceremony held to honor their accomplishments. 

Over the course of the six-month program, these ISS Guckenheimer professionals worked with both internal and external experts and company leaders to further develop the confidence, technical skills, and public speaking abilities they need to advance their careers.  

Topics discussed in their sessions included the exploration of their roots and specialties as culinarians, optimizing the full capabilities of ISS Guckenheimer’s collaborative menu planning platform, and the development of menus that speak to their personal values as well as those of ISS Guckenheimer and their clients. 

“To be successful, you have to understand who you are as a person,” Alex Howren, Director of Culinary at ISS Guckenheimer and co-founder of the Women in Culinary program, said. “Who you are as a culinarian is your foundation. Then, you layer in the philosophies of ISS Guckenheimer and our clients.”