Sauce Loves… International Women’s Day 2018
To celebrate International Women’s Day on the 8th March, we have put together a round-up of all our fantastic women who are definitely worth celebrating!
Jeany Cronk, Mirabeau
Introducing wonder woman, Jeany Cronk, CEO and co-founder of the UK’s most popular rose brand, Mirabeau en Provence. Jeany and her husband moved their family from London to the small village of Cotignac, in the heart of Provence, to fulfill their dream of setting up a boutique wine business. Jeany’s enduring passion is building a quality brand that people will really love.
Caroline Hall, Rocket Food
Caroline Hall is the co-founder of Rocket Food, London’s leading luxury catering company and winner of the 2017 Country Life Canape of the Year award. At just 17, Caroline worked under Joyce Molyneux at The Carved Angel in Dartmouth where she was inspired by Joyce’s use of seasonal local ingredients. Now, alongside her brother Michael, Caroline’s catering company is at the forefront of creativity at some of London most exciting events.
Martha Ortiz, Ella Canta
Transporting her unique blend of visionary artistry and authentic modern Mexican cooking to her restaurant Ella Canta, Martha Ortiz is a Mexican chef who has brought the beauty, vibrancy and spirit of modern Mexico to life through her food. She is regarded as a visionary, whose food is a response to the colours, textures, stories and spirit of her beloved country.
Andrea & Catherine, Redemption
Flying the flag for female’s running their own businesses, are the founders of Redemption Bar are two women to be reckoned with! The all vegan, alcohol-free restaurants are the brain-child of Catherine Salway, ex-Virgin Group Brand Director and Executive Chef Andrea Waters who is an experienced restaurateur, vegan & raw chef, and nutrition expert. Redemption’s ethos is firmly rooted in caring for oneself, the planet and animals.
Mercedes, Yeotown
Yeotown co-founder, Mercedes Ngoh Sieff, is one of the UK’s leading Vinyasa Flow Yoga instructors. A product of the exploding Los Angeles yoga scene, she is passionate about all things yoga, health and fitness. Mercedes founded Yeotown with a belief that although it is the responsibility of the individual to take care of the body, mind and spirit, we all need a little help along the way.
Elizabeth Haigh
Founding head chef at Pidgin, Elizabeth Haigh guided the Hackney neighbourhood favourite to a Michelin star barely a year after opening. Her dishes have been described as unique, global and understated, fusing her Singaporean-British heritage and broad cooking experience with a passion for travel. In 2016, she founded Kaizen House with the view to building her own restaurants and incorporating the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement.
Jekka McVicar
Jekka McVicar has worked with herbs since 1985 for which she is internationally recognised; being awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour in Horticulture – VMH, by the Royal Horticultural Society and the Gardeners Media Guild Life Time Achievement Award. Keen to share the knowledge and her passion for herbs she has been awarded 62 RHS Gold Medals, appears frequently on national radio and advises governments, chefs and members of the public on the use of herbs; most recently at her Herbetum on her Herb Farm in Bristol.
Sabrina Ghayour
British-Iranian Chef and food writer Sabrina Ghayour is a self-taught cook and multi-award winning, 3-time best-selling author who made her name hosting the hugely popular ‘Sabrina’s Kitchen’ supper club in London, specialising in Persian and Middle Eastern flavours. Sabrina has become a ‘go to’ for Persian and Middle-Eastern recipes, history and ingredient wisdom and has a column in the National Geographic Food Magazine and is a regular contributor to Olive Magazine.
Lara Gilmore
Lara Gilmore is a stalwart of the gastronomy industry and an inspirational female foodie figure. Aside from being the driving force behind the workings of the 3 Michelin star holding, world’s no. 2 restaurant, Osteria Francescana, where her husband – the world-famous chef, Massimo Bottura – relies on her for both influence and guidance, Gilmore is currently at the helm of an innovative project aimed at tackling food waste and hunger globally.
Irha Atherton
Irha is Co-Director of The Social Company and runs the head office in Soho, London, overseeing all back-office operations for the business and maintaining and developing relations with current and future partners. She is a huge supporter of several charities including the MSY Charitable Foundation, Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation, Hospitality Action and Action Against Hunger.
Irha was born in the Philippines and studied accountancy at The University of San Carlos. She previously worked for a Cebu radio station before moving to Dubai in 2001 to work as a receptionist at the Hilton Dubai Creek Hotel, where she met her husband, Jason, in 2001. The pair now live in South West London with their two daughters
Marie Marchand
It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman, something that is certainly true of Marie Marchand, who is the powerhouse behind Frenchie Covent Garden. Together with husband Greg Marchand, they have built a hugely popular Frenchie empire, bringing classic French cuisine across from Paris to various London venues.
Laure Patry
Laure Patry, who grew up in France, began her journey in the wine industry at an early age. In 1997 she trained at catering school in the Loire Valley and completed her advanced sommelier course in 2000. The same year Patry was offered a one-year contact working at The Angel in North Yorkshire where she learnt the English language whilst building up key relationships with a number of wine producers internationally. 2003 saw Patry take the position as assistant head sommelier at Gordon Ramsay in Claridge’s. Whilst working with Ramsay, Patry helped launch Maze and Maze Grill, training and building her own team of sommeliers. In 2011 she joined Jason Atherton as group head sommelier for the successful launch of Pollen Street Social in Mayfair. For over five years Patry has been responsible for managing Pollen Street Social’s drinks team, working with all the groups’ head sommeliers and acting as wine consultant to The Social Company clients. She has also helped establish Atherton’s operations in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shang-hai; hiring the sommeliers, setting up the wine lists and providing extensive training. In June 2015, Patry launched Atherton’s Social Wines & Tapas to critical acclaim.