A woman who grew up on a farm near Bushmills, Co Antrim, has been named the world’s best female chef. Clare Smyth, who is also the only woman in the UK to hold three Michelin stars, hopes the award will inspire other women.
“This accolade is not for me but for all the women working in the hospitality industry around the world. I hope to use this platform to encourage and mentor more women to achieve success,” she said in London on Wednesday.
Ms Smyth left Northern Ireland when she was 16 and worked in some of the world’s most famous restaurants until she opened her own fine-dining establishment, Core, in Notting Hill in London last year.
She worked with Gordon Ramsay for more than 13 years, and with Alain Ducasse at Le Louis XV restaurant, at the Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo.
Despite her global credentials she has always remained in tune with her Bushmills roots, which she says continue to inspire her. “I’ve grown up with a great respect for produce, seasons, nature, growing things. I have a great respect for what it takes to produce food, growing up with a farming background myself.”
The Elit Vodka World’s Best Female Chef award is voted for by more than 1,000 restaurant-industry experts and gourmets from 26 regions around the world who are part of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy.
