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1st August 2023
09:05am BST
A chef has issued an apology after initially firing back at people questioning his hiring practices after he showed off the team at his restaurant.
Thomas Straker, who opened his namesake restaurant Straker’s in 2022, recently shared a photograph of his “chef team” comprising eight people, including himself. All of them were white men.
Commenters suggested the London-based chef's team did not reflect the diversity of London and branded his team a "white boys club".
One person wrote that they don't "begrudge this dude for the staff he hired. You hire friends, good people you know, and impressive resumes."
Then they added: "But I think this post shows a blatant example of how much fine dining is still a white boys club. The fact that he has no people of colour or women on the team is a huge extension of the bigger cultural problem we still have, not necessarily an individual failing. Would love if he took it upon himself to look for diversity in his team, but clearly, it doesn't seem important to the values of him and his restaurant."
Another person added that the "main issue is that in the most diverse city in the world, in the poorest part of the richest borough of the country, not only have you managed to hire any female chefs but not a single POC".
They pointed out that Golborne Road, where the restaurant is based is historically a black/Moroccan/Spanish/ Portuguese community with an "incredible history of culture and rebellion in the face of adversity".
"It became home to the largest Moroccan population in England and the home of Windrush families. How incredible would it be if you searched that community for young rising stars who may not get a chance to flourish otherwise in hospitality than hiring friends? Provide them with training and a safe place to grow as chefs. In turn, you’d be putting something into the very community that you’re gentrifying - intentional or not. Just something to think about."
Straker responded to the comments by telling people they need "to calm down".
"Firstly there is a shortage of chefs/hospitality workers. Secondly, if you feel so passionately please go and gather CV’s of any chefs you think we’re missing in the team. Solutions not problems. Thank you," he wrote.
Much like the picture, that comment didn't go down well with a number of people calling it "rude".
Straker has since apologised via his Instagram story.
He acknowledged that many people had "rightly pointed out the lack of diversity within" his team, and said "I am very sorry for my initial response, where some queried whether I take this issue seriously."
The chef continued: "I am absolutely committed to ensuring diversity in my restaurants, unfortunately, we aren't achieving this in my kitchens currently and this is an area I know I need to improve on, making sure it is seen as a welcoming and approachable environment for all."
Becky Paskin, a drinks expert who appears regularly on ITV’S Love Your Weekend, wrote on Straker’s original post: “Too often we say, ‘We only recruit on the basis of the best people for the job’ without any consideration the role bias plays in the selection process.
“It’s been proven time and again that diverse teams are more creative, productive and successful. If every member looks the same and has the same background, you’ll find they’ll all think the same as well. Forming diverse teams is not only the right thing to do, it makes business sense too.”
US chef Kenji Lopez-Alt, who is known for his book The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, added: “Get off the social media for a week or so. Do some reflection. Talk to people who care about you and who you trust. Be better.”
However, not everyone has been quick to condemn Starker and has validated the troubles he highlighted.
Henry Tilley, restaurant manager at Native in London, wrote: “The industry is on its knees right now. There [aren’t] enough chefs or even [front-of-house staff] to go around as it is. We would love some applications for chef positions in our restaurants from female or non-binary individuals. The reality of the matter is we never get the applications so can’t be as representative as we’d like.”
Ben Mulock, executive chef of Balans in Soho, says the onus is on senior chefs to “solve the problem” of lack of diversity.
He told The Independent: “I am a white male executive chef, so it is my responsibility to push for an inclusive workforce, be that sex, age or ethnicity. They are not mutually exclusive – they are all important.
“No, it’s not easy and at the moment, it almost seems impossible to recruit, but if we don’t try, we don’t move it forward. We always need to do better for this industry, and if we can’t do it in London, where can we?”
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