The story below is from our March/April 2020 issue. For the full issue Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
Two female chefs share their experiences in the restaurant industry, including challenges, successes and surprises along their climb up the ladder.
Aaron Spicer
When Pastry Sous Chef Madi Steuber-Kaczmarski and Executive Chef Darla Mehrkens entered the culinary world, they weren’t thinking about the severe uphill climb chefs face. They weren’t thinking of how competitive the chef world is, or how they would spend most of their careers as the lone women in a sea of men.
The only thing they were thinking was how much they loved the kitchen.
Steuber-Kaczmarski grew up experimenting in the kitchen. One of her favorite experiments was baking cookies for her father, changing the recipe a little each time. Upon graduating high school in 2009, the central Missouri native attended culinary school in St. Louis and earned her associate’s degree in 2011. Steuber-Kaczmarski’s first job was—not surprisingly—at a cookie shop. Her second job was at a wine bar. In both places, the kitchens were women-led; Steuber-Kaczmarski remembers these first culinary experiences with deep fondness.
“I had great experiences at those places,” says Steuber-Kaczmarski. “Everyone worked so well together. I loved the early morning schedule. It was a great atmosphere.”
Mehrkens, a Roanoke native, also grew up in the kitchen. For her, family and food go hand in hand. It’s what she was surrounded by as a child and it’s where she’s most comfortable as an adult.
“I cook my emotions,” says Mehrkens. “Food is where I’m comfortable; cooking is personal to me.”
Mehrkens was 38 years old when she enrolled at the Al Pollard Culinary Arts Program at Virginia Western in 2010. She already held two degrees: one in criminal justice, and one in massage therapy. But, she never used either one. Instead, she kept drifting back to food and the kitchen. Once her daughter turned 16 and could drive herself to early morning swim practices, Mehrkens decided to enter the classroom once again.
“I was apprehensive,” admits Mehrkens. “I was one of the older students in the class. I wasn’t sure how things would go. But I had a fantastic experience.”
Though Mehrkens had years of experience in the food industry, by the time she entered culinary school – primarily in front of the house, but also in kitchen management – receiving a formal education was important to her. For building skills, yes, but primarily for building positive relationships. Mehrkens was diligent to volunteer as much as she could. These opportunities fostered a great camaraderie with her professors, many of whom are well-respected chefs in the Valley. Upon graduating in 2012, Mehrkens went on to earn her executive chef certification through the American Culinary Federation.
Both Steuber-Kaczmarski and Mehrkens say they definitely recognize their odd positions as women chefs in a male-dominated profession. However, they also are quick to recognize the challenges they’ve faced in their careers aren’t unique to anyone else’s.
“There is so much scrutiny,” says Steuber-Kaczmarski when describing culinary school. “It’s very demanding. My class started with 40, and we ended with 11.”
John Park
Pastry Sous Chef Madi Steuber-Kaczmarski
And that’s just the beginning.
“Becoming a chef is a long, arduous climb. It requires experience, knowledge, skill, judgment, taste and dedication,” explains Chef James Zeisler, Program Director at Virginia Western’s Culinary Arts Program. “Getting a culinary degree is definitely a step in the right direction and more of a fast track. One can do an apprenticeship, or work their way up the ranks, but it takes longer.”
Culinary school provides students the equipping of skills, and the opportunity for building relationships outside the school’s four walls. Zeisler encourages his students to work part-time jobs while in school and volunteer for the many community catering events the school participates in, as a way to hone their skills and gain some level of experience before graduation. If they don’t, Zeisler tells his students they should be prepared to start as a dishwasher/prep cook, or maybe a line cook, and work their way “up the ladder.”
Steuber-Kaczmarski has notched over a dozen different kitchen experiences since graduating culinary school. She even spent time abroad working in international kitchens, where sometimes, the only common language between her and her fellow kitchen staff was that of food. Everywhere she goes, her goal is to be fully present in the kitchen and learn all she can from those around her.
“You can learn a lot about yourself and others in the kitchen,” says Steuber-Kaczmarski. “It’s a leap of faith every single time.”
And while she’s certainly met her fair share of challenging work environments, the good experiences have heavily outweighed the hard ones. In her current position as sous chef at Bloom Restaurant and Wine Bar, Steuber-Kaczmarski says she’s found everything she loves about working in restaurants.
She loves the open kitchen which creates a “trifecta” work space of the counter, service and food prep; she loves executive chef and owner Nathan Sloan’s commitment to changing the wasteful mentality of the restaurant culture; and she believes Bloom’s approach to food and dining is contributing a greater good to the community.
“I’ve always wanted to make sure what I’m doing is benefitting the community,” says Steuber-Kaczmarski. “I definitely recognize this with [Bloom].”
Mehrkens, too, has always approached her career with an eye for continual learning and doing meaningful work. Through one of her many school connections, Mehrkens was approached by the executive chef at Carilion, asking if she’d ever considered working in a hospital setting.
At first, Mehrkens was turned off by the idea, admitting she had preconceived notions about health care food. Still, she decided to try it, and discovered all her preconceived notions were wrong.
“My role as chef [in the hospital setting] operates on a whole different level,” says Mehrkens, who has since transitioned to the executive chef position at LewisGale Montgomery.
She explains there is special knowledge and creativity involved in menu planning to accommodate the multitude of special diets. Not only this, but her connection as a chef to her “customer”—the individual patient—is an entirely unique experience. Just like physicians, Mehrkens and her team do rounds, visiting rooms and talking to patients about their meals.
“It can be emotional,” says Mehrkens, describing the extreme situations she and her team have faced, from new mothers to those with weeks left to live. It sheds a new light on the role of the chef for preparing food that nourishes both body and soul.
While both chefs love their current roles in the kitchen, both have future aspirations. Steuber-Kaczmarski says she’d love to find an avenue for inspiring people—especially children—to become interested in learning to cook. Mehrkens is hoping to pursue her master’s degree through the Culinary Institute of America and eventually move into a directorship position. Both of them would love for more women to join their ranks.
“It’s always nice to have a couple of women in the kitchen,” says Steuber-Kaczmarski. “Because there are so many men, one or two women can make a huge difference. They bring a balance, and they bring it immediately … the kitchen should feel like a family; we should help one another out. Women bring that extra dimension and dynamic.”
“I tell women of any age, don’t be intimidated,” says Mehrkens. “Yes, it’s a male dominated profession, but I’ve always found great support here [in the Valley]. Also, there’s a whole world out there, not just restaurants. There are so many avenues that offer work-life balance and still let you be a chef and do something meaningful as a woman.”
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