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  1. Lifestyle
  2. Restaurants

None of New York’s New Michelin Stars Went to Female Chefs

By: Kristen Bahler
Kristen Bahler
Managing Editor | Joined July 2016
Kristen Bahler is a writer and editor who shapes conversation-driving stories about lifestyle, money and consumer spending. She helped develop and oversee “Best Places to Travel,” Money’s signature franchise about budget-friendly trips across the globe.
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Published: Nov 16, 2016 3 min read
Michael Ellis from Michelin poses with the Michelin guide book at a restaurant in Washington, DC on October 12, 2016.
Michael Ellis from Michelin poses with the Michelin guide book at a restaurant in Washington, DC on October 12, 2016.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds—AFP/Getty Images

Michelin just added 13 newcomers to its guide of the best restaurants in New York City -- none of which have female chefs at the helm.

In fact, of the 77 restaurants in the five boroughs that now have at least one Michelin star, only 6 have women running the kitchen: Take Root (Elise Kornack), The Breslin (April Bloomfield), La Vara (Alexandra Raij), Delaware & Hudson (Patti Jackson), Aquavit (Emma Bengtsson), and Uncle Boons (Ann Redding). That’s less than 8%.

That’s not to say that women don’t have a hand in running the other 60+ restaurants in the guide. Peter Lugar, an iconic Brooklyn steak house that’s held on to its one star rating since Michelin first came to the states in 2005, is best known for the cuts of meat selected by the granddaughter and daughter of the restaurant’s late owner. And Café China, a one star restaurant in Midtown, Manhattan, got its famed 1930s Shangai design from co-owner Yiming Wang.

Still, as in many industries, it's harder for women to ascend to the highest paid positions than it is for men -- and those restaurateurs that do make it big often don’t get the recognition they deserve. This isn't isolated to New York kitchens: across the country, men hold five times as many chef positions as women do, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Female chefs are also grossly underpaid compared to their male counterparts. Women in top kitchen positions earn about 28% less than men -- which is second only to computer programmers as the highest pay gap in the country, Glassdoor found earlier this year.

Here’s the full list of starred restaurants in Michelin's 2017 guide, which goes on sale this week, as per Eater:

Three Star Restaurants:

Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare

Eleven Madison Park

Jean-Georges

Per Se

Masa

Le Bernardin

Two Star Restaurants:

Aquavit

Aska (new)

atera

Blanca

Daniel

Jungsik

Ko

Marea

The Modern

Soto

One Star:

Agern (new)

Ai Fiori

Aldea

Andanada

Aureole

Babbo

Batard

Betony

Blue Hill

The Breslin

Cafe Boulud

Cafe China

Cagen

Carbone

Casa Enrique

Casa Mono

Caviar Russe

Contra (new)

Delaware & Hudson

Del Posto

Dovetail

Faro (new)

The Finch

Gabriel Kreuther

Gotham Bar & Grill

Gramercy Tavern

Gunter Seeger (new)

Hirohisa

Jewel Bako

Junoon

Kajitsu

Kanoyama (new)

Kyo Ya

L’Appart (new)

La Sirena (new)

La Vara

Luksus at Torst

Meadowsweet

Minetta Tavern

The Musket Room

Nix (new)

The NoMad

Peter Luger

Piora

Public

Rebelle

The River Cafe

Semilla

Sushi Ginza Onodera (new)

Sushi Inoue (new)

Sushi of Gari

Sushi Yasuda

Sushi Zo (new)

Take Root

Tempura Matsui

Tori Shin

Tulsi

Uncle Boons

Ushiwakamaru (new)

Wallse

ZZ’s Clam Bar