WORLED ‘TWICE AS HARD’ TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AS FEMALE CHEF IN TOP RESTAURANT
Fang’s departure meant stepping away from a rare achievement: She was one of very few female sous chefs in a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Singapore. “It wasn’t easy getting there. I felt like I had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously,” she shared. “The pressure, expectations, and sometimes the culture in those environments can be intense.”
While it’s less common to see women in top jobs in Michelin-starred restaurants versus their male counterparts, Jin Fang acknowledged that Les Amis was an exception in many ways. “One of the things I truly appreciated was that promotions and opportunities there were based on merit, not gender,” she said.
Chia was also quick to add that she wasn’t denied a promotion at Les Amis, but was offered a salary raise in recognition of her work. “By then, I already knew I couldn’t commit to that [demanding] lifestyle anymore,” she added. “The hardest part was not having time for my loved ones.”
“My family was always there, but I wasn’t,” Chia said. “So they were supportive when I decided to leave my job at Les Amis.”
The shift from a steady salary to building a home-based biz has been a challenge, said Chia. “I’m not drawing a salary now,” she added. She spent about S$7,000 on her home cafe, which comprises a Bellezza Bellona coffee machine, a Fiorenzato coffee grinder, a chiller, and more. “I have set aside a safety net and I’m focusing on budgeting and reinvesting into the business.”
“I don’t think I have plans to go back to fine dining – I would like to open a cafe [in future] if there’s an opportunity to do so,” she shared.