Creating a Safe Space for LGBTQIA+ Chefs Within the Industry
Chef Rachel Rumbol, founder of Queers In Food and Beverage, has teamed up this Pride Month with Deliveroo to launch The Open Kitchen – a safe space for LGBTQIA+ chefs.
Working in a kitchen is tough for anyone, but for those who don’t feel safe to be themselves it’s tougher still. Chef Rachel Rumbol founded Queers In Food and Beverage – also known as QFAB – with the aim to create a support network and resource group for LGBTQIA+ people in the food and beverage industry, and this Pride Month they have joined forces with Deliveroo to launch The Open Kitchen – a new initiative that welcomes up-and-coming culinary talent from the LGBTQIA+ community and teaches them the skills and techniques needed to succeed as professional cooks.
Rumbol’s QFAB is a community whose mission it is to help to “exude a positive representation of LGBTQI+ people” while promoting safe and welcoming work environments. The organisation helps to create spaces where members can learn about, connect with, and support each other — all while picking up some pretty tasty recipes in the process.
Partnering with Deliveroo, Rachel and QFAB are helping to launch The Open Kitchen, an initiative that will support underrepresented LGBTQIA+ food industry workers. In fact, it was a started as a response to research that has shown the underrepresentation of the LGBTQIA+ community is one of the industry’s biggest issues in the UK: according to the campaign, two-thirds (64%) of LGBTQIA+ hospitality workers surveyed believe it’s not talked about enough within the business.
The Open Kitchen also marks the start of Deliveroo’s Open Kitchen Fund, an ongoing initiative that will foster aspiring talent through sponsorships and culinary training. Deliveroo’s Kelvin Chen, global co-lead of the brand’s LGBTQIA+ employee resource group, spoke on the importance of representation and on “amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices”, explaining that the brand hopes the project “inspires even more people from the community to kick start their career in the culinary space.” During the fund’s first year, all sales from The Open Kitchen will go towards the Open Kitchen Fund, and Deliveroo has also promised to match the total derived from sales as an additional donation on top.
Head over to our Instagram now to read more from an interview with Rachel on her organisation, QFAB, and the collaboration with Deliveroo.
