What turns a cook into a renowned Chef?

This question is the foundation of this case, which aims to narrow a gender gap in gastronomy: Women run 96% of household kitchens, yet they account for only 7% of Michelin-starred restaurants.

Chefs are recognized by their critically acclaimed signature dishes. So if there's a lack of space for them to showcase their dishes, Stella Artois will create these spaces. And if there's a lack of recognition from critics, these spaces will be nothing less than Michelin-starred restaurants, precisely in the year when the Michelin Guide returns to Brazil.

This case illustrates how a brand can leverage diverse tools (influence, PR, and B2B negotiation) to drive social change. As the Michelin Guide returns to Brazil after a pandemic-induced hiatus, an opportunity arises to redefine gastronomy in favor of women.

StartHer's challenges gender norms, inspires change by leading female chefs into Michelin-starred kitchens.

The Michelin Guide is a respected source of recognition for chefs and restaurants worldwide, especially for fine dining. In Brazil, the guide has created two categories of restaurants: those that are worth visiting and those that are not. A restaurant that receives a Michelin star can expect increased visibility in specialized media and social networks, better contracts, and a steady stream of customers.

Unfortunately, women have very limited representation in Brazil's gastronomy industry. Only one woman is currently a chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Helena Rizzo, a chef and a symbol of the challenges women face in this industry, is often the only female chef in the spotlight. Neither Helena nor Stella Artois are happy with this situation, and they are keen to help other female chefs gain recognition from the Michelin Guide.

Giving more women the opportunity to be recognized by the Michelin Guide is crucial to increasing diversity and supporting the development of the category. But for this to happen, the method and ways of evaluating restaurants and chefs need to be transformed. After 4 years of a pandemic hiatus, the Michelin guide jury went to Brazil to review the restaurants once again. That's when Stella stepped in and made the change happen.

Stella Artois is a brand that has been imbued with female DNA since its creation over 600 years ago by Isabella Artois. The gender representation values have remained consistent over the centuries. In recent years, Stella Artois has focused on promoting gender equality in gastronomy through several equity initiatives, particularly those targeted towards women.

Two years ago, the brand launched "Uncomfortable Food," a project that raised awareness about gender inequality in the culinary industry and invested in providing credit, visibility, and education to female chefs.

Last year, the brand launched the “Vamos Marcar” project, which encouraged people to visit female-led restaurants by splitting the bill with them.

As the competitive landscape of the industry changes, with more and more beers and spirits vying for space in restaurants, Stella Artois believes it's essential to help the category and those involved thrive in order to remain relevant.

When a household task gains prestige and status, it ceases to belong to women and becomes the domain of men, and there's data to prove this.

96% of household kitchens are led by women, yet this happens in only 7% of Michelin-starred restaurants. Women also work in professional kitchens, but not as chefs, but rather as cooks, with men usually taking the spotlight.

The culinary world, in general, exists within a bubble. Once inside the ranking, everything becomes easier – publicity, attractiveness, better contracts, and client flow.

However, if the names on the ranking end up being the same, success is concentrated in the hands of a few individuals, often men, compromising the development of the category and the careers of those involved.

To make it clear: Remember what we said about 7% of starred restaurants being led by women? This 7% refers to only one woman: Helena Rizzo.

Brazil needs more Helenas.

StartHer promotes the start of new female chefs on the starter menus of Michelin-starred restaurants, highlighting and advocating for women's presence in haute cuisine.

We used the brand's track record of building relationships with top restaurants and its negotiation power to promote the inclusion of more women in the most renowned kitchens.

And we made our move at the exact moment the Michelin inspectors were in the country to evaluate the restaurants.

By featuring these entries on the prestigious menus of Michelin-starred restaurants, StartHer marks the beginning of a significant change in the culinary industry, expanding opportunities for female chefs across the sector.

StartHer's scale project is already ongoing: along with Gastromotiva, we created the first program that teaches cooks strategic tools on how to become chefs.

Stella Artois needed to prove its relevance and influence in the field.

Having its feminine historical background, Stella advocates for women in the industry. In our research we’ve discovered a huge gap in the world of kitchens: when it comes to Michelin-starred restaurants in Brazil, men receive more notoriety despite women leading kitchens.

This gap doesn’t mean a lack of competence but a lack of evidence. While the restaurant bubble used to put men into the spotlight, women aren’t rewarded for their efforts.

This crucial insight defined that our focus would be to highlight new female chefs. As recognition was at the core of the problem, it was essential to engage critics, chefs, and opinion leaders.

When Michelin-Guide returned to the country, we decided to showcase the new chefs while inspectors visited the restaurants and encouraged the public to support them, expanding the audience of these venues through the project.

Making StartHer happen was a team effort that required effective communication. We collaborated with Helena Rizzo, a renowned female chef, from the beginning of the project to curate cooks from all over the country and find the perfect restaurants for their starters. We invited the cooks to Le Cordon Bleu in São Paulo, where they finished their dishes with the guidance of award-winning chefs.

Simultaneously, we negotiated with top restaurants to include the dishes on their menus. We used various media channels, influencers, and PR to spread the word, increase visibility for the chefs, and invite people to appreciate their work.

Furthermore, we expanded StartHer into a larger initiative by partnering with Gastromotiva to create a program that teaches strategic tools to aspiring chefs.

Our first class in 2024 will graduate 3,000 chefs.

StartHer invested more than $1.5 million to guarantee a deserving start for 3,000 female chefs across the nation. Stella Artois shared posts about this initiative, which generated 571 million impressions and received 12 million views in just a few days. The number of restaurants purchasing Stella Artois Pure Gold, the focus product for the project, has grown 153%.

And last but not least, StartHer demonstrated Stella's commitment to gender equity and potential to impact culture by creating a 569% increase in conversations about women in gastronomy compared to the average of the last 3 months.

StartHer is currently working on a large-scale project in partnership with Gastromotiva. We have created a program that teaches cooks strategic tools on how to become chefs. This program has already commenced and we plan to graduate 3000 chefs by 2024. From these graduates, we will select chefs to participate in StartHer 2.0. This second edition will take place in late 2024 and feature Michelin-starred restaurants from all over the country that have already expressed interest in joining the initiative. Our main aim is to change the data that inspired the creation of the brand's gender equity platform since its inception. The data states that, in Brazil, women lead 96% of household kitchens, but only 7% of starred restaurants. We aspire to increase this 7% and create more opportunities for female chefs.