Can female talent be boosted through olive oil, a work uniform, or specialty coffee? These are not, a priori, the most obvious leadership tools. However, everyday products can also become a window into female talent, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Because behind each of these products there is a story that goes beyond what reaches the table: that of the women who make them, design them, or make them possible, and whose names and careers do not always receive the attention they deserve.
Putting a face to these stories is the purpose of Juno Kitchen, the new gastronomic space of Juno House, located at its headquarters in La Farinera de Aribau (between Diagonal and Aribau streets). A restaurant that aims to go beyond the culinary experience to give prominence to the professionals behind each dish and each product.
The initiative is not limited to incorporating products made by women into its executive menu —available for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks from Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.—, but seeks to publicize the stories behind each of them. Thus, those who sit at the table will be able to discover who produces them, what business projects make them possible, and what trajectory is behind each proposal. The objective is for the gastronomic experience to go beyond the dish and contribute to recognizing professionals who, despite their contribution to the sector, do not always occupy the place they deserve.
This desire to give visibility to female talent stems from a clear conviction: “Talent has no gender. Opportunities shouldn't either,” as Beatriz Vicente, CEO of Juno House, pointed out during the presentation of this new initiative. However, there are sectors in which opportunities for professional development and access to leadership positions still seem to be marked by gender inequalities.
Gastronomy is one of them: despite the historical role of women in the kitchen, their presence remains minority in the most recognized positions in the sector. “It is a fact that is repeated in many sectors: women are present, but they still have less representation in leadership positions and in spaces where visibility and recognition are concentrated,” added Vicente.
According to the latest data from Worldchefs, only 19% of professional chefs are women. An inequality that is even more accentuated when looking at haute cuisine: barely 11% of Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain are led by women, according to Chef's Pencil. A gap that is not limited to the kitchen, but extends to the entire production chain: in the countryside, although women represent 49% of the rural population, they only manage 24% of agricultural holdings.
Given this reality, Juno Kitchen vindicates gastronomy as a way to recognize and give visibility to the work of women in their different facets, from culinary creation to food production and processing. The initiative is structured around three lines: a daily executive menu of traditional cuisine to share, the organization of professional events with tailor-made catering services, and a calendar of gastronomic activities to introduce the professionals behind each product.
Beyond the gastronomic offer, Juno Kitchen conceives the table as a meeting space capable of generating conversations, connections, and new professional opportunities. To do this, it opts for a long table where experiences, dishes, and conversations can be shared, turning gastronomy into a starting point for establishing bonds.
From coffee to uniform: the female talent behind each product
Each season, Juno Kitchen will renew its menu to accommodate projects led by women and bring their work closer to the public. The first selection, from October to December, will coincide with the Christmas campaign and will bring together initiatives from diverse fields, from agriculture and specialty beverages to crafts and pastry. Different proposals, united by the care of the craft and the story that each one carries with it.
Stories like that of Peix.cat, the family business of Lluïsa Ripoll, fifth generation of fishmongers and vice-president of the Mercat de la Boqueria. The company combines sales in the market with online commerce and supply to restaurants, but Ripoll defends that new forms of consumption should not make us lose the direct link with those who know the product. Faced with the acceleration of daily life, she advocates returning to the market, asking questions, letting oneself be advised, and knowing the origin of what we eat. “Now everything seems to have to go fast. We want omega-3 and we supplement, we take a pill. It is better to eat a sardine, which is much healthier,” she points out, claiming the value of food and the knowledge transmitted in the market.
The importance of recovering the link with those who produce them is also the focus of Anècdota Rural, the project of Carla Gili and her father, Jordi, dedicated to producing estate and plot oils in Montgai, in La Noguera. Their commitment consists of maintaining the traceability of each harvest without mixing oils from different origins, a decision that implies working with very limited productions. For her, moreover, quality requires time to be explained and understood.
The selection also invites to discover less common beverages, linked to other territories and traditions. This is the case of Café Li Su, the project of Cristina Hu, who imports green coffee from Yunnan, in southwest China, and also markets her own roasted coffee. “When we talk about specialty coffee, we usually think of countries like Brazil, Colombia or Ethiopia. That's why it's important to make less known origins, like Yunnan, known,” explains Hu. From West Africa comes NIA, the brand of Fatoumata Sawaneh, which reinterprets bissap, a traditional hibiscus drink. Her goal is to offer an alternative for those who want to share a special drink without resorting to alcohol or usual soft drinks.
From another perspective, Bastida for Work, the professional uniform brand promoted by Marta Soldevilla and Nagore Vitallé, vindicates the importance of hospitality trades through functional, durable, and locally produced garments. Coming from the fashion world, both found in uniforms a way to connect two of their passions, fashion and gastronomy, in addition to escaping increasingly ephemeral trends. “In hospitality, the experience is increasingly cared for: the furniture, the sound, the kitchen… Because everything communicates and, furthermore, the team also has to be comfortable,” says Vitallé. The brand has also just launched a collection of garments designed specifically for women, to respond to an offer that, according to Soldevilla, is still scarce and often adapts masculine patterns instead of thinking about their needs.
This idea that every detail contributes to building the experience is expressed not only in the uniforms but also in all elements: with a table designed by Sobremesas, a company by Julia París, or plates from De Frutos Cerámica, the project by Núria De Frutos Dachs, who vindicates the value of artisanal pieces against industrial production and the speed of consumption. “Just by touch, when you pick up a piece, it already transmits something to you: the energy and intention that the artist has put into it," explains the ceramist.
The selection is completed with names like Patri Gómez, sommelier at Bar del Pla, who defends natural and organic wines “with history,” from small wineries and producing families. Also Valentina e Pasqualina, Valentina Pizzuti's business born from her grandmother's tiramisu recipe, and Pastisseria Sàbat, a pastry shop in Sant Cugat del Vallès with its own workshop and several generations of history. Carme Sàbat has recovered the family business, which had closed a few months earlier, and also vindicates the role of her grandmother Joana, whose contribution had been relegated to the background, eclipsed by her grandfather, in the history of the pastry shop.