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Dallas College and award-winning Restaurant Beatrice have partnered to launch the Women in Restaurants Leadership Program (WRLP). The eight-week, tuition-free program, open to anyone wishing to advance in the restaurant industry and supportive of the WRLP mission, will provide seminars, training and stagiaire opportunities to participants.
According to a 2022 study by the National Restaurant Association, women enter the restaurant workforce at a higher rate than men. While 63% of entry-level posts and 69% of mid-level roles are held by women, only 34% of industry executives are women. Women’s labor dominates the industry, yet their influence, voice and perspectives are absent from the highest levels of the culinary and hospitality industries.
Conceived by Restaurant Beatrice owner and chef Michelle Carpenter with assistance from co-executive chef Terance Jenkins, the goal of WRLP is to help retain and advance more women in the industry and to create a more positive restaurant culture. They believe that equality in the industry can only be achieved when everyone takes part in dismantling exclusionary beliefs and normalizing full participation in the workplace.
“Not only is this program impactful for students trying to improve their lives but it can also advance the industry in Dallas by producing better qualified professionals,“ said Carpenter. “Connecting these students with good mentors and role models will support them as they build their careers. I didn’t have anyone to guide me; no one looked like me. As big as the industry is, I had to navigate my career alone. This program is designed to help students overcome workplace roadblocks and make better decisions.”
“If employers want to make a better industry, this kind of work is necessary,” said Jenkins.
Dallas College Culinary, Pastry and Hospitality Center will host the classes on alternate Mondays, from 5 to 8 p.m. During these classroom sessions, industry leaders will help students master leadership skills and strategies to grow their careers as well as learn basics like résumé writing and financial literacy. On non-classroom weeks, students will attend stages at Restaurant Beatrice and other critically-acclaimed restaurant partners—Duro Hospitality Group, Rye, Zen Sushi, James Beard Foundation finalists Lucia and Roots Southern Table and others—for shadowing experiences in different areas of restaurant management.
Interested students and community members should attend one of the two free orientation and information sessions to meet the instructors, gain additional details about the program and learn how to apply for the tuition waiver.
- Monday, Oct. 30, 2-3 p.m. at Dallas College Culinary, Pastry and Hospitality Center
- Monday, Nov. 13, 3-4 p.m. at Restaurant Beatrice
Steve DeShazo, senior director in the Office of Workforce Initiatives at Dallas College, said that the college has a role in improving the local restaurant industry by convening programs like WRLP. “The Beatrice team knows firsthand that the independent fine dining restaurant space is probably one of the most challenging segments of the industry,” he said. “This program, developed by the industry, for the industry, helps students make those connections with some of the finest restaurant groups in town, leaving them feeling supported, empowered and confident.”
The eight-week course begins during the Spring 2024 term. Students and community members with questions about the Women in Restaurants Leadership Program should contact DeShazo directly by email: sdeshazo@dallascollege.edu.
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