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TGT Meets... Stephanie Sowden - IWD Special

TGT Meets... Stephanie Sowden - IWD Special

To celebrate International Women's Day, we spoke to Chef and founder of MIMOD's Kitchen Stephanie Sowden, about life as a woman in business and what she thinks of this day!

Name:

Stephanie Sowden

Location:

Manchester

Occupation:

Chef and Founder of MIMOD's Kitchen

Which woman would you compare yourself to?

Not that I could ever compare myself to her standard, but I would love to be able to achieve the same level of success as Sabrina Ghayour.  She started out hosting supper clubs, like me, and has now released two best-selling cookbooks and is the go-to person for Middle-Eastern cuisine.  I had the amazing experience of attending a class hosted by her a year ago and her creativity and passion really shone through.

What would you say is your most valuable skill and why?

I'd have to say feeding people!  Valuable financially, as it's how I make a living, but also personally as nothing brings people together more than a good feast.

Why do you think it's important to have an International Women's Day?

As an unabashed feminist I love the community that surrounds International Women's Day.  The biggest misconception about women, which really rankles me, is that we are catty and back-stabbing.  That is just not my experience and my biggest inspirations and my biggest supporters are my friends, sister and Mum who are all successful, strong women.

How do you maintain a work/life balance?

I'm very lucky to work partly for myself and to do a job I love, so my work and life are very intertwined in a positive way!  That being said I will always make time for travel and nights out with my friends, as well as yoga as many times a week as I can fit it in.

Have you ever had to give up or miss out on anything in order to pursue your career?

Yes, lots of Friday nights and weekends - which goes hand in hand with working in hospitality I suppose!

Based on your own experiences, what advice would you give to fellow females looking to get into your profession?

Don't be intimidated by the all-male environment of a lot of kitchens.  I've been very fortunate and had a lot of great female managers and worked in mixed kitchens, but I have also worked in places where I've had kitchen equipment literally taken out of my hands and physically moved to one side, as well as being greeted at one trial shift with the disappointed words 'Oh, I wasn't expecting a girl.'  In the words of Margaret Atwood - Don't let the b*stards grind you down!

If you could have dinner with 5 inspirational women dead or alive, who would they be?

  • JK Rowling, for obvious reasons!
  • Monica Galetti to mine her deep knowledge and experience.
  • Iliza Schlesinger, an American comedian who represents women my age in such a hilariously accurate way.
  • Kris Jenner, because a. I'm unashamed to admit I love the Kardashians and b. even if you hate them you can't deny she's a business genius.
  • Bethenny Frankel, another secret into my reality TV habits, but she's created an incredible food and drink business empire from nothing so I'd love to learn her secrets.

(If I'm allowed a bonus - my mum, who is unfailingly supportive as well as hilarious and ridiculous. Plus I reckon her and Kris could have a great time working through the wine list together.)

As a successful female, where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Blue sky thinking I have a successful deli/restaurant and a business manager allowing me to focus entirely on the food side of things.  But as long as I can pay my bills by doing something I love getting up for in the morning, I'll consider myself successful.

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