Women at the Stove: International Culinary Stars Gather in the Arlberg

An unusual gathering of leading women chefs is coming to Austria’s Vorarlberg region. The Shef’s Edition will run from Sept. 4 to 7 at the Rote Wand in Zug near Lech am Arlberg, bringing together chefs from Europe, Mexico and the United States.

The event overlaps with the CHEF:IN Awards, which will be presented in Hamburg on Sept. 14 and place women in gastronomy in the spotlight. Vienna chef Stefanie Herkner is among the nominees for International Chef of the Year, alongside Ana Roš, Elif Oskan and Zineb Hattab.

Several of the Arlberg participants also appear on that nominations list. Rosina Ostler, head chef at the two-Michelin-starred Alois at Dallmayr in Munich, will travel from Germany. From Zurich come Zineb Hattab, who cooks vegan food at Michelin-level standards at KLE, and Elif Oskan, whose neo-Turkish restaurant Gül has gained attention through her television appearances.

Mexico is represented by Karime Lopez, formerly of Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Gucci in Florence and now head chef at Restaurante XAAK, and Daniela Soto-Innes, named Best Female Chef on the World’s 50 Best list in 2019. Lopez became the first Mexican woman chef to receive a Michelin star. Victoria Blamey, based in New York, and Sarah Cicolini of Rome are also taking part.

Together with other international chefs, they will present the range of women’s culinary styles in the Vorarlberg mountains. The event is framed as a rare concentration of female talent in gastronomy.