CLEVELAND — A Cleveland restaurant is turning the tables and letting women shine for a special event.

What You Need To Know

  • Creme de la Femme celebrates women in the Cleveland restaurant industry with a collaborative tasting menu

  • The event is May 11 at The Last Page and is sold out

  • Females make up the majority of the food service workforce, but only one-in-five chefs are women, according to the National Restaurant Association

Women make up the majority of the food service work force, but when it comes to the kitchen, they only account for one-in-five chefs, according to the latest data from the National Restaurant Association.

Christa Barnoski had the idea to celebrate the women who’ve climbed their way to the top of the industry.

“Proving that we can do exactly what the guys can do, but we can do it wearing high heels,” said Barnoski, a sous chef at The Last Page.

The kitchen is Barnoski’s happy place. She’s worked in food service since age 14.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” she said. “I think the only time I said I wanted to do something else, I was 5, and I said I wanted to be a nurse.”

Cooking is a job that keeps her on her feet.

“Especially during services on Fridays and Saturdays,” she said. “I should probably be in marathons.”

Instead, she keeps things running in the kitchen using unique ingredients like sunflower chutes to create something special.

‘I feel like everyone loves a good salad,” she said. “It’s a good springy, summer, refreshing bite, a good palate cleanser.”

A version of this plate of greens topped with flower petals will be on the tasting menu Thursday night for Creme de la Femme.

“Thursday is just a little piece of the pie that I can put together and give to all the women in the industry, not only who’s coming but in general,” Barnoski said. “Not only just in Cleveland, but like all over.”

The inaugural event is a celebration of female chefs and women-owned businesses, all collaborating to share a taste of their talents. It sold out in three weeks.

“So, clearly there’s a need and there’s a want and there’s a market for it,” she said.

At The Last Page, Barnowski is known for creative cuisine.

“A lot of my dishes just slap you in the face with presentation,” she said.

But at the house, it’s a different story.

“Kraft mac and cheese is my favorite thing in the world, I love it,” she said, laughing. “Definitely not cooking when I go home.”

It’s a tough industry that takes long hours and hard work to climb the ladder.

“Once you finally get to that point of having that ‘chef’ title, there’s nothing else you can ask for,” she said. “Like, you’ve hit it.”

Helping shine a spotlight on women who’ve hit the top in a male-dominated field.

“They all deserve a big round of applause,” she said.