FnBs chefs dish about the kitchen!

FnB, one of the hottest new spots in Scottsdale, boasts two (count 'em) top women chefs: here, Charleen Badman, chef and co-owner, and Sascha Levine, sous chef, talk about how they got started in the culinary industry. They're both participating in C-CAP's next big event, Getting Our Just Desserts, Nov. 20, at the Art Institute of Phoenix.

Charleen Badman, co-owner and chef, FnB

Charleen Badman began her career with a program called FEAST (Food

Education and Service Training) in her Tucson high school. While still in high school, she interned with chef Donna Nordin at the acclaimed Café Terra Cotta. She also worked with Chrysa Robertson at Rancho Pinot in Scottsdale, and Anne Rosenzweig at Lobster Club in Manhattan, where she moved from line cook to chef de cuisine. Charleen’s worked at Del Pescatore in Italy and Chez Panisse in Berkely (Calif.), and ran her own restaurant, Inside, in Manhattan, before returning to Phoenix to open FnB with Pavle Milic.

How she got her start: “I really wanted to see how I could make dinner better. We weren’t always able to spend a lot of money, and I just thought there had to be a way to make food be better (tasting).”

What she loves about it: “Cooking good food in season. It makes me feel like I’m nurturing people. And when you’re in a busy kitchen, and things feel pushed, there’s a thrill there.”

How the industry’s changed: “This industry hasn’t changed as much as it should have. Every five years, it seems, there’s a big discussion among women chefs – it could be better.”

What the future holds for women chefs: “The opportunity to evolve is there, I believe. I hope the future is much brighter, and there will be more women counted among the top 10 chefs in the country.”

Sascha Levine, sous chef, FnB

A C-CAP scholarship sent Sascha to the Arizona Culinary Institute. While still completing studies, she went to work at Atlas Bistro, moving up to run the kitchen even before she

graduated. She’s also worked at Sol y Sombra, Over Easy, The Lodge, and Autostrada, and completed a six-month stint at Prado at the Intercontinental Montelucia Resort prior to working with FnB.

How she got her start: “I got into culinary studies in high school partly thinking that cooking could be a way out of Bullhead City. But I also come from a very food-oriented family. We always had dinner all together at 5:30, and both of my grandmothers are very good cooks.”

What she loves about it: “Food is a celebration of being with people. I feel very fortunate that I love what I do.”

How the industry’s changed: “It was hard to get the first job. I believe a huge revolution still needs to take place for women in the kitchen; there are times women can still be ostracized in the kitchen. It’s still (mostly) a male-driven machine.”

What the future holds for women chefs: “Just as with women’s role in society as a whole, women still aren’t receiving the same pay as men do in most kitchens. That’s just one reason it’s important to have events like this to spotlight women. Because there’s no lack of women in the industry.”

See more about the chefs participating in Getting Our Just Desserts in the November edition of Restaurateur of Arizona www.restaurateurofarizona.com/