We try to avoid qualifiers.
A great chef is a great chef, regardless of race, religion, gender or sexuality. A talented brewer, baker, mixologist, restaurateur is simply that talented.
And yet, the road to success is not as easily traveled by some.
According to a 2017 study by the National Restaurant Association (the most recent data available), 12% of the country s restaurant employees are Black, but only 9.5% of chefs (a more prestigious position) are Black. Black Americans make up 13.4% of the population according to 2019 census estimates.
The nonprofit Restaurant Opportunities Centers United released a report in 2015 covering the California dining scene. ROC United found that 28% of restaurant workers that had been denied a promotion named race as the main reason.