SHE’S IN CHARGE: Women restaurateurs in Hermosa Beach are owning the game
Women restaurateurs of Hermosa Beach are on the march. From back to front, Lisa Cassity, Lauren Copeland, Lisa Hemmat, Bre Keller, Katy Metoyer, and Chef Melba Rodriguez. Photo Many of us grew up watching our mothers or grandmothers ruling over the kitchen. Soiled aprons and the backs of their heads looming over steaming pots and pans as the rest of the family awaits the call, “Dinner is ready!” — it’s a tradition embedded across generations and cultures. Yet this stereotype does not necessarily translate into the professional realm. The restaurant industry is dominated by male owners, buyers and chefs, while 72 percent of wait staff positions are held by women, according to statistics from the National Restaurant Association. The number of female-owned restaurants is on the rise nationwide, but a sizable gender gap in the higher ranks of the hospitality industry remains. Against this backdrop, Hermosa Beach is rising up as a trailblazer. Over the last few years, the city has seen a growing prevalence of female restaurateurs, chefs and entrepreneurs, who are determinedly overthrowing the status quo. The reason is unclear — some credit the community’s relaxed and homey ethos while…
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