Women leading change in hospitality
More than a decade ago, when Caitlin Baker entered the hospitality scene in Canberra, only one woman held a restaurant manager role — Dash Rumble, who now co-owns the award-winning restaurant Such and Such.
“How could women have thought it was possible to pursue a career [in hospitality], when there was literally only one woman in that role?” Baker told Good Food. “Hospitality was gate kept by men. It has always been such a male dominated industry, and for a really long time, it felt like there wasn’t much room for [us].”
Today, Baker is part of a growing movement reshaping the industry. Alongside trailblazers like Rumble and Bridget Raffal — the president of Women and Revolution (WAR) and owner of Where’s Nick — she’s helping pave the way for the next generation.
WAR recently earned the inaugural Good Food Guide Cultural Change Champion award for its work dismantling gender barriers. Baker, now director of the women-led beverage group Venus Vinifera, is continuing that mission.
On Sunday, July 27, Venus Vinifera will hold its Subject Matters symposium in Canberra — a full day of panel talks and workshops for hospitality workers and newcomers. “There have been groups of young women attending who are really hungry and they want to know more... Part of [our goal] is helping to build confidence and giving people the tools for success,” Baker said.
But industry reform goes beyond career visibility — it’s about safety. After sexual harassment allegations surfaced at high-profile Sydney venues, groups like WAR, Venus Vinifera and Women in Hospitality ramped up their advocacy.
“When we did a survey last year... what people needed was support and better education about how to deal with those types of issues,” Baker says.
In partnership with the Australian Human Rights Commission, WAR hosted a national series of “Speaking from Experience” events, which informed a new report with 11 policy recommendations.
“I think it’s been a norm within [the hospitality] industry that workplace sexual harassment is expected and accepted,” says sex discrimination commissioner Anna Cody. “...the law is very clear that it’s not acceptable.”
This month, WAR is rolling out its Outspoken program — two days of workshops to help women and gender-diverse participants strengthen workplace communication and advocacy. “Our focus is on communication as a form of self-protection and leadership,” says Raffal.
“Hospitality has a long history of protecting reputations over people,” she told Good Food. “We’re done buying into the ‘silence as professionalism’ scam.”
Jonathan Jackson, 17th July 2025
