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How restaurateur Rohini Dey is empowering women in foodservice

Her grassroots program has now expanded to 13 cities, boosting revenue, visibility and opportunity for women in the industry.

Patricia Cobe, Senior Editor

February 3, 2022

Rohini Dey broke the Indian cuisine mold when she opened Vermilion restaurant in Chicago. The Indian-Latin independent is still going strong 18 years later, and Dey is now on a mission to break through the gastro ceiling, collaborating with other women chefs and restaurateurs to boost their businesses and impact in the industry.

Last year, she launched “Let’s Talk Womxn,” banding operators together to meet the challenges of the pandemic. The initiative evolved into “Let’s Talk and Dine Together,” a series of tasting dinners, live panels and other events that brought in revenue, grew visibility and increased opportunities for women. The program has now expanded to 13 cities and on March 8—International Women’s Day—women restaurateurs around the country will host a mega-culinary event.

rohini dey
Rohini Dey

Listen as Dey shares her passion and plans for this and other programs coming up in the near future and how “Let’s Talk Womxn” is revolutionizing change in the industry.

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About the Author

Patricia Cobe

Senior Editor

Pat plans and executes the menu sections of Restaurant Business and FoodService Director, covering food and beverage trends, Menu R&D, profiles of chefs and restaurateurs and Technomic research. She also contributes to the digital content of both RB and FSD and is editor of two weekly e-newsletters, Recipe Report and On the Menu. Pat’s weekly podcast, MenuFeed, covers a wide range of menu topics through interviews with chefs and operators.

Pat came to Winsight from Hearst, where she was an executive editor. She is the co-author of the Mompreneurs series of books as well as two cookbooks. She graduated from Cornell University and earned a Masters in Journalism from Boston University. She is active in several professional organizations, including Les Dames d’Escoffier and the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC), and serves as a judge for the James Beard Media Awards.

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