THE RESTAURATEURSCLARE SMYTH (on left), founder of Core
“When I became the first female in the UK to take over a three-Michelin-starred
restaurant, I didn’t like everyone pointing out that I was a woman. I never wanted
the ‘female chef’ tag. Then someone said, ‘Well, if you don’t like it, stand up and say
why it’s wrong.’ The most important thing for me now is to mentor the women in my
team – chefs and front of house. We took Millie right from hospitality college – she was
the top student in her year – and she’s been with us ever since. Female front-of-house
often get unwanted attention, I want to give them the confidence to deal with those
situations, and to not feel belittled or embarrassed.”MILLIE POVEY, head waiter at Core
“Being a chef is very glamorous and exciting, and people can look down on
you when you tell them you’re a waiter. But it’s absolutely a profession. In other
parts of the world, it’s taken a lot more seriously. Things are changing, though.
As a young woman – in any industry, really – to have a role model like Clare is so
important. Not only is she successful, hard-working and ambitious, but it’s so nice
to be able to work and learn from someone who you like and respect. Her confidence
is contagious, and her experience means anything is possible to deal with.”CLARE WEARS COAT, £2,480, MAX MARA ATELIER. SHIRT, £510, ERMANNO
SCERVINO. TROUSERS, £360, AMI PARIS. MILLIE WEARS DRESS, FROM £920, SACAI.
FOR STOCKISTS, ALL PAGES, SEE VOGUE INFORMATION. HAIR: MARI OHASHI.
MAKE-UP: SIDDHARTHA SIMONE. NAILS: LAUREN MICHELLE PIRES. SET DESIGN:
EMMA ROACH. DIGITAL ARTWORK: MATILDA PERSSON AT PARSLEY STUDIO30109-19-Well-Leaders.indd 301 09/07/2019 11:18