Thriving in a man's world

Many people think mom made the best food they've ever had, yet most of the best chefs are men.

"I think it is probably because of the hard work," says Laia Pons Gonzalez, the new executive chef at Raffles Beijing Hotel's Jaan French Restaurant. "When I was at culinary school, only two girls studied cooking - the others studied to become waitresses."

But the 29-year-old from Barcelona was not deterred. After graduating from culinary school in 1996, she went back and forth from Barcelona to Paris, working in many fine restaurants, including ABAC, a two-star Michelin French restaurant, and Caelis Restaurant at Hotel Ritz, a one-star Michelin diner, both in Barcelona. "I enjoy cooking," she says. "If you like to cook, it makes no difference if you are a man or woman."