April Bloomfield Never Thinks, "Ooh, I’m A Girl!"
LatestApril Bloomfield is a chef who’s taken the New York restaurant scene by storm. But, she says, “I don’t think of being a woman in an industry of men.”
The New Yorker’s profiles of chefs are always fun, looks at personality and dynamics as much as cuisine — although the description of Bloomfield’s gastropub aesthetic as “anal rustic” is memorable. And Bloomfield — profiled by Lauren Collins — is an especially interesting subject, because as a successful woman chef, she’s still, sadly, a novelty.This is borne out by the discussion of her hiring, in which her future business partner declared, “Let’s get a girl, maybe, or, like, a British chef. I want something the press is going to get a hold of.” When you’re hired as a novelty, it’s hard to get away from that — even if it wasn’t your doing.