'I Hired A Nanny, But Was Paying Her More Than What I Was Making As A Chef'

Chef Candida Batista stresses the urgent need for a cultural shift in the culinary industry to ensure the well-being of working mothers.

Cândida Batista is a Brazilian chef, Playboy model, wife and mother. She has worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Prague and Vienna alongside renowned chefs like Gordon Ramsay. After becoming a mother, Batista found it challenging to meet the demands of a Michelin restaurant while taking care of a young baby. In this Voices in Food story, Batista stresses the urgent need for a cultural shift in the culinary industry to ensure the well-being of working mothers, so they don’t have to choose between promising careers and personal life. After working as a chef in three countries, she realizes that this issue is global, not geography-specific.

What I love about cooking is that I get to share my history and culture, take ingredients and turn them into a unique dish for others to enjoy. The kitchen is an international environment because you can cook no matter what degree or country you come from. It’s interesting to meet people from different backgrounds and listen to their stories, learn about how they work with food. (I went to Universidade Estácio de Sá in Rio De Janeiro and did an internship at a hotel in Copacabana. I also worked alongside a famous French chef and learned about the many different areas of kitchens.) But when I decided to go into culinary arts, I did not know that my career would involve working 100 hours a week.

In Prague, I got the opportunity to work at celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey’s new restaurant that earned a Michelin star. My typical day lasted 16-18 hours — it was madness! I did it because I was young and needed that experience. But once I decided to start a family, working in a Michelin kitchen was no longer an option. After I gave birth, I found it hard to go back to the same lifestyle. So I went to cook at the Brazilian Ambassador’s residence, where we got weekends and holidays off. It paid the bills, but wasn’t necessarily good for my long-term career as a chef. I wanted to cook at globally recognizable restaurants.

When my daughter was in kindergarten, I hired a nanny but I was paying her more per hour than what I was making [as a chef]. At work, I was competing with younger, single guys who were willing to work more for less. But as a mom I wanted fewer hours, more money and a work-life balance, which seemed impossible. And not being able to find that balance caused depression. I felt I was not living my full potential professionally or as a mother. It was impossible to have it all.

If you tell your boss that you can only work 8-10 hours a day, they send you home for good. No one should work like that. I understood from some of the Michelin kitchens I worked at that executive chefs were chasing the stars, so they were there day and night themselves. But the cost was high for everyone involved. Even today, when I dine at such places, I enjoy the beautiful food, but feel sad for those who work there. They work long hours, sacrifice personal lives, and their month’s salary is less than the cost of dinner for four!