Fleet acquires top chef Sally Abé’s honest and revealing memoir
Fleet has acquired A WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN THE KITCHEN by award-winning chef Sally Abé, which follows the story of her rise to be an award-winning chef in the brutal world of restaurant kitchens. Senior Editor Amy Perkins bought UK and Commonwealth (ex Canada) rights from Liza DeBlock at Mushens Entertainment, in an exclusive submission.
Despite the misogynistic refrain that women ‘belong in the kitchen’, it is a fact that women make up only 17% of the workforce when it comes to professional chefs. Sally Abé is a woman who upends that norm, having worked everywhere from The Savoy to The Ledbury, and now runs destination restaurant, The Pem. In this fascinating book, she reveals the crazy world of kitchens as well as shaping a stirring feminist manifesto for change. It is also the story of how a woman from Mansfield who used to cook Smash to get by is now one of the most successful chefs working today. Abé is a regular on the shows Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen Live, where her innate kindness and sheer talent capture the hearts of everyone.
Sally Abé is a chef at the top of her profession. She has worked in some of the best establishments in the UK, and she retained a Michelin star at The Harwood Arms, London’s only Michelin-starred pub, where she also ensured the pub was named the UK's #1 gastropub for the very first time. She currently runs The Pem, named after the suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, which boasts a team of 80% women producing some of the finest dishes in London. She was awarded The Female Chef of the Year Award in the SquareMeal AYALA Female Chef Awards 2021, and was shortlisted for GQ's Chef of the Year in 2021. She is constantly working to get women into the hospitality industry and create fair, safe, and happy living standards within kitchens across the UK.
Abé said: I am so incredibly excited to be writing my first book and sharing my stories. It’s something I have always dreamed of doing, and am delighted to be doing so with the help and support of Amy and all the team of Fleet!
Perkins said: I’ve been a fan of Sally’s since the first time I saw her brilliant cooking on the Great British Menu. When Liza mentioned that Sally might be ready to talk about her extraordinary career, it was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass by. While suffused with feminism, this book is also a cry for better working conditions for everyone in the sector, and Sally’s is the perfect voice to bring this powerful message to a wide audience.
DeBlock said: Sally is not only an incredible chef, she’s an incredible woman, and it is time that a voice like hers represents kitchens across the country. Amy is the best editor to bring this book to life and I cannot imagine a more perfect pairing.
A WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN THE KITCHEN will be published in June 2024 in print, ebook and audio.