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Kitchens across St. Louis are hosting a quiet revolution led by women whose artistry, ambition and resilience are testimony to what it means to lead in the culinary world. These culinary queens are setting new standards of excellence, blending innovation with tradition and transforming the city’s culinary landscape in the process. From reinterpreting heritage flavors to pioneering the future of fine dining, their work extends beyond the plate. Through mentorship, community engagement and an unrelenting devotion to their craft, they are not only shaping the way we eat but reshaping the industry itself. This Women’s History Month, we celebrate their vision, their influence and the lasting legacies they continue to build.

In addition, women entrepreneurs across the nation are bringing innovation and passion to their craft and we’re excited to feature a selection of standout women-owned brands from outside St. Louis. From personalized teas to artisanal baked goods, these women are shaping industries, creating new opportunities and inspiring us with their commitment to excellence.

Scroll through the slideshow below to learn more about Meggie Mobley of Bijoux Chocolates. Credit: photo courtesy of Meggie Mobley
Sara Cox, Catering by Chef Cox & Co. For Sara Cox, food is a legacy, one passed down through generations, shaped by love, discipline and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Her mother’s home-cooked meals instilled in her the belief that food should be both nourishing and beautiful, while her grandfather’s love of fine dining opened her eyes to the artistry of the culinary world. “From a very early age I was captivated by the fine dining experience and old school table side service, attention to detail and culinary industry.” Cox’s career has been defined by resilience. At just 21, she took on her first Executive Chef role, leading a brigade in an industry where she was often the only woman in the room. Yet, she never viewed it as a battle to fight. “Being a chef is not only my passion but my purpose,” she said. “I think because I had that outlook, I was always able to win over the doubters with my actions and ability.” Now, as the owner of Catering by Chef Cox & Co., she brings that same dedication to every dish, whether crafting a high-profile event menu or making a grilled cheese for her daughter. It’s this philosophy that fuels Catering, by Chef Cox & Co., her bespoke catering business serving St. Louis and Nashville. Whether she’s crafting an intimate dinner for a country music star or orchestrating a grand event in a historic venue, Cox approaches every plate with the same meticulous care, because to her, food is never just food – it’s a memory in the making. Her philosophy is simple: anything worth doing is worth doing well. And with every plated dish, every perfectly curated event, Cox is proving just how far that belief can take her. chefcoxcateringco.com Credit: photo courtesy of Sara Cox
Alex Pifer, Baked and Boiled Bagels For Alex Pifer, bagels aren’t just food – they’re a lifelong love language. As a high schooler, she was known for sneaking out to grab bagels for classmates and teachers, eventually earning the title “Most Likely to Show Up With Bagels.” That early passion transformed into Baked and Boiled, where community and craft take center stage. Pifer’s journey began long before she opened her own shop. She’s been in the restaurant and catering industry for nearly two decades, working every role from busser to ice cream maker. The kitchen, an environment filled with adrenaline, movement, creativity and unspoken camaraderie, felt like home from the start. But it was The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan that shaped her philosophy: food should be slow, local and deeply connected to place and people. As a woman in the industry, Pifer has faced her share of biases. Even now, people assume her husband owns the shop. But she doesn’t dwell on obstacles – she focuses on the work. She believes talent, not gender, should dictate opportunity. Her food is an extension of that philosophy: a blend of curiosity, community and craftsmanship. Decades from now, she hopes people remember two things – that her bagels were unforgettable and that her employees were happy. bakedboiled.com Credit: photo courtesy of Alex Pifer
Natasha Kwan, Frida’s, Bonito Bar, Diego’s Cantina, Station No. 3 Natasha Kwan wasn’t lured into the kitchen by the sizzle of a pan or the alchemy of butter and flame. Instead, she saw a gap, an entire world of hospitality that hadn’t yet caught up to the way she ate, the way she lived. A lifelong vegetarian with an unwavering work ethic, she didn’t simply open Frida’s in 2012, she challenged the status quo, creating a space where plant-based cuisine took center stage rather than being an afterthought. The plant-based dining scene in St. Louis would never be the same. Over a decade later, her restaurants are a study in evolution. Diego’s Cantina is a love letter to Mexican flavors. Station No. 3 reinvents comfort food with a plant-based twist. Through it all, her philosophy remains unchanged: scratch-made food, clean ingredients and an unwavering commitment to integrity, because if she wouldn’t eat it – why serve it? Kwan’s kitchens aren’t just places where food is made; they’re spaces where leadership is redefined. There’s no room for ego here, no tolerance for the tired machismo of the old-guard brigade. The best kitchens, she believes, are built on trust and the best food? It’s the kind that speaks for itself – bright, fresh, balanced, with just enough restraint to let every ingredient shine. Her legacy, when the time comes to talk about such things, won’t be just about the food. It’ll be about the people, the community built around every plate served. Because in the end, restaurants aren’t just about feeding people – they’re about bringing them together. eatatfridas.com Credit: photo courtesy of Natasha Kwan
Suji Shaw, Niche Food Group Suji Shaw, executive pastry chef of Niche Food Group, grew up surrounded by the warmth of baking. Her grandmother’s homemade bread and her grandfather’s Italian cookie care packages shaped her earliest memories. Though she first pursued biology, a café job in her Santa Monica hometown revealed her true passion: pastry. Shaw embarked on her culinary career in New York, training at the Institute of Culinary Education while gaining experience under chef Richard Capizzi, which shaped her philosophy on hard work and food as a means of connection. Now in St. Louis, Shaw sees the city as an opportunity-filled food scene where chefs can take creative risks without the financial and logistical challenges in other major food cities like New York or L.A. While progress has been made for women in the industry, she advocates for stronger support, including extended maternity leave and greater flexibility for working mothers. In her own kitchen, Shaw strives to maintain a balance – encouraging thick skin and boundaries among young chefs while ensuring that the joy of the craft remains at the forefront. Outside of the kitchen, she finds solace in gardening, sewing and birdwatching, hobbies that keep her connected to the world beyond the intensity of pastry work. As for her legacy, Shaw’s hope is simple: that her work is remembered not for innovation’s sake, but for crafting the best version of a beloved classic. Whether it’s a coffee cake, a scone, or a Pop-Tart, she wants people to look back and say, “I miss that one thing.” eventsbyniche.com/shaw Credit: photo courtesy of Suji Shaw
Jackie Polcyn, Bagel Union Jackie Polcyn, production manager at Bagel Union, began her culinary journey as a teenage dishwasher, initially drawn to the industry’s alluring elixir of challenge and camaraderie. After completing her training at Saint Louis Community College’s culinary program, specializing in baking and pastry, she built her expertise at Union Loafers before helping shape Bagel Union. Her father, a lifelong chef, instilled in her a deep connection between food, memory and tradition. She also credits her husband for teaching her the grind of operations and Ted Wilson for showing her how to translate nostalgia into quality. A fifth-generation St. Louisan, Polcyn’s baking draws inspiration from the city’s history food scene and the local purveyors who prioritize quality ingredients. Her father’s influence is layered with the traditions of her Polish great-grandmother and Jewish great-grandfather. The bakers she’s met along the way – keepers of a craft often overlooked – have shaped her understanding of what it means to create something enduring. She sees progress for women in kitchens but acknowledges ongoing challenges. If she could rewrite the industry’s rules, she’d “throw the whole patriarchy away.” As for legacy? She’s still too busy learning, growing and baking to dwell on it – except for perfecting a bagel Susan B. Anthony would have loved. bagel-union.com Credit: photo courtesy of Jackie Polcyn
Meggie Mobley, Bijoux Chocolates Meggie Mobley didn’t set out to become a chocolatier. At first, she only knew she wanted to work in pastry – until an ordinary moment changed everything. Stepping into Veruca Chocolates in Chicago, she was transfixed: jewel-toned bonbons gleamed under the lights, promising unexpected flavors, each a tiny masterpiece. She had found her craft. Her love for food was born at the family dinner table, where meals were more than sustenance – they were stories, rituals, the heartbeat of home. She still tastes that childhood in “The Special,” a sandwich her father made with whatever was left in the fridge: salty, melty, crisp at the edges, always comforting. It’s the same kind of alchemy she chases in her chocolates. At Bijoux Chocolates, she plays with contrast and surprise – a hit of sea salt before the rush of caramel, the slow bloom of dark chocolate melting on the tongue. “With every bonbon we make, I strive for 3 things,” she shared. “I want it to be delicious, I want it to be beautiful and I want it to surprise you.” A self-proclaimed people pleaser, she thrives on watching skeptics become believers. Launching Bijoux at 25, she learned to navigate the fires of entrepreneurship with humor and grit. Now, as a mother, she thinks often about the industry’s lack of support for parents. If she could rewrite the rules, she would. “Many women have to choose between their career and their family,” she said, underscoring a challenge that many women face, both within and beyond the culinary world. “There should be more support to allow women to have both a fulfilling career and be an involved parent, if that’s what they want.” Legacy isn’t something she dwells on. If people remember Bijoux as a place that brought them joy, one bite of something beautiful, unexpected and unforgettable, that’s enough. bijouxchocolates.com Credit: photo courtesy of Meggie Mobley
Cara Pitts, Southern Roots Vegan Bakery Southern Roots Vegan Bakery is a San Antonio-based dessert company that ships nationwide, proving that plant-based treats can be every bit as indulgent as their traditional counterparts. It started simply, co-founder Cara Pitts baking for family members who were embracing a plant-based lifestyle, unwilling to settle for desserts that felt like an afterthought. So she made her own. From farmers’ markets to the Grand Hyatt Riverwalk, from red velvet cake donuts to award-winning sweet potato pie, Southern Roots has grown into more than a bakery. It’s a fixture in celebrations big and small, the kind of place people turn to for birthdays, “just because” moments and midnight cravings alike. But the heart of Southern Roots is community. With over 1,000 desserts donated to essential workers and partnerships with the San Antonio Food Bank, their mission is simple: to make plant-based indulgence unforgettable – and to make sure everyone gets a taste. southernrootsvegan.com Credit: photo courtesy of Southern Roots Vegan Bakery
Anney Norton, Dream Tea NYC Dream Tea NYC is more than just a tea brand, it’s an invitation to make every sip personal. Founded by 27 year-old Anney Norton, this woman-owned, AAPI-led company was built on the idea that tea should be as unique as the person drinking it. Tea-lovers curate their experience by selecting from 14 ingredients and 3 base options, black tea, green tea and chamomile. With fruity, floral, earthy or spicy flavors customers craft their perfect cup with each tin making 40 cups of tea. Each blend is a small act of self-expression, where quality and creativity meet in a cup. Norton’s drive to refine, adapt and grow has led to collaborations with brands like Goop and Lunya, as well as partnerships with luxury hotels and nonprofits. As she puts it, “We are persistent, scrappy and adaptable, and we embrace the opportunity to improve because we believe in what we create.” Here, tea is more than a ritual; it’s a chance to redefine what it means to pause, to steep, to savor. Dream Tea NYC invites you to make it your own. dreamteanyc.com Credit: photo courtesy of Dream Tea NYC
Pauline Idogho, Mocktail Club Mocktail Club began the way many things do – with a search for something that wasn’t there. Pauline Idogho, expecting her first child, found herself scanning shelves for a drink that wasn’t just a compromise, something that could hold its own in a room full of clinking glasses and easy laughter. What she found instead was absence. So she made it herself. Mocktail Club is less a substitute than an evolution. It is tart and bitter, sweet with restraint, layered with cardamom, chili peppers, lemongrass – flavors that pull from places Pauline has been, places she imagined. It is a drink meant for those who still want the ritual, the moment, the clink of ice in a glass. It is clean, organic, threaded with prebiotics and antioxidants, because things should be good for you without announcing themselves as such. One percent of every sale goes to clean water access. A small, necessary return. mocktailclub.com Credit: photo courtesy of Mocktail Club
Becky Clutter, Fikabröd Baking was never intended to be more than a personal passion for Becky Clutter, founder and creative director of Fikabröd. But in 2018 in the wake of deep personal loss, after the passing of her beloved basset hound, Preston, she turned to the familiar comfort of butter, flour and sugar – a quiet ritual that became her salvation. So she set a simple goal: bake once a week. The act of measuring, mixing and watching dough transform in the oven grounded her. Soon, the practice became less about healing and more about joy, leading her to imagine a baking subscription service unlike any other. Fikabröd is not about handing bakers a set of pre-measured ingredients. It’s about discovery – about pulling a box off your doorstep and finding rare vanilla from Madagascar, handcrafted nut butters or a dusting of artisan sprinkles that turn an ordinary dessert into something extraordinary. Every month, subscribers receive 5 to 7 curated items designed to spark creativity, from novel flavorings and specialty sugars to unique kitchen tools and elegant decorative elements. It’s a box that extends the joy of baking beyond the mixing bowl, inviting bakers to play, experiment and delight in the unexpected. Clutter’s sourcing process is obsessive in the best way: she scours trade shows, builds relationships with small-scale producers and follows flavor trends with the curiosity of a novelist chasing a plot twist. A self-taught baker, she grew up in a home where the scent of blueberry pie signaled summer and holiday quick breads were wrapped in wax paper, ready to be gifted. Those memories shape Fikabrod’s mission – to bring surprise, creativity and just a little magic into kitchens everywhere. Because sometimes, all it takes is a spoonful of something unexpected to change everything. fikabrodbox.com Credit: photo courtesy of Becky Clutter

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