The Women Chefs & Restaurateurs conference is this weekend

If you’re planning your food-related activities this weekend, you should know of one that’s maybe a bit more worth your time than another craft beer or ramen crawl. This Sunday and Monday, the Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) annual conference is being held in Los Angeles. Which means that a large percentage of this town’s noted women will be leaving their restaurants to give talks and presentations, provide some food, and, yes, host food games.

Founded 23 years ago, the WCR is a professional association that offers support to women in the food and beverage industry. And if you think this is no longer necessary, that somehow gender equality and equity has been reached, then you might want to spend more time talking to the women who make your food, mix your drinks and run your favorite restaurants.

Mary Sue Milliken, who along with Susan Feniger has run Border Grill for many years, was one of the eight women — including the late Barbara Tropp and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich —who co-founded WCR in 1993.

“Definitely the needle has moved forward,” Milliken said the other day. “But there’s still plenty of work to do. It’s a better environment than when I went to chef’s school, in 1976. The next hurdle is for us to raise our daughters, nieces and grandkids in a way that creates a more level playing field. I don’t think we do it yet — in any industry.”

Milliken will be at this year’s conference, along with a pretty great list of more than 100 participants, including Feniger, Nancy Silverton, Sherry Yard, Nyesha Arrington, Barbara Lazaroff (one of the WCR co-founders), Bricia Lopez, Waylynn Lucas (one of this year’s hosts), Joan McNamara, Sally Camacho, Valerie Gordon, Suzanne Tracht, Dahlia Narvaez, Antonia Lofaso and Margarita Manzke — and that’s an incomplete, Los Angeles-based list, so imagine the resources, the conversation and the food. (Silverton will be judging the food games portion of the program, something that’s probably worth the admission itself.)

Although registration has closed for this year’s event, the event is not sold out. You can still purchase registration badges at the door on Saturday, from noon to 5 p.m., and again throughout the day on Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the InterContinental Los Angeles Century City at Beverly Hills.

The WCR is also hosting an award and scholarship ceremony for “Women Who Inspire,” which is open to the public; $250 tickets to the event, which also showcases food from 28 chefs and pastry chefs, can be purchased up to ceremony via EventBrite.

2016 Women Chefs & Restaurateurs conference, InterContinental Los Angeles Century City at Beverly Hills, 2151 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles.

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