How can foodies support women-owned businesses?
This is the question TopJaw Producer Kayla Lawrie and chef and restaurateur Sally Abé pondered over ahead of their latest creation – an interactive map highlighting women-owned hospitality businesses across the UK.
Sally Abé has long been a champion for equality in hospitality. Her 2024 memoir, A Woman’s Place Is In the Kitchen, traces her career and vision for change within the industry, and she’s consciously hired women to create opportunities within the sector.
As the producer of TopJaw’s viral food content, Kayla has spent years profiling the most exciting new openings across the UK and beyond.
Since going live with around 350 restaurants, bars, cafés, bakeries and pubs across the country, hundreds more have been added, with plenty more incoming additions following a fantastic reception to the launch on a joint Instagram post from Kayla and Sally.
Speaking about her plans for the project post-launch, Kayla said: “Right now we’re focused on growing the map and hoping to smash past our next goal of 1,000 businesses pinned. But the potential is limitless, whether that’s supper clubs, events designed for [women] business owners or finding ways to further improve their visibility; there’s really no ceiling on what’s possible. We’d love people to tell us what they’d want to see.”
At the time of writing, the duo’s interactive map has garnered almost 50,000 views.
