Alex Graf, co-owner of Texas-style barbecue restaurant ZZQ, was recently selected to participate in the James Beard Foundation's 2021 Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program. (Photo courtesy ZZQ)
ZZQ co-owner Alex Graf was on vacation when she got the call she’d been waiting for.
The voice on the other end informed Graf that she, out of over 100 applicants across the country, had been chosen as one of 21 women to participate in the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program. Offered in conjunction with Cornell University, the 10-week program offers continued training and educational opportunities for women business owners in the hospitality industry. Graf, who is nicknamed “Orange” and serves as “pitmistress” and a friendly face at the Scott’s Addition smokehouse, says she was elated.
“My position in this organization is changing,” explains Graf, who says that, as the business grows, she wants to find ways to “leave behind the hands-on, while continuing to give that presence that I think is why we’re successful.”
After getting a crash course in Zoom skills, Graf recently went online for the program’s first meeting. She has been paired with a mentor, Christine Cikowski, chef and owner of Honey Butter Fried Chicken and Sunday Dinner Club in Chicago. Graf will also have the opportunity to take an elective from Cornell University’s External Education program. Of all the offerings, she says she’s drawn to a course on leadership.
“I’ve watched myself evolve from pop-ups to a restaurant, growing a team and then overhauling a team,” Graf says. “That relationship is such a powerful one, and I’ve watched myself navigate that in different ways. I want to give what’s appropriate. … As a leader, I’ve seen myself fall back on the mom card, and that’s fine, it’s appropriate once in a while, but there are so many other cards in that deck.”
The James Beard Foundation represents the highest level of professional development for the hospitality industry, and its Women’s Leadership Programs include scholarships and grants, networking opportunities, and the Entrepreneurial Leadership program, which includes virtual sessions on business funding, leadership, design and negotiating.
Originally launched in 2017, the program's applicants are chosen by a committee that consists of industry leaders, WEL alumnae and James Beard Foundation staff. The 2021 class of the Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program encompasses a diverse group of individuals from hospitality group owners to restaurateurs, executive chefs, bakers, a farmer and the owner of the forthcoming first bitters brewery in America.
The intention is to build a network of women and nonbinary individuals who can support each other by sharing professional resources, connections and wisdom. When Graf completes the program, she’ll be given a mentee to advise.
“I do believe that women are still categorically not looking at finance and don’t know the ins and outs of that part of the business and don’t grasp some of the nuances in that way,” she says, pointing out that while many women do understand the finer points of finance, there is still a long way to go, and she looks forward to embarking on that journey with her colleagues in the program.
