Our guest in this episode is Ilanit Bard who is an outstanding leader and innovator in the food service and fine dining industry. Born in France to a North African Mother and a Middle Eastern Father, she says, fitting in, has always been her priority growing up. In this episode we talk to Ilanit about her career transitions from developing corporate travel software;  to polishing plates and cutleries at the lower ground of the Crown casino, surrounded by immigrants, and learning English from them; to General manager of Lume restaurant in South Melbourne; to two impactful entrepreneurial ventures that have lifted communities. The first being Soigné Hospitality (Soigné is French for meticulous), where Ilanit supported restauranteurs with recruitment and training to switch operations and cope during the global pandemic. The second being Thick Accents project;  a nomadic pop-up event that put the spotlight talented migrant women working hard in the shadow in the food industry. For Ilanit, The Thick Accents wasn’t just a project. It was therapeutic. It helped her to get comfortable within herself, and as she says, for the first time in 34 years, own her story as a migrant. Not letting clichés and stereotypes dictate who she is. Her advice to migrant women: “You are your ancestors wildest dreams”, drawing from the poem by Darius Simpson – Ilanit reminds us to value who we truly are and remember our unique heritages.  Please enjoy the courageous, generous leader, Ilanit Bard.

 

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