How women are reshaping Czechia’s food scene—one loaf, brew, and bottle at a time

In Czechia, the old stereotype still simmers—that women cook “with love” at home, while men run the show in professional kitchens. But a new generation of chefs, winemakers, and food artisans is flipping that script.

Kristýna Moravcová, a Prague wine and dining scene veteran who spent nearly a decade managing Veltlin, knows this better than anyone else. She recently told Forbes that, in her years of experience, she noticed a common thread in bottles made by women: “Less ego, more vineyard.”

When she couldn’t find a space to celebrate that difference, and the women behind it, she created one: the Red Lips Collective.

This weekend’s debut Red Lips Collective Festival (May 31 at Trojský pivovar) brings together those female-led voices in food and drink, from chefs and brewers to vintners, for a one-day celebration of women reshaping the Czech culinary scene.

Prague’s casual and fine dining scenes owe much to the women leading its kitchens. Innovative chef Jana Jelíč Biliková creates standout dishes for Ambiente, the country’s top restaurant group. Kateřina Jakusová, a Noma alum, is the force behind Alf & Bet and Slice Slice Baby. And pitmaster Silvie Kratochvílová Jackson of Big Smokers has elevated Prague’s barbecue game.

Together, these women have quietly redefined the city’s food culture—one sourdough loaf, pizza slice, and smoked brisket at a time.

So why aren’t women in professional kitchens getting their due? Like many women in leadership roles, female chefs often face the challenge of balancing family and work.

“It wasn’t easy. When I had to breastfeed, I had the baby in the kitchen, and sometimes my guests would look after him,” Slovenian chef Ana Roš recalled at the Prague Culinary Symposium in 2019. Biliková added, “Guys are generally more competitive and often cook to climb to the top, while we have a need to feed people.”

But things are changing. Vanessa, the creator behind the Vanessa Eats Prague Instagram account, told us that the city's food scene has evolved significantly since she started her account eight years ago. “There weren’t as many women visibly represented back then. Today, it feels completely different.”

She attributes the shift partly to the growth of the food sector, but also to a change in consumer mindset: “Diners want to know who they’re supporting,” she says. Vanessa also say that women are not only shaping the food scene as chefs, pastry chefs, and entrepreneurs, but also having their voices heard and their expertise recognized.

Among them, she mentions Carolina Soldati of Prague Food Guide, a Czech-Italian who grew up in her mother’s Italian restaurant near Venice, and Marcela Vuong, whose platform Vuong.cz educates people about Vietnamese cuisine through cooking classes, catering, and tours of Prague’s Little Hanoi.

This weekend’s festival embraces the hands-on ethos of these pioneers to showcase everything from slow-fermented beer to soulful brunch. Each stall promises a snapshot of Czechia’s evolving palate.

Start your day with Hungry Eyes, a brunch pop-up by Rosie Smolenová, who’s channeled her international experience (England, Spain, Vietnam, Prague) and years at Doubleshot into creating food meant to be felt as much as tasted. Think eggs, kimchi, and something sweet.

Andělské dobrůtky brings homemade cheeses, sauces, and preserves that founder Mariana says recalls her grandmother’s kitchen and the resilience of feeding a family through years of change. A “personal act of preservation, of taste, time, and tradition.”

Eliška Mikulášová, a self-professed forest-based baker who delivers loaves to Prague by backpack after rising at 3:30 a.m., will be selling her warm and crusty sourdough, the stuff of legend.

On the drinks side, Wild Creatures Brewery is helmed by Jitka, whose spontaneously fermented beers rival the best Belgian lambics, aged in barrels with local microflora for a wild, wine-like profile.

Tereza Plachá (Bar Cobra, Zeměprojekt) will serve her signature cocktails, everything from tiki drinks to clarified punches, made with Landcraft spirits.

Vila 63 barista Anežka, will be pouring homemade kombucha (a taste of what to come before she launches her own “kombucharium”).

And of course, there’s wine: Stain your lips with organic reds from Anna Bystřická of Bystřický Winery in South Moravia, try sweet Tokajs from Hungary brought by Erika Rácz, and take home biodynamic wines from Karla Oliva’s Monology project—each bottle a work of art, inside and out, with labels featuring her own photography.

For those wondering if Saturday’s event is an all-girls club, don’t worry, men are welcome. “After all, I couldn’t have founded the Red Lips Collective Festival without the help of men,” says Moravcová. But the wines, beers, breads, cheeses, cakes, and pastries on offer, crafted by women, will be at well-deserved center of attention this weekend.