Doing, Being, and Going for It – Amanda Hamer

By Elle Asiedu, The Re-seasoning Coalition

Most people have a childhood passion, but few have the conviction and resilience to see it through to adulthood.

Small in stature but bold in personality, Amanda Hamer has been interested in cooking for as long as she can remember. She used to watch her mother in the kitchen and then put her observations to use as a three-year-old, banging on pots and pans with glee.

But when it came to the future, the young chef was curious about the advertising world where she believed her creativity could be put to good use.

Fortunately, fate had other plans.

WISHES FULFILLED

“As soon as I found out you could make money from cooking, I was hooked,” Hamer says, smiling. “My first kitchen job was at the Sheraton Hotel as a co-op student when I was 13, although I looked much younger than that.”

After graduating from George Brown with a diploma in classical French cooking, she progressed from Town and Country Buffet Restaurant on Toronto, ON’s Queens Quay to other city icons, while having to hold her own in kitchens that weren’t the most welcoming places for a petite Black woman like herself.

“It was difficult,” she remembers. “My co-workers would walk all over me because I was often the only woman and I was small,” she recalls. “I was passive-aggressive about it, but learned that the harassment wouldn’t stop until I called people out.”

The experiences taught Hamer to be more vocal and how to set boundaries, but the constant marginalization she felt in the kitchen started to wear on her.

Dealing with sexual advances and harassment continues to be part of restaurant environments, regardless of experience, stature, or ethnicity. Lines are often crossed as egocentric chefs are encouraged to keep workers in line and obedient by any means necessary, often under the guise of efficiency.

DREAMING OF A NEW REALITY

For chefs who happen to be women, a future without marginalization can be unrealistic. Despite Hamer’s love of food and reputation as a quick learner, her frustration with her career soon came to a boiling point.

“On top of everything else, I started noticing that my younger, white male peers were getting paid more. I felt like I was just a number.”

One day, Hamer looked at her paycheque and decided that the sexual harassment just wasn’t worth it.

It was time to bet on herself.

“I took the leap and within months I had to turn people away because my catering business, Edible Bliss, was doing so well,” she recounts. “That’s when I knew I was on the right path and I didn’t even have a website — it was all word-of-mouth.”

Since officially starting her business in 2018, Hamer’s products have been featured in major malls across the GTA and she’s catered for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Hamer now balances her passion for food, flair for creativity, and ability to motivate and inspire as a manager at Boukan Edible Bliss II, one of Toronto’s hottest restaurants.

With over 30 years in the industry, the chef-turned-entrepreneur recognizes those that have guided her along the way but knows that she wouldn’t be as satisfied with her career if she hadn’t believed in herself.

“Life is more rewarding now that I’m my own boss. I’m so glad I did what felt right.”

“I took the leap and within months I had to turn people away because my catering business, Edible Bliss, was doing so well,” she recounts. “That’s when I knew I was on the right path and I didn’t even have a website — it was all word-of-mouth.”

Since officially starting her business in 2018, Hamer’s products have been featured in major malls across the GTA and she’s catered for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Hamer now balances her passion for food, flair for creativity, and ability to motivate and inspire as a manager at Boukan Edible Bliss II, one of Toronto’s hottest restaurants.

With over 30 years in the industry, the chef-turned-entrepreneur recognizes those that have guided her along the way but knows that she wouldn’t be as satisfied with her career if she hadn’t believed in herself.

“Life is more rewarding now that I’m my own boss. I’m so glad I did what felt right.”

The Re-Seasoning Coalition is dedicated to increasing the representation of Black Canadians in foodservice through research, programming, and sharing real stories like Amanda’s. Stay tuned for more profiles here on MENU.