‘Small actions by many lead to big change’ says Good Food Guide winner

On Monday night, Venus Vinifera was named the Cultural Change Champion at the 42nd Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide awards for its role in improving the prospects and education available to women and gender-diverse individuals in Canberra’s hospitality scene.

“[Venus Vinifera] sprung from humble beginnings, where frustration for women in hospitality caused real change in the Canberra community, and it has been extremely humbling but exciting to see the positive impact [the organisation] has had,” said founder Caitlin Baker, after receiving the award.

“We all have to remember that we play a role in making our industry safer and have a responsibility to leave it in a better place than when we started in it. Small actions by many will lead to big change.

This is the third year the Good Food Guide recognised a Cultural Change Champion – a person, initiative or business trying to challenge the status quo in all areas of the industry, from workplace rights to employment opportunities.

It was introduced following investigations by Good Food, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that exposed incidents of sexual harassment and gender-based violence in the Australian hospitality industry.

Venus Vinifera was launched in 2021 in the ACT as a small, women-led group of hospitality professionals sharing wine and building camaraderie. Five years on, Baker stands at the helm of a multi-chapter educational organisation spanning two states, dozens of sold-out annual events (including a wine festival) and an upcoming nationwide tour.

Its goal? To help women and gender-diverse individuals find their place at a table historically dominated by men, by providing education, resources and networking opportunities and, on occasionally, advocating for change.

“I want to leave the hospitality industry better than when I came into it,” said Baker, a former Good Food Guide Sommelier of the Year who juggles her advocacy work with a full-time restaurant management position at Melbourne’s Cutler.

“The drinks space, especially in Canberra, has always been male dominated.”

Early in her career, Baker often found she was the only woman in a room filled with men: “They were like, ‘Who’s this 21-year-old girl? What are you even talking about?’ ” she said. It made it uncomfortable to ask questions and learn the skills she needed to advance in her career. She witnessed many of her female contemporaries give up on hospitality altogether.

“People are looking for safe communities to learn,” Baker said. “We create spaces where you can ask questions. There’s no intimidation, and we accept people at all levels of their careers – you don’t need to have any accreditations to feel like you have something to contribute.”

Venus Vinifera hosts several educational events, each designed to empower women and gender-diverse people to foster their passion for hospitality, take up space and move up the career ladder. Its largest is the Subject Matters Symposium, a multi-day ticketed event tackling topical industry concerns, including the need for safer and fairer workplaces, pathways to career growth and the importance of hospitality venues as public third spaces.

Panellists from university professors to media and events professionals, alongside industry veterans, offer a broad range of expertise.

In 2022, Venus Vinifera surveyed hundreds of hospitality workers to gather information about the prevalence of sexual assault and sexual harassment within the industry. The results will be presented to the liquor board authority in Canberra next year, with the aim of implementing mandatory bystander training in Canberra restaurants and bars.

In July, Grafted Wines sales manager Ani Theakstone and Barons assistant head sommelier Aishlinn Scally (also awarded 2026 Advanced Sommelier Dux) launched Venus Vinifera in Sydney, gathering 80 people at Caravin in Potts Point.

“I never anticipated it would expand beyond Canberra, but demand kept growing,” Baker said.

“We did a Subject Matters ‘On the Road’ [at North Melbourne restaurant Manze] this year, which sold out in a day,” she said. “I was pretty overwhelmed by the thirst for it.”

Regular Melbourne events are also on the 2027 to-do list, said Baker. And maybe, one day, Venus Vinifera could become a bona fide not-for-profit charity organisation, permanently extending its reach beyond the south-east states.

The 42nd Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide reviews are available via the Good Food app, which is free for premium subscribers of the Herald and also available as a standalone subscription. You can download the Good Food app here.