Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Molly De Mers. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Molly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

I hope everyone has a mentor. Someone to look up to, that you can confide in when it comes to your work, passion, or whatever driving force you feel your purpose is. For me, that person is Steve Dominguez. He is the GM of the food and beverage program of Climate Pledge Arena.

There is so much that went into opening the most progressive, sustainable, forward-thinking arena in the world. This project truly is career changing for all involved. When I was named Executive Chef, he was someone that believed in me (when most in that world didn’t want to stand next to me).

Let me put some context to this. Women in leadership roles are thriving, but to say there isn’t still a huge uphill battle securing roles or living in that space; that would be naive to say. It wasn’t just about the gender gaps that surround every creative/workspace. It was about the amount of pressure on doing what we were set out to do. We were essentially beginning a project that would be the most publicly talked about of its nature (due to various reasons). Setting out to be the most highly sustainable arena in the world, being the first female executive chef to open a sports arena, the naming rights to the building, inaugurating a new franchise in the NHL, the list goes on and on.

Fuck the system that suppresses change or denotes other views that doesn’t align with their norms. Being a Chef in the sports world is hard enough, but being a female chef with huge ambition is another beast. I wanted to come and change the system, their norms, and show them that we are not another shitty hotdog or beer. I wanted to push and change how people interact with food in this space. I want to create experiences, moments, and memories. I want to show that you don’t have to follow the stereotype of what a chef is and that this path can be fruitful to anyone with the drive, passion, and dedication to their craft. Visibility and representation is at the core of my vision for the people that would bring this project to life.

I went into this already knowing Steve from a previous project. From my lens, he fit into what people would call “the norm”. He was successful, well respected, and a great leader. In our previous roles we didn’t have a tremendous amount of interaction. When it came to opening Climate Pledge Arena, I felt like the entire time I was swimming upstream. I knew that people wanted to see me fail to justify their narrative but not Steve.

Steve was in my corner, from day one. He remained there day in and day out. Even when I wasn’t in the room, he had my back. He saw me for what I do, what I stand for, and that allowed me to feel like maybe, just maybe this is possible. I will forever be grateful to him for taking a chance on me and backing my progressive visions. This to me, is the kindest thing anyone has done for me. Because he didn’t have to, he could have easily shared the opinion of the masses. But he was just as hungry as I was to flip the script. His support gave birth to a new reality in my career. I could view this opportunity with the fresh eyes of a creator in collaboration and without the stigma of societal false beliefs surrounding industry roles. His ability to see me for who I truly am will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Molly, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Cooking is who I am to the core. I found it to be my creative outlook. I wanted to provoke emotions, conversations and bring people together. I crossed over from the traditional path of cooking in restaurants and over into sports and entertainment about 15 years ago. This lane… completely changed my thoughts on what my purpose was. I fell in love with being able to bring these huge visions to life. 17,000 fans coming for an experience, and food is a part of that. It did not stop with food, honestly that was just the beginning. I then evolved into prioritizing the culture of the work environments, and the sustainability responsibility of these venues. Community at the core of what we do and insuring everyone has a seat at our table. This platform, Climate pledge arena is to bring everyone together to socialize best practices.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I love this question. Cooking at a young age, in an environment where yelling is seen as authority, and crass was a requirement I fell into the trap of ” Earn your stripes”. The toxic work life balance that is enforced in these spaces where celebrated. It almost became a badge of honor of how many days in a row you have worked. I grew up admiring Chefs that held the room by their Prescence. what I learned as I navigated my path is how wrong these environments are. I had to unlearn the traditional ideas, and lean into collaboration, and what true leadership was. My role, it sole purpose is to create space for creativity to flow. Once I reprogrammed myself…. success followed.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Human connection is at the core of art to me. Stories being told, seeing things from other lessons enhances the human experience. I crave creating, and that to me is so rewarding. Truly love the work that we do is everything, its life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.climatepledgearena.com/food-beverage/
• Instagram: mollyddemers
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-demers-70a40b161/