Des Étoiles et des Femmes

What Des Étoiles et des Femmes does

Des Étoiles et des Femmes is a French non-profit association, founded in 2015 in Marseille and operated by the parent association Festin, that runs a vocational inclusion program for women distant from the labor market. The program combines three pillars: (1) a certified CAP Cuisine diploma delivered through accredited vocational training centers (GRETA, INFA, lycées hôteliers); (2) an immersive internship at a partner gastronomic restaurant, typically high-end or Michelin-recognized, where the participant is mentored by a committed chef; and (3) individualized social support covering barriers such as transportation, childcare, workwear, knife kits, and legal aid. Candidates are recruited through Pôle Emploi, PLIE (Plans Locaux pour l'Insertion et l'Emploi), women's shelters, and community organizations, and are admitted via a competitive selection process (exams and oral jury). Since inception, the organization has trained over 260 women and reports a 98% success rate on the CAP Cuisine exam and a 70% return-to-employment rate within one year of training.

The organization deploys its model through a social franchise structure across 14 French territories (Antony, Arles, Bordeaux, Clichy, Dugny, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice, Paris, Pays Basque, Strasbourg, Toulouse), with each city antenna operated by a local partner association such as La Table de Cana, Les Moulins, Weavers/Tissu Solidaire, or Full Good. The founding headquarters is at 21 rue Grignan, Marseille, and Festin serves as the coordinating parent entity. The organization also operates a formal Réseau d'Alumni launched in 2021 and an active chef-mentor network, including named partners such as Eugénie Beziat, Charlotte Baldaquin, Laurent Mercier, and Laetitia Visse (who was appointed first 'marraine' of the Marseille antenna in 2023).

The revenue model is non-commercial: training is free for beneficiaries, and the organization is funded through a mix of individual donations, corporate foundation grants (notably Crédit Agricole Toulouse 31), institutional public subsidies, and laureate/recognition-based funding (e.g., Fondation La France s'engage). Strategic marketing is conducted primarily through earned media — including ARTE, France 2, Le Libération, Sud Ouest, and La Dépêche — supplemented by organic social media, alumni storytelling, and partner events. The organization has received third-party validation including ONU Femmes / Génération Égalité Voices labeling (2021) and the Fondation La France s'engage laureate award, alongside visits from former President François Hollande and Minister Élisabeth Moreno. No public listing, venture capital, or financial KPIs are disclosed.

Name

Des Étoiles et des Femmes

Legal name

Des Étoiles et des Femmes

Website

https://desetoilesetdesfemmes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Des Étoiles et des Femmes is a French non-profit founded in 2015 that provides free CAP Cuisine training, gastronomic-restaurant internships, and personalized social support to women distant from the labor market, operating across 14 French cities via a social franchise model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Culinary Training & Social Inclusion

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Educational Services (611), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement) (BPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

DEI, Equity & Inclusion Training (EDABAIAF), DEI, Culture & Employee Engagement Training (BPACANAE), DEI, Equity & Inclusion Advisory (BPACAJAJ)

Keywords

• Vocational culinary training
• Women workforce inclusion
• Gastronomy professional certification
• Social franchise program
• CAP cuisine diploma

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and philanthropy: As a non-profit association, the organization is primarily funded through donations from individuals, companies, and charitable foundations. The website includes a 'Nous soutenir' (Support Us) section indicating reliance on public and private generosity.
2. Institutional grants and subsidies: Funded by government programs, regional councils, and institutional backers. Supported by the Crédit Agricole Toulouse 31 foundation and other public/private grant-making bodies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Des Étoiles et des Femmes is a free social inclusion program that enables women distanced from the labor market to earn the CAP Cuisine professional diploma by combining accredited culinary training, an immersive internship in a partner gastronomic restaurant, and individualized social coaching. The program is delivered across 14 French cities through a social franchise model coordinated by the nonprofit association Festin, with operational partners providing training, mentorship, childcare, mobility, and employment pathway support.

Product overview

Des Étoiles et des Femmes is a social and educational program offering a unified training pathway for women seeking employment in the culinary arts. The core offering combines CAP Cuisine diploma training through certified vocational centers, immersive internships in partner gastronomic restaurants, personalized coaching, and access to a committed chef network. The program is complemented by an alumni network for ongoing professional support and a recipes section showcasing participants' culinary achievements. The organization operates across 14 territories in France through local partner associations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% success rate on CAP Cuisine diploma among program participants
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Laetitia Visse (La Femme du Boucher)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Chef Laetitia Visse, owner of La Femme du Boucher restaurant in Marseille, became the first godmother (marraine) of the Marseille antenna in 2023. She mentors program beneficiaries, hosting a trainee from October 2023 and committing to transmit her passion for cuisine and rebuild confidence in program participants.
• La Cravate SolidaireminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 December 2021La Cravate Solidaire is an association that helps people in professional reintegration by providing appropriate professional attire. A collaboration was announced in December 2021 to support Des Étoiles et des Femmes beneficiaries in their job search.
• Refugee Food FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Refugee Food is a culinary solidarity project accelerating the professional insertion of refugees through gastronomy. The organization shares synergies with Des Étoiles et des Femmes and collaborated on joint activities, including sharing Ethiopian recipes and cross-participation in events.
• Maison de quartier Les Moulins (Lille)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2021Les Moulins is a community center in Lille that hosts the Des Étoiles et des Femmes program locally. It provides community infrastructure and outreach to identify and support women candidates in the Lille area. The center focuses on social development and local empowerment.
• Weavers / Tissu Solidaire (Lyon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2021Tissu Solidaire (operating as Weavers) is a Lyon-based association accelerating the inclusion of exiled persons through the valorization of manual skills including cooking. It hosts the Des Étoiles et des Femmes program in Lyon since 2021.
• Full Good (Nantes)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2021Full Good is a Nantes-based association that supports food aid, culinary autonomy workshops in priority neighborhoods, and insertion enterprises including the BAMe social enterprise and the Des Étoiles et des Femmes training program.
• ONU FemmesmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Des Étoiles et des Femmes participated in the ONU Femmes France Génération Égalité Voices festival, receiving official labeling. This partnership provides high-visibility endorsement and access to a global gender equality network.
• Charlotte Baldaquin (Les Grandes Tables de la Criée)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Charlotte Baldaquin, chef at Les Grandes Tables de la Criée in Marseille, has hosted multiple Des Étoiles et des Femmes trainees since 2019 and actively recruits from the program, embodying the chef network that is central to the program's model.
• Laurent Mercier (Les Grandes Tables de la Friche)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Chef Laurent Mercier of Les Grandes Tables de la Friche in Marseille has mentored several program alumni including Aminati Halidane and Marlène, and subsequently hired graduates, making him a key employer partner in the Marseille ecosystem.
• Meet My MamamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Meet My Mama is an engaged caterer that highlights women from diverse backgrounds. Since 2018, it has collaborated with Des Étoiles et des Femmes through cooking workshops, shared masterclasses, and a joint trajectory where alumni (Marie-Clarisse and Blandine) develop catering projects with Meet My Mama support.
• Geneviève (Formatrice GRETA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2018Geneviève served as the primary trainer at the Montpellier antenna, providing individualized pedagogical support, monitoring student progress, and mediating directly with restaurant partners when issues arose, forming the educational backbone of the program.
• Eugénie Beziat (La Flibuste, Nice)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Chef Eugénie Beziat has been a partner chef of Des Étoiles et des Femmes since 2017, hosting trainees at her restaurant La Flibuste in Villeneuve-Loubet (birthplace of Auguste Escoffier). She represents the network of committed gastronomic chefs who mentor and train program participants.
• La Table de CanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Table de Cana is a key operational partner in multiple cities (Bordeaux, Île-de-France, Marseille, Montpellier). It is an insertion enterprise that provides kitchen facilities and food aid programs. It hosts alumni for food aid initiatives and provides ongoing employment pathways for program graduates.
• ARTEmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerARTE produced and broadcast a documentary feature ('Regards') on Des Étoiles et des Femmes in September 2022, contributing significant national and international media visibility for the organization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• France Terre d'Asile: Major French non-profit supporting asylum seekers and refugees across housing, legal aid, language training, and professional insertion. Comparable on beneficiary overlap (refugees, marginalized populations) but operates across many sectors beyond culinary insertion.
• Pôle Emploi: French national employment agency that is the primary referral source for Des Étoiles et des Femmes candidates. Comparable in addressing long-term unemployment but operates as a public agency across all sectors rather than specializing in culinary insertion.
• Emmaüs: Large French social inclusion federation providing work integration through diverse activities (recycling, logistics, hospitality). Comparable mission of professional insertion for excluded populations but with substantially broader scope and scale than Des Étoiles et des Femmes.

Direct peers

• La Table de Cana: French social insertion enterprise using professional catering kitchens as integration sites for people distant from employment. Core operational partner for Des Étoiles et des Femmes across Bordeaux, Île-de-France, Marseille, and Montpellier, with shared model of insertion through gastronomy.
• Tissu Solidaire / Weavers: Lyon-based association accelerating the inclusion of exiled persons through the valorization of manual skills including cooking. Operates the Des Étoiles et des Femmes Lyon antenna; comparable mission and beneficiary population in the same city.
• Refugee Food Festival: A French culinary solidarity initiative accelerating professional insertion of refugees through gastronomy. Directly comparable to Des Étoiles et des Femmes in mission (food as vehicle for inclusion of marginalized populations), geography (France), and beneficiary profile (refugees and newcomers). The two organizations have a documented partnership, validating the comparability.
• Meet My Mama: A French engaged catering enterprise highlighting women from diverse backgrounds through cuisine. Directly comparable business model combining culinary training, employer placement, and catering revenue, with documented partnership with Des Étoiles et des Femmes since 2018 for joint workshops and alumni trajectories.
• La Cravate Solidaire: French association supporting professional reintegration through appropriate attire and coaching. Directly comparable as a non-profit providing wraparound support to job seekers, with a formal partnership with Des Étoiles et des Femmes announced in December 2021.
• Full Good (BAMe): Nantes-based association running food aid, culinary autonomy workshops, and the BAMe social enterprise. Operates the Des Étoiles et des Femmes Nantes antenna and shares the same three-pillar logic of food-based insertion in priority neighborhoods.

Others

• Le Mouvement Associatif: National umbrella organization representing French non-profit associations across all sectors. Comparable as a federated governance and advocacy body but operates at the sector-wide policy level rather than direct beneficiary insertion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/desetoilesetdesfemmes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/des-etoiles-et-des-femmes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Des Étoiles et des Femmes