By Krystle J Bailey
Known for her iconic hot pink hair, heartwarming smile, and undeniable talent in the kitchen, Executive Chef Pam Green has been paving the way for female chefs for over twenty years.
Starting as a toast girl at a Wildwood diner at age 14, Chef Pam has worked her way up the ladder, charting a path unlike anyone else in her field. This week, as she celebrated her birthday, Chef Pam shared, “I’m living the best life. For a person my age, I’m healthy, I’m happy, I’m good at what I do. The people I work with are gifted. It sets a good example of what hard work can do.”
That life didn’t come without grit, sacrifice, and a commitment to healing. When Pam struggled with addiction as a young adult, it was a 28-day rehabilitation program that got her back on her feet and into the kitchen, where she began to create a brand new life.
Following a move that didn’t go as planned, Pam returned to South Jersey, jobless and homeless. With years of experience under her belt, Green picked up a job in a small kitchen in Wildwood and began making her own way in a prominently male industry.
In the early 1980s, with a fire in her belly to cook, Chef Pam applied for a sautee cook position in Avalon, NJ, where she became the first female cook on the hot line. Within three years, Pam was named Executive Chef until the restaurant was sold in the early 90s, which would be the catalyst that brought her to Atlantic City.
Pam continued to study her craft as a Sous Chef at The Claridge until opportunity called, and she accepted a position at Caesars Atlantic City, where she knew she’d be able to spread her wings and grow in her career. In 2001, Chef Pam became the first female executive chef in Atlantic City, where she continued to flourish for 19 years at the Sheraton.
Chef Pam explains, “You’re only as good as the people around you. I always hired people that had more training than me, and I learned from them as I learned how to be a good teacher.”
Pam explained that it’s her sobriety and hunger to learn that have been ingredients to her “secret sauce.”
“I had an energy and clarity that a lot of people in our business don’t have,” she shared. “I let my work speak for itself. If I didn’t know something, I asked.”
Since 2020, Chef Pam has served as the Executive Chef for the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City, where she explains, “It’s about so much more than being a chef.”
BGCAC provides meals for approximately 250 kids every night under the culinary leadership of Pam Green with the help of her all-female leadership team. BGCAC’s hospitality program offers the youth an opportunity to learn about nutrition, hospitality, and workforce skills.
“When I started at the Sheraton, I didn’t put on my chef’s coat for two weeks,” Chef Pam told Shore Local. “I watched to see how everyone worked, how we could be better, what made more sense, what I liked or didn’t like. You have to be observant, humble, and assertive. You have to have a balance between humility and assertiveness, especially when you’re a female in this business.”
This week, Pam is walking into her 72nd year healthy, happy, sober, and thriving, stating, “I’ve lived so many years healthy. Having deep and abiding relationships is a blessing, and I am thankful for that.”
