Weary of being unappreciated for her cooking talents, Sofia Beleri took a big chance leaving Greece for Singapore, wanting to prove she could make it – and she did as chef of the Greek restaurant Fotia.

She spoke almost no English and had a new baby but told CNA Women that, “I needed something more,” and she was willing to take a big risk to prove it, the restaurant among the city’s best, the site said, and almost always packed.

By her side is husband and business partner Michalis Chatzinas who stood up for her in Greece when she was an executive chef at the Nautilus Club in Athens, drawing 1000 customers a day.

“In Greece, even though I was the chef, it was really, really hard for me to prove (myself). I was really tired. Why do I have to work 10 times harder to prove that I can do it?” she asked herself.

“I had also spent too much time as a sous chef, doing the hard work while the head and executive chefs took all the credit. They would never mention me.”