Everyone’s got roots and influences that drive their passion. And when it comes to cooking food, the tie that binds for many female chefs seems to be the humble and practical aspects of the kitchen, no matter that they’re creating gourmet products.

That’s certainly the case for the female chefs who will share the fruits of their labor at the "Girls Got Game" brunch Sept. 9 at Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa.

Chefs Christina Tosi, owner of Momofuku Milk Bar in New York; Susan Feniger, co-host of "Too Hot Tamales" and owner of STREET and Border Grill restaurants; and Joanne Chang, owner of Flour Bakery+Cafe and Myers+Chang in Boston, will join Hawaii’s Jacqueline Lau, corporate executive chef of Roy’s Restaurants, to create dishes for the Sunday brunch.

Their dishes will feature products provided by female Hawaii farmers such as Michelle Galimba of Kuahiwi Ranch, Lesley Hill of Wai­lea Agricultural Group, Shin Ho of Shin Farms, Candy Suiso of Makaha Mangoes and Monique van der Stroom and Sabrina St. Martin of Naked Cow Dairy.

Feniger, who has been in the culinary business for some 35 years, says her earliest influence was her mother, who kept their home filled with visitors who enjoyed her food.

"In some ways there is a tie-in because my mom loved things really well seasoned. I think my taste for strong flavors came from her in a big way," Feniger said via email.

Tosi, meanwhile, is known for her dessert creations crafted from ordinary pantry items. Her infamous Compost Cookie combines rolled oats with coffee grounds, potato chips and pretzels. She says that when concocting a new recipe, "inspirations come from everywhere": a restaurant dish, a favorite snack, a Krispy Kreme doughnut.

"I love the kitchen cupboard approach to crafting a new recipe," Tosi said via email. "The challenge of making ‘something’ out of ‘nothing’ is my never-ending quest."

Feniger says that when she started out, the culinary world was much more of a man’s domain, but she wasn’t daunted by that fact.

"My goal was to learn everything about food, from pastries to butchering to filleting fish, to being on the line, dishwasher, and I was barely aware that being a woman made any difference," she recalled. "I was truly focused on a bigger picture."

Yet Feniger acknowledges that being female probably does affect the way she interacts in the kitchen.

"As a woman in the industry, I think I might be more aware of how people feel. That has always been my perspective. I want to hear people, what they have to say, how they feel, if there are issues, what I can do to help," she said. "I feel like we have tried to create an environment that is respectful, loving, feels like family. That seems to me very female. But, believe me, I know there are women who don’t necessarily pre­sent that same sensibility, and men who do!"

Like Feniger, Hill of Wai­lea Ag Farm has been in her field for four decades. In 1972 at age 21, she started her first farm in Hawaii and was the lone woman among male farmers leading the community. Today female farmers are one of the few growing demo­graph­ics in farming nationwide. Hill said she believes that, in general, women have an affinity for farming.

"There’s a basic nurturing nature about women that lends them to be particularly good farmers. The role of farmer is assumed to be a man’s role, but we’re not ‘farm-ettes.’ We’re full-fledged farmers," she said.

Both Tosi and Feniger are glad to be working with products from women.

"I love that we get to be part of the ‘Girls Got Game’ brunch, featuring our skills and points of view on food with the labor of love of the other women, what they’ve literally grown and created, side by side," said Tosi.

"There’s something very special to supporting other women, especially in a profession that is typically know to be male-dominated," said Feniger.

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