Female Pipe Suggestions?

Hmmmm.... You need Red, Romeowood, and Cyndi to wade in on this one. Their opinions should prove very informative and helpful.
I would recommend Lane 1-Q as good starter tobacco... It has a very pleasant room note, never bites, taste is mild, easy to pack, is readily available, and inexpensive. All around a good smoke.
Seeing things through my "Grumpy Old Man" eyes; I would think that a "not over long" longish pipe with a smallish bowl, might fit her stature. I would go with a smooth finish as opposed to a rusticated or sandblast. The reason being IMHO rusticated & sandblasted pipes tend to lean to the dark side when stained... However; a good black smooth finish always looks good, but I was thinking more along the lines of a good light colored flame or straight grain with a little bend in the stem.

Meerschaum while they can be effeminate, they can be a pain in the posterior for the beginner piper. And, that could cause her to become disillusioned.... If you follow my drift.
I wouldn't recommend a porcelain pipe... They look very feminine but just get too hot.

A straight Grabow lark, smooth as suggested above.
Cheap, good smoker, small and won't overwhelm her with its presence.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/larkstraights.html

I think the most important factor here is not that she’s a woman, but she’s a CHEF. She’s used to using quality ingredients and tools (an assumption, but I think a fair one). Because of this I would steer her away from anything cloying or adulterated, like Lane 1Q or Captain Black. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend she smoke ANY aromatics for fear of the flavorings and casings turning her off. Because of her palate I’d recommend high quality simple tobaccos; a straight Virginia like McClelland 5100, a VaPer like C&D Bayou Morning and a medium-level Latakia blend like British Woods.
As for pipes, if she’s the type of chef that spends hundreds (if not THOUSANDS) of dollars on a set of knives then I don’t think she’d be satisfied with a cheap pipe like a Dr. Grabow. Sebastian Beo, Johs, Neerup, and EJH all make excellent artisan-level pipes for less than $100.
Good tools, good ingredients. If you’re going to do it, do it right.

my girlfriend has three pipes that she will smoke when she is doing crafts and artwork. she has two cherrywood pipes, the ones that look as if they are made from a piece of branch, and a small rhodesian. she loves the cherrywood pipes, and i have been smoking her briar to break it in for her. her favorite tobaccos have been mac baren virginia no.1 and captain black (white and gold). at the end of the day i dunno if you ever really know. i would say if you have a b&m you can take her to, i'd do that. most of the people i have turned onto pipes i have had the easiest time just taking them to a tobacconist... looking, feeling, smelling, tasting... these seem to help more than anything i think.

Bigvan (I am not making a dig at you in this post. Just debating the question.)
I certainly agree with you about the pipes. One might also include Cavicchi, Stefano, or Viprati in that mix. I think a good well crafted pipe is certainly the way to go. You can acquire a very good quality pipe for 100 $macker$. Especially, (assuming here) that it's going to be a gift... that shining bit of colored glass displayed around the nest early in the spring (as it were). (and in that endeavor I say: Good Luck Fullbent!)
But given your preface... I have to respectfully disagree on the tobacco recommendations. I believe a milder start/introduction would be the way to go. Just, if for no other reason, than to avoid the hazards of noobie tongue scortch.

However; I do believe a quality VaPer tobacco... say G.L. Pease Haddo's Delight or Rattray's Hal O' The Wynd for an appetizer to a wider world would be appropriate. That being said... I would avoid any latakia blend as a starter... I wouldn't delay introduction to it too long. But, introduce her only if she expresses genuine interest. English blends can be excellent, but they can easily go the other way and are not for everyone.

IMHO.
I think this string is developing into a great debate.

Hell, I wasn't aware that you had to spend $$$$ to get a nice looking and good smoking pipe.
I am going to rethink all of this and get back with you folks....

I have Dr. G's as well guys... and no insult was intended toward that venerable brand.

I am just saying that if Fullbent is "Sparkin'" he might want to use some good fuel to start that fire... :wink:

Dr. Grabow Lark would be the most practical way to go until she knows that pipes are for her, then perhaps a small bowled Petersons. All of the tobacco choices mentioned are good, and don't forget to get her a good pouch, get one with the pipe pocket under the pouch for carrying in her purse. There are several for a reasonable price from the various e-tailers.

Could always go with one of the pipe gift sets like they have at pipesandcigars.com There are two Savinelli sets and two Peterson sets. There are other sets with different kinds of pipes, but that's a good option and it seems like they've paired some good tobaccos with the pipes.
Talking with Cyndi, if you're the type of guy who smokes a Viprati, or Cavvichi and gift a lady friend with a cob or a Grabow, you easily come off as seeming cheap. While this would be acceptable among other guy friends, probably not the best approach with a lady friend. Besides, if she doesn't like smoking a pipe in the end, she'll enjoy the thought of the gift. Then, like others have stated, find out what kinds of flavors she enjoys most and try to pair up with that. Being that she's a chef, that shouldn't be too hard. Even if you can't match it exactly, you should be able to find a blend that compliments her tastes.

A girl mentioning to a guy that she is interested in his hobby is really saying "I like you and I'd like to spend time with you." A guy who is excited about a hobby is different than a guy who is trying to get a girl - they're more confident, knowledgeable, excited, and honest. I'd recommend that you get her a pipe that mirrors what you have - like if you smoke a cob daily, get her a cob but if you smoke a nice briar - expect that giving her a cob may come across as an insult. Then, get some tobacco that you're excited about trying and get together to share it and a bottle of wine. She's not looking to take her pipe and disappear in her woman cave to figure it out for herself. She's looking to learn from someone who loves it. Hell, take her to a B&M for a date or let her dig through your cellar to find something she likes the smell of.
When deciding on a pipe, I would go with whatever you smoke in a smaller and sleeker design. My first pipe was a Bent Bob and I love it. The things I want to hear out of a guy's mouth when he talks about my new gift are "this maker consistently makes beautiful and high quality smoking pipes" not "eh, it's a good pipe to begin with but when you get better at it you're going to want a nicer one." You essentially want your gift to say "I respect your ability to know good quality so I would not give you something I wouldn't smoke myself." Don't forget a pipe tool and a lighter!

When deciding on a pipe, I would go with whatever you smoke in a smaller and sleeker design.

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exactly.
A Grabow Lark, in straight and a smooth finish.
Always room for disagreement and debate in such things, but there is still something very nice about an old school Grabow. They smoke well and forgiving.
I am a firearms collector. Or was one, at one time. Now I just have a collection. I won't get into the things I have here, but I have some higher end stuff. On the practical level (as opposed to, say, Parker shotguns).
My girlfriend (now wife) wanted to get into shooting. I had her purchase a Glock 19, fixed sights. When we were at the range together, I was shooting a custom combat 1911. She was banging away on that (at that time) $350 Glock.
A Glock is like a Grabow. Or a Grabow is like a Glock. You just about can't go wrong with one. They are relatively inexpensive for the generic level of quality and foolproof design. They are simple, easy to are for, and available everywhere. And, at least for me, pipe smoking isn't so I can groove everyone else out on my choice of pipes.

But whatever the hell you do, don't let your old lady (and, yes, I use that term) cut the stinger off your Kaywoodie. She does that, and soon enough it is your stinger she will be cutting off.

But whatever the hell you do, don't let your old lady (and, yes, I use that term) cut the stinger off your Kaywoodie. She does that, and soon enough it is your stinger she will be cutting off.

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:rofl:

But then you're only looking at one aspect of what Cyndi had to say and comparing pipes with firearms isn't exactly an even comparison.
Even with firearms, which her father and I love, only she could truly pick out a gun she felt comfortable holding and operating.
Pipes in many ways are more like jewelry, IMHO. They're accessories, but one you must have in order to enjoy the tobacco. You don't go all out, but you also don't want to go with the most common, easy to obtain item. Granted, they are good smokers, but there's more thought that goes into a gift than just utilitarian aspects.

OK, I will mention the obvious, which is almost never tried. Rather than try to read her mind and guess her motives, ask her directly.
"Did you really want to try a pipe? One of mine, or do you want your own? Do you want me to drop $100 into this, or is there something else you would prefer? Would you like to go shopping for it with me, or do you prefer to be surprised? Would you prefer that we both learn fly fishing together? How about take karate classes together? What would it take to make you happy?"
FYI, once my girlfriend, now wife of 19 years, and I recognized how totally oblivious each of us was, our relationship really grew. Unfortunately, we have met few other couples that communicate like we do now.
I recommend the starter kits that many vendors offer. That is what I wish I had when I decided to smoke a pipe.
Winton

Go for it!

Lawrence, I get your point. However I've always thought that a mild/medium English tobacco is less off-putting to an open-minded newbie than overly sugared, poor quality burley-heavy drugstore blends.
And assuming a chef would be more open to new and interesting flavors than an average neophyte, I stand by my suggestion of British Woods.

You can't go wrong with cyndi's advice on this one. The Savinelli "Favorite" pipes (Bing's Favorite, Clark's Favorite, Favorite Prince) would be a good place to start. They have elegant shapes and sleek lines. They're fairly small in size and should be well suited for her smaller stature. The Black & White Favorites start around $50:

http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/savinelli/index.cfm

Cyndi nailed this one.