'>Let’s Talk About Chefs’ Mental Health
by Catherine
With 4 out of 5 hospitality professionals reporting to have experienced at least one mental health issue during their career, it’s no surprise that an increasing amount of chefs are considering leaving the industry. From long hours to working in high-pressure environments, there are many contributing factors to the increasing problem there is with mental health in the hospitality sector.
Although there’s been a shift in chef’s attitudes towards speaking out about mental health over the past decade, there is still work to be done. This is why we’ve teamed up with The Burnt Chef Project to raise awareness and provide support for our private chefs that might be struggling with their mental health as well as the thousands of other chefs working across the UK.
What is ‘Chef Burnout’?
If you’ve worked in the hospitality industry, it’s likely that you’ve heard of the term ‘Chef Burnout’. This is where a chef feels an overwhelming amount of stress, exhaustion and a negatively towards their profession – something that’s often due to being overworked. Here are a few signs to look out for:
- Irritability
- Anger
- Depression
Of course, we’re all human and it’s normal for us to experience these emotions every now and then. However, if this seems out of character or a continuous feeling, then it’s likely that you’re suffering from a Chef Burnout.
How Do Chef’s Overcome Stress?
Although this profession is inevitably going to be high-pressure and fast-paced at times, it doesn’t mean that chef’s should feel stressed and overwhelmed all the time. If you are feeling like this, it’s important to remember that this is a temporary feeling – with the help of resources and small lifestyle changes, you’ll be on the right track to start feeling like yourself again. Whilst we hope our Dineindulge private chefs find working in client homes an enjoyable environment it doesn’t mean it isn’t stressful and so here are some helpful tips from the Burnt Chef Project for managing your stress-levels:
Meditating/Mindfulness
These tools have been around for centuries and studies have shown either of these to have amazing benefits to your mental health and wellbeing. They don’t always involve listening to Enya with that awkward crossed leg pose but even turning off your phone, sitting quietly and observing the sights, smells and touch of your surroundings for 5 minutes is a great place to start.
Staying Active
Studies have shown that as little as 20 minutes of exercise a day can lead to an improvement in both physical and mental health. You don’t have to be Mo Farah and run a marathon, a 20 minute walk to work or on your lunch break will suffice. Just get those arms and legs moving and open your lungs.
Eating right
Did you know that the happy hormone serotonin is mostly found in your gut? 90% to be precise! Although it might be tempting to skip a meal or eat something quick and easy after a long shift, it’s incredibly important to look after your yourself if you want a healthy mind and body.
We would recommend starting a food diary for a week. Note what food you eat and how you feel about 4 – 6 hours later. You may notice that your mood, and energy take a dip after heavy carb loaded meals compared to if you were to eat meals rich in vitamins B and D.
Listing your worries
Do you find your mind a little full of worries that circulate around and around? Keep a journal and write down your worries or concerns on paper. Sometimes, simply listing them on paper helps remove them from your brain and allows you to refocus or rephrase them into more objective terms. Remember that scene from Harry Potter where they pull their memories out of their brain with a wand?
“46% would not feel comfortable talking about their health concerns with their colleague”
Our Private Chefs’ Experiences:
The Burnt Chef Project recently conducted a survey that showed that 8 out of 10 (84%) of respondents had experienced mental health issues within their career and 46% would not feel comfortable talking about their health concerns with their colleague. We would like to end the stigma of speaking out about mental health in the cheffing industry and so we have reached out to two of our private chefs here at Dineindulge to discuss their personal experiences in the industry:
Chef 1:
What are some of the difficult conditions, particularly in a restaurant setting, that can contribute to mental health problems for chefs?
“In a hotel or a restaurant kitchen, your anxiety levels are going through the roof pre-service because you’re wondering “right, I’ve got a table of 20 and a table of 16”. It all looks great on paper because it’s spaced out – but, it doesn’t work like that. They could arrive at 7.30pm, have a drink, and not be ready until 8.15pm. You can get double-hit by both checks.
It’s fight or flight. I’ve been a chef for over 30 years and I’ve never walked out of a job or a service – I’ve always done it. I’ve had battles, don’t get me wrong, but it’s most definitely the adrenaline that gets you through the job. I link it to a hospital, where you suddenly have a patient that comes in on life-support and your adrenaline immediately pumps. It’s the same in hospitality.”
What are your coping methods?
“At the moment, I’ve taken on a little bit too much outside of Dineindulge, but I know that I’ve got a week in Malaga coming up so I’m just working towards that. I’m thinking “I’ll get through it and then I’ll have my holiday”. Try and break it down into little small things to get through the day.”
Do you feel you can better cope with this stress with Dineindulge in home private chef work rather than restaurant work?
“It’s a lot easier working for you guys than it is in the trade. When I’m going to a cook for someone in their home, I know exactly what I’m looking for, exactly what time, and exactly what food – that’s on me. So, if it goes horribly wrong, it’s my fault. There’s no outside influences, so as long as you’re on point, you should have a great service and, thankfully, that has happened to me in all the events.
You’re in charge – there’s no outside influences. You can change your mindset pre-event. With Dineindulge, you are kind of the “master of your own destiny”. You are more functional within your own time-frame – whereas, in a hotel you’d have to be in as soon as the door opens and you’re against time anyway. Working as a private chef for Dineindulge, from my point of view, is definitely a better mental health avenue to go down.”
Chef 2:
First of all, we wanted to hear about what your thoughts are on the hospitality sector in general.
“There’s a level of machismo where, if you cut your finger off or burn yourself, you keep going – a chef is indestructible. You make a light-hearted laugh about it. The younger guys that are coming on are not prepared to work the hours that we are used to.
There’s been days where I’ve been working from 5am and that’s without a break. Chefs are expected to put in that little bit extra to come in earlier than specified and to leave only when everything is done and, whether there is two of us in the kitchen or ten of us in the kitchen, we’re still putting out the same number of plates of food. A lot of people don’t understand how it works in the kitchen.”
“The pressure is not always from management; it’s to keep your mates going and to put on a brave face”
Do you feel that there’s more pressure on the individual in the hospitality industry compared with other industries?
“You’re always seen as letting the team down. The pressure is not always from management; it’s to keep your mates going and to put on a brave face. That’s where the whole Burnt Out Chef Project comes into – trying to maker a safer place for people to say ‘hey, this is too much’ or ‘I need time to myself and my family’ and it’s acceptable to say those things.”
So, you’re a member of The Burnt Chef Project – what does that involve?
“I subscribe to what they’re doing, I get all the information from them which gives you an understanding of what’s happening in the industry and ways to handle things. When somebody is talking to me, I know where to refer them to – rather than just saying ‘oh, man up’.”
Do you have any tips for fellow chefs/employers in the hospitality sector?
“Chefs need to start taking each other a bit more seriously instead of just brushing it off and laughing. At the end of the day, learning to shut up. The second thing is becoming approachable and properly looking at somebody and saying ‘how are you doing today?’ – just being a bit more genuine about it. The banter culture is great and needed because it’s a stress relief. But, also knowing when to stop is just as important. We need to actually listen and see when someone actually has a problem. More importantly, it needs to be known that people can talk to you.”
Our Head Development Chef, Sam, shared a very insightful post on Instagram about his personal experience with mental health in the industry. Here’s what he said:
“I am a chef and, unfortunately, there have been times I’ve found it difficult to say that. Sometimes, people picture us working long hours for little money in a grubby basement kitchen. Sweaty, angry, tired, untrustworthy, uncivilised, not socially trained, sometimes even managing alcohol or drug addictions and unable to string a sentence together without punctuating every other word with “f**k”. When I first started out, I had no idea that some people think so lowly of chefs. We are wired differently to other people, but that enables us to work incredibly hard for long, long hours in a challenging work environment. One thing that brings us all together in the chef world is passion. Passion for the work we produce and the experience we provide people. We focus on the pure pleasure of food, using the best ingredients and pushing ourselves to achieve something through blood sweat and tears! The process and the end product is what brings us joy and is what we live for. I want to use this platform to connect with others in the industry and to speak out about the challenges which we face not only in the kitchen, but in our personal lives too. Chefs are renowned for being stoic, emotionless individuals, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Mental health matters, now more than ever, and I want to speak out and help others.”
What is ‘The Burnt Chef Project’?
The Burnt Chef Project is a registered non-profit within the UK which challenges mental health stigma within the hospitality industry. The Burnt Chef Project was setup to significantly reduce this epidemic and challenge attitudes towards mental health through sales of custom branded merchandise.
If you or someone that you know if struggling with their mental health at the moment, please check out The Burnt Chef Instagram page, website or podcast for more helpful information, free services and resources and stories from others talking openly about mental health.
Here’s three of our Dineindulge chefs proudly wearing their Mental Health Awareness Day badges at an event:
