Chef Life Radio

If you're feeling the frustration of implementing mental health initiatives in the restaurant industry, only to see minimal improvement in outcomes despite your best efforts, then you are not alone!

IN THE WEEDS? IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS IN CRISIS, CALL 988, PRESS 1 FOR VETERANS, PRESS 2 FOR SPANISH

My special guest is Chef Patrick Mulvaney.

Meet the inspirational Chef Patrick Mulvaney, a culinary talent with a mission to support mental health in the restaurant world.

Hailing from Queens, New York, Patrick discovered his passion for the farm-to-table experience in Sacramento, California, where he opened his beloved restaurant, Mulvaney BNL.

With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by those in his industry, Patrick founded "I Got Your Back," a program to cultivate a supportive environment for restaurant staff.

His unwavering dedication to fostering open communication and empathy sets Patrick apart as a true advocate for change in the hospitality industry.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Gain valuable insights into the crucial role of mental health in the restaurant industry.
• Discover the remarkable Purple Hand program, designed to raise mental health awareness and support for professionals in the field.
• Grasp the unique challenges of taking on leadership positions within the restaurant industry.
• Learn effective methods for fostering a culture of vulnerability and open communication among staff.
• Identify essential crisis resources and support systems accessible to restaurant employees.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• Visit the I Got Your Back program website to learn more about the mental health resources available for hospitality workers.
• Consider implementing the purple hand position in your workplace to provide peer guidance and support.
• Check out Not 9 to 5, an organization that provides mental health training tailored to the hospitality industry.
• Practice asking How are you doing? Really? To open up opportunities for conversation and support with colleagues and friends.
• Support local farmers and producers by shopping at farmers' markets and building relationships with those who grow and harvest our food.

Dive deeper into this episode, including bonus content, links mentioned in the show, and information about other programs supporting mental health awareness in the hospitality industry; click here.

Join over 2K other culinary professionals leveling up their leadership skills by subscribing to the Chef Life Brigade Bulletin, here.

Access every episode of Chef Life Radio's "On The Dock," plus other member benefits when you join the Chef Life Brigade. Click here for more information.

The key moments in this episode are:

(00:00:00) - Introduction

(00:01:09) - Celebrating Sacramento's Agriculture

(00:07:17) - I Got Your Back Program

(00:09:35) - Bourdain's Death

(00:10:57) - Creating a Supportive Environment

(00:15:05) - Importance of Mental Health

(00:17:53) - The Responsibility of the Purple Hand

(00:21:27) - Directing People to Resources

(00:23:35) - Training and Mentoring

(00:25:06) - Success of the Purple Hand Program

A Holiday Salute to the Troops, and when I say troops, I do mean YOU.

This episode features content first published in 2016 and re-run here for your pleasure.

Gratitude for Culinary Professionals

Culinary professionals, chefs, and kitchen workers often find themselves working long hours in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, especially during the holiday season. During these times, their hard work and dedication truly shine, as they labor to create memorable meals and experiences for those fortunate enough to partake.

While their efforts often go unnoticed, their contribution to the holiday celebration is immeasurable. This realization begs the need to emphasize and appreciate the labor of love these individuals invest in their craft.

Podcast host, Adam, offers sincere gratitude to these culinary professionals for holding the fort during one of the year's busiest seasons. Making a personal sacrifice to serve others while they enjoy their time off may feel challenging, and Adam acknowledges this.

He conveys his heartfelt appreciation and encourages them to pause and celebrate their hard work, reflecting a true understanding of kitchen life and the professionals who make it happen.

If you're feeling undervalued and underappreciated for the countless hours you pour into creating culinary masterpieces, only to receive minimal recognition and acknowledgment, then you are not alone!

Despite your dedication and talent, your hard work may go unnoticed or taken for granted, leaving you disheartened and demotivated. Your efforts in the kitchen may be overshadowed by the spotlight given to other aspects of the dining experience, leaving you feeling like your contributions are not valued.

But rest assured, there are others in the culinary industry who understand your struggles and are seeking to uplift and appreciate your work.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Experiment with understanding the emotional turbulence chefs experience in the fast-paced culinary industry.
• Admire the culinary artists for their unwavering dedication during the seasonal festivities.
• Plunge into the beautiful journey of 'Chef Life Radio', a podcast constantly metamorphosing to cater to its listeners.
• Dive into the captivating influence of Eminem's masterpieces on various sections of society.
• Show gratitude towards chefs and kitchen staff, the backbone of the restaurant industry.

Key Takeaways

• Unravel the mental and emotional battles that chefs face in their everyday life in the culinary world.
• Experience the passion and zeal of kitchen magicians who work relentlessly, even during the holiday season.
• Witness the evolution and remarkable commitment of the 'Chef Life Radio podcast in creating profound content for its audience.
• Explore the intriguing impact of Eminem's music on diverse audience groups.
• Appreciate the tireless dedication and efforts of chefs and kitchen staff, the unsung heroes of the food industry.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• Text the word "Home" to 741741 for free mental and emotional support in the US and Canada.
• Text the word Burnt Chef to 85258 for free mental and emotional support in the UK.
• Share the show with someone you love or someone in your workplace who might benefit from it.
• Follow Chef Life Radio on social media and let us know how we're doing.
• Visit The Heirloom Foundation at www.theheirloomfoundation.org to support healthier work environments in the culinary industry.
• Visit www.chefswithissues.com for resources, solutions, and support for mental health in the culinary industry.
• Read No Reservations by Anthony Bourdain.
• Remember: "Holidays and Buffets bring out the worst in people" by Chef Greg Barnhill.
• Finally: Embrace your passion and be relentless in your willingness to learn and overcome adversity in your culinary career.
• But do yourself a favor and get a hobby anyway.

Join over 2K other chefs who subscribe to the Chef Life Brigade Bulletin Newsletter: Every week, gain insight into the essential soft skills they didn't teach you at culinary school.

Consider leaving a tip or joining our exclusive podcast subscription plan and get access to the entire back catalog of shows plus exclusive episode content every month.

Support for The Hospitality Industry:

Chowco.org

I Got Your Back

The Burnt Chef Project

Chef Life Coaching

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This show is sponsored by:

If you're interested in sponsoring this show, email me at [email protected]

Tomas Stephensen at Podlike co-produced this episode.

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This is a production of Realignment Media

"The point is that the different motivation strategies are unique across every person, and everybody has their own unique culture."

Kimi Avary joins the show to discuss the challenges of maintaining proper boundaries and clear communication in work-related or personal relationships.

Kimi Avary is a relationship expert and coach who helps people navigate their relationships with others. She has a Master's in Counseling and Psychology and a Bachelor's in Family Studies and Human Development. She is also an NLP Master Practitioner.

She has many years of experience coaching clients and helping them build better lives. She emphasizes the importance of communication and relationships in all aspects of life, personal or professional.

In this episode, you will learn the following:

1. The different ways that men and women are motivated 
2.  The importance of communication in relationships 
3.  The challenges faced by women in male-dominated industries

Grab your copy of this show's exclusive bonus content by clicking here.

Kimi Avary Resources:

Kimi on Your Tango

Kimi On FB

Conscious Couple Network

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

209: On The Dock with Deidra McGuiness-Ciolko

206: On The Dock with Chef James Shirley

Connect with me:

[email protected]

FB

Linkedin

This show is sponsored by:

If you're interested in sponsoring this show, email me at [email protected]

Support for The Hospitality Industry:

Chowco.org

I Got Your Back

The Burnt Chef Project

Chef Life Coaching

Grab your copy of this show's exclusive bonus content by clicking here.

Special Tip o the Toque to Satyen Raja for influencing this episode's conversation.

Tomas Stephensen at Podlike co-produced this episode.

If you'd like your podcast to sound as good as mine, click this link to get 15% off regular production costs.

The titles, show notes, social media, and blog content powered by Capsho

Chapter Summaries:

(00:00:000) - Kimi Avary is a relationship expert. Adam and Kimi haven't seen each other for a long time. Kimi's clients become her dearest friends, and she wants to keep in touch with them when their lives are better. Adam feels the same way.

(00:00:39)- Keeping the proper boundaries set regarding your coaching clients cannot be easy. When she meets with each person individually, she aims to understand things they cannot share with their partners. Her job is to be stealthy and to help drop subjects and topics into the joint session so that each person feels they're addressing something important.

(00:04:07) - The masculine is a provider, protector, and energy producer. The feminine is the supporter. Enhancer energy. They complement each other. The dynamic between the masculine and the feminine will impact how we work and get things done. I consider myself 60%, 55% masculine, and 45% feminine.

(00:09:10) - Kimi believes that the feminine focuses on adapting, while the masculine focuses on hunting. NLP helped Kimmy with her motivation strategy when she was trying to lose weight and quit smoking. Germaine has worked in the service industry for most of her life. Her first executive chef job was with a feminine sous chef, Lori Walker. I believe that women in the industry are harder than most men because they can't take a day off, complain about their period, and they're not allowed to be feminine.

(00:19:41) - As a woman goes through menopause, her testosterone levels drop, and the corpus callosum, the brain's center, narrows for men. The brain widens, and he can multitask a little bit more. So there's that aspect.

(00:21:25) - There is no glass ceiling if women allow men to contribute to them. After four years of a program called Beyond the Glass Ceiling, Shell Oil lost many women engineers. In the culinary industry, women were expected to perform better in the early years. In this context, using cocaine was a problem for them. As a chef, I need to field a team that can accomplish everything and maximizes their experience as well as mine. Some memes on Facebook are around chefs who have transitioned to being performance coaches. For the longest time, chefs didn't take any courses or sit in a classroom-style setting unless they went to a national conference.

(00:30:59) - As an NLP practitioner, she wants to understand her clients. She wants to use whatever pronouns or names they prefer. She believes people should be curious about each other and ask vulnerable questions to get to the root of the problem. She also believes the organization should provide an environment where people can grow richer.

(00:34:36) - “I want to get to know you to serve you as your manager better. I didn't hire you because I thought you were amazing or because I could see potential in you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your vulnerability and partnership in the show and offering your wonderful pieces of wisdom. I don't know anybody that doesn't want a more harmonious personal life.

Chef Jeremy Leinen is the Executive Chef of Dunwoody Country Club outside of Atlanta.

"I keep hearing people blame the unemployment and all that stuff for why people aren't returning to work. Obviously, this industry has a lot more work to do, culturally speaking. That's the reason why people haven't been rushing back to do it. And I get it."

Chef recently sat down for a conversation, and he discussed how COVID has impacted their lives and businesses.

Chef Jeremy's mother and grandmother both contracted the virus, and his mother is still dealing with the effects (referred to as "long COVID").

Despite this, he remains positive and believes things are slowly getting better. He advises others who may be considering reentering the workforce, telling them that the industry is changing and progressing positively.

Despite the challenges, there's still much to love about the restaurant industry.



In this episode, you will learn the following:

1. How Jeremy Leinen and his family coped with COVID-19.

2. How the hospitality industry has been affected by the pandemic.

3. What advice would Jeremy Leinen give to those considering re-entering the workforce?

Resources:

Chef Jeremy on Linkedin

Chef Jeremy in Club & Resort Chef Magazine

Chapter Summaries:

(00:00:00) - During the podcast, he talked about his family. His mom got COVID, and his grandmother has congestive heart failure. He used to work out a lot in the gym to keep himself sane during this difficult time. He worked with a coach then, but it was almost like living in a sane asylum.

(00:02:32) - One of his sous chefs got COVID. He and another sous chef both woke up sick on the same day. The test came back negative, but it was one of those rapid tests that you get wrong all the time. Mostly, his team maintained their health and had no serious issues.

(00:03:52) - A lot of people lost their jobs during the shit down. The industry is going through some growing pains, but things are changing. If you don't want to be in the industry, don't be in it. It's not going to be the Shangrila for a little while.

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

Chef and Fitness Coach Tarren Camm

Executive Chef James Shiley

Kriss Hall of the Burnt Chef Project

Connect with me:

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Twitter

LinkedIn

Website

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here

OR on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

As the Executive Chef at Dunwoody Country Club in Atlanta, GA, Jeremy Leinin must grapple with the squandered human capital of the industry and a lack of skilled workers amid a pandemic crisis.

"My gut reaction at the time was that we would have to gut our staffs and still find a way to do everything that we always had to do anyway."

Chef Jeremy Leinin is the Executive Chef of Dunwoody Country Club outside of Atlanta.

He discusses how the pandemic has affected his business. He talks about how the industry is facing a crisis with a lack of skilled workers. He also talks about how the industry has squandered human capital for a long time.

In this episode, you will learn the following:

1. How the food service industry is expected to react to the challenges of the COVID pandemic

2. The potential consequences of the labor shortage in the food service industry

3. The importance of quality of life for employees in the food service industry

Resources:

Chef Jeremy on Linkedin

Chef Jeremy in Club & Resort Chef Magazine

Chapter Summaries:

[00:00:00] - Business is picking up in the industry lately. However, it's not quite back to normal yet because people are still recovering from the flu pandemic that has affected the industry recently “everybody thinks the pandemic is over, but obviously, it is not. “

[00:00:30] - COVID closed for a month around St. Patrick's Day last year. It was supposed to be two weeks, but it turned out to be a lot longer. The club was closed for about a month, and then it slowly came back with golf, a limited-to-go program, and a limited card offering.

[00:01:50] - There's a six-week period between late April, May, and early June when everybody wants to do everything all at once. The weather is nice, so the weather is good, and golf is busy. People are having weddings and graduation parties. The pool opens, and it's pretty much all systems go all at the same time. The COVID and the staffing challenges we had hit a fever pitch for us at the club for a minute.

[00:05:11] - Kobe didn't lose too many staff members during the shutdown. He was proud of how the club stepped up and cared for the staff. Over time, he lost a couple of people due to the lack of banquets. He will read some of your articles in Club and Resort Chef magazine.

[00:07:30] - There are some positive trends in the food service industry that give him more optimism about the future of the industry. He has worked under four different GMs in the 17 years he's been in the industry, and he's seen different mentalities. The way he's reacted to the short staffing that he's had has changed his tune about things. Being a cook is hard work and doesn't pay very well. Many skilled professionals have to work two jobs just to not live in poverty. The industry has to figure out the crisis it's up against right now because it's not glamorous and hard work.

[00:13:17] - There is a labor shortage in the food industry. The industry has squandered human capital for a long time. It's going to take a lot more than pay increases to solve the problem. Some people in the industry always want to be detached from their families. They want to put food on the table and take care of their families. Paul Sorgel talked about the fact that the industry doesn't invest in its people like it used to. Most operations can't afford to do that. In his current operation, only sous chefs were allowed to cut meat, and nobody else knew how to do it.

[00:20:47] - In the future, the industry is going to change dramatically, especially with the shift towards casual dining and quick-service restaurant concepts. The industry is hyper-competitive, and it devalues its own product and its own skill set. It's also trying to undercut each other and be more efficient.

[00:24:43] - In the article ”take charge of your career,”. There are six lessons for people who want to have a more fulfilling career. One of them is the idea of servant leadership. In the culinary world, it's a little different than what most people are used to. In a leadership position, your success is defined by the success of your subordinates.

[00:28:11] - Chef explains to staff how to be patient and not get too worked up over one day without going according to plan. He reminds staff that tomorrow is a new day, and they can start over.

Sign up for the Chef Life Radio Newsletter by clicking here

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

Kriss Hall of The Burnt Chef Project

The Great Reset

Connect with me:

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Facebook

YouTube

Twitter

LinkedIn

Website

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here

OR on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Corporate Chef Ryan Dodge and Restauranteur Doug Newhook join Jim Taylor of Benchmark Sixty and Adam Lamb of Realignment Hospitality to discuss building highly effective restaurant teams and balancing the equation of motivation versus inspiration.

Connect with Doug or Chef Ryan by clicking this link

Turning the Table Is the most progressive weekly podcast for today's food and beverage industry, featuring staff-centric operating solutions for restaurants in the #newhospitalityculture.

Join Jim Taylor of Benchmark Sixty and Adam Lamb as they "turn the tables" on the prevailing operating assumptions of running a restaurant in favor of innovative solutions to our industry's most persistent challenges.

Sponsored by Benchmark Sixty Restaurant Services

Check out the videocast every Thursday at 12N ET

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Benchmark Sixty sponsors this show; check out their unique staff retention solution

In partnership with Realignment Hospitality

Copyright 2023 Realignment Media

Do you feel like you're stuck in a rut at work? Tired of taking ineffective actions that don't seem to lead to any positive change in your industry? If so, this episode is for you!

Learn from Tarren Cramm so that you can get the positive change

In this episode of On The Dock, featuring Tarren Cramm, we cover:

1. The importance of mindfulness and self-care for chefs and other hospitality workers.

2. The challenges of working in the hospitality industry, particularly in regard to long hours and physical demands.

3. The potential for positive change in the hospitality industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources:

Connect with Tarren on:

Facebook

Instagram

Website

Sign up for the Chef Life Radio Newsletter by clicking here

https://heltstudioaffiliateprogram.sjv.io/QO9A6z

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

Kriss Hall of The Burnt Chef Project

The Great Reset

Connect with me:

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Twitter

LinkedIn

Website

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here

OR on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Does this sound familiar? You've been told to smile more, be more positive, and just act like you're happy to be there, even when you're not. But you're not seeing any positive change in your industry. You're still stuck in the same dead-end job.

"Something has got to give. And hospitality. The service industry in general, outside of chefs, bartenders, waitresses, waiters, et cetera, it's being exposed to the point that it has to change."

Tarren Camm is a chef and hospitality industry professional from Melbourne, Australia. He has worked in kitchens around the world and is now a fitness industry professional.

This is Tarren Camm's story...

Tarren Camm is a chef from Melbourne, Australia. He started his career washing dishes and eventually became a head steward. He then transitioned into working in lower-end pubs and higher-end restaurants. Cramm eventually found his home in cafes, which he says is a great place to deliver quality food at a fair price. He then moved to London to open a Melbourne-style brunch cafe. After returning to Melbourne, Cramm switched to the fitness industry. He now works with chefs all over the world to help them improve their physical and mental health.

In this episode, you will learn the following:

1. The importance of mindfulness and self-care for chefs and other hospitality workers.

2. The challenges of working in the hospitality industry, particularly regarding long hours and physical demands.

3. The potential for positive change in the hospitality industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources:

Connect with Tarren on:

Facebook

Instagram

Website

Chapter Summaries:

(00:00:00) - Tarren Cam is in Melbourne, Australia. It's about 8-10 degrees there. At 7 am, Tarren Cam and his wife give each other half an hour of silence before connecting with each other to create a sacred time of day for themselves and their family. Since he's incorporated the idea of mindfulness into his daily routine, his work has changed.

(00:01:56) - Tarren Cam is a former chef who worked in the hospitality industry. He started at the age of 15, washing dishes in a small town 2 hours away from where he grew up. After traveling around Australia, he applied for an apprenticeship in a restaurant on the other side of the country and got the job. Tarren moved to London and opened a Melbourne-style brunch cafe. Once you get to a certain level, people see you where you're at, and you're diligent and clean. You couldn't have got a better grounding in the industry than to start there. So good on you, man. You're good to yourself.

(00:06:50) - As a young and energetic chef, he threw his body around recklessly and stressed his back out. Now he's aware of the kitchen's physical environment, the importance of posture, and how you're using your body balance. There's a shift occurring in the industry, and he's grateful for COVID 19 Covet has just reopened after a two-week circuit breaker in Melbourne. The service industry, in general, is being exposed to a point where it has to change. The Burnt Chef Project, based out of the UK, is doing an incredible amount of information gathering and studies. RCM wants everybody to win in the hospitality industry. RCM encourages his chefs to focus on being the influence and to listen to each other. He wants to create a team vibe where they look after each other and care for themselves and their health. The first thing I preach is getting your mind right, becoming aware of its patterns, and being aware of who it is driving this vehicle. That is your body. For me, the number of times I tried to get it together and failed was epic because the number one thing wasn't dealt with. Clarity Week is a week-long training for chefs.

(00:23:27) - Terrence is a personal trainer and a chef. He has a new program for his clients called Baby Steps. It's about building a career in health and fitness. Terrence's expertise is human movement. He wants to help his clients to be certain of themselves and take action. Terrence is one of his biggest fans. Terrence is impressed with the way Terrence and his team have built an amazing community in their online kitchen. He believes the industry needs to change and is changing to improve the quality of life for people in the industry.

Sign up for the Chef Life Radio Newsletter by clicking here

https://heltstudioaffiliateprogram.sjv.io/QO9A6z

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

Kriss Hall of The Burnt Chef Project

The Great Reset

Connect with me:

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Twitter

LinkedIn

Website

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here

OR on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Deidra McGuiness-Ciolko is a restauranteur and professor who moved to Costa Rica and started her own restaurant, Gordika's FreshMex. She talks about her journey from Boston to the Caribbean and her experience during the pandemic. She advises people thinking about starting their own businesses to be careful what they wish for and treat their business as if it were someone else's.

"I just figured, we're going to make it, it's going to be fine. We had to close for five months, and that was tough. The laws here in the Dominican Republic regarding the curfews are very strict, and you don't reach back. We shut down" - Deidra McGuiness-Ciolko.

Gordito's on the web

Gordito's on FB

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Mentioned in this episode:

The Reluctant Book Marketer Podcast

Jody J. Sperling writes fiction. He's spent twenty years dreaming of the phone call from FSG, accepting his novel for publication, but after landing a literary agent in 2019 and failing to woo publishers, Jody's dream wilted. While he never quit writing and reading, by the end of 2021, he'd so completely lost track of his purpose that he'd amassed a portfolio of rental houses and was toying with starting a short-term rental business. Then he had a vision of all the people who, like him, had pursued their dream of publishing only to find themselves disillusioned and defeated. That's the day he decided to found THE RELUCTANT BOOK MARKETER, a podcast to help writers with their marketing mindset.

The Chef Life Brigade Community

A quick programming note; over the last several months, we've added two new shows to the Realignment Media podcast network. They've been such a hit with our listeners that we've decided to give them their very own slot.

You can find "Line Check," a short form podcast about culinary leadership for the #newkitchenculture, by clicking here.

And "Turning the Table," a round table discussion about staff-centric solutions for today's most pressing restaurant problems, sponsored by Benchmark Sixty.

You can find "Turning the Table" by clicking this link.

Please follow, like and subscribe to the shows, and please leave us a review - it really does help others find the show.

Thanks for being such a loyal Chef Life Radio listener. We so appreciate the support!

Stand tall & frosty, brothers and sisters.

Be well & do good.