Independent Not Alone

Anyone can open a restaurant. Staying open for almost 30 years is a different story.

In this episode of Independent Not Alone, Ardita sits down with Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi, who have run restaurants for almost 30 years, run their own cookery school, and written 19 cookbooks. Ardita wanted to know what it really takes to build an independent business that lasts, including the hard parts.

Giancarlo and Katie talk about his Tuscan childhood and how it shaped the food they cook, how a mural commission led to their first meeting, and how his mother’s recipes became their first cookbook. They discuss what happens when an owner ends up working in their own kitchen, why that can pull attention away from the business itself, and what pays the bills compared with what feeds the soul. They also get honest about hiring, rising costs, and how they got customers through the door before the internet. Ardita shares her own story of opening with no customers for the first three weeks.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re the only one holding your business together, this conversation is for you.

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Part 2 follows in two weeks.

Find out more about Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi at https://www.caldesi.com

Connect with Ardita and find out more about her work at https://linktr.ee/arditakurtaj

This podcast episode was recorded by Creative Content Studio at Mio Fiore, Newbury. 

The episode was edited by Creative Content Studio.

Most owners and managers want to help a struggling team member. Very few have ever been shown how.

In the final part of this conversation on Independent Not Alone, Ardita sits down with Rachel Kerr-Lapsley, Managing Director of Kelly's Cause, the UK's leading provider of mental health first aid training built specifically for hospitality. Rachel spent 15 years on the front line of restaurants before taking on the charity, and she brings that experience to the practical side of supporting people at work.

Ardita and Rachel discuss what mental health first aid training actually looks like in a kitchen or restaurant, what well-meaning owners often get wrong, and how to start a conversation when you don't know the right words. They cover why you don't have to be the expert, when to bring in outside help, and how to balance one person's needs with the rest of the team. They also look at protecting your own time off, from work phones to training your team to run without you. Rachel closes by sharing how she looks after her own mental health while holding other people's hardest moments, and what keeps her going on the difficult days.

If you've ever felt like you're the only one holding your business together, this conversation is for you.

In this episode:

• What mental health first aid training for hospitality really involves
• The two most common mistakes well-meaning owners make
• How to check in with someone, and why you don't have to fill the silence
• When to say "I'm not the right person to support you, but let's find who is"
• Balancing reasonable adjustments with the needs of the rest of the team
• Protecting your own rest: work phones, leaving WhatsApp behind, and training your team to run without you
• Leading by example on mental health and time off
• Rachel's own routine for staying well, and what keeps her going
• How to support Kelly's Cause through fundraising and training

You can find out more about Kelly’s Cause at https://www.kellyscause.com

Connect with Ardita and find out more about her work at https://linktr.ee/arditakurtaj

This episode contains open discussion of suicide, mental health struggles, and workplace stress within the hospitality industry, including reference to the death of a real person by suicide.

If you are struggling with your mental health or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out for support:

Samaritans: 116 123 (free, 24/7)

Shout: text 85258 (free, 24/7)

This episode is intended to inform and support people working in hospitality.

It is not a substitute for professional help.

This podcast episode was recorded by Creative Content Studio at Mio Fiore, Newbury. 

The episode was edited by Creative Content Studio.

You can't fix every problem in your business. That doesn't mean you should do nothing.

In Part 2 of this conversation on Independent Not Alone, Ardita sits down again with Rachel Kerr-Lapsley, Managing Director of Kelly's Cause, the UK's leading provider of mental health first aid training built specifically for hospitality. Rachel spent 15 years on the front line of restaurants before taking on the charity, and she brings that experience to a practical question: what can an independent owner with no budget actually do for their team?

Ardita and Rachel discuss why so few hospitality workers feel able to talk to their employer, how a new generation is changing what teams expect from work, and why chefs face such high rates of poor mental health. They also look at where independents have an edge over big operators, and where the pressure lands on the owner instead. Rachel then shares two free strategies any business can start this month, and why being honest about what you can't do is often the kindest thing you can offer.

If you've ever felt like you're the only one holding your business together, this conversation is for you.

In this episode:

• Why so many hospitality workers don't feel able to talk to their employer
• How a new generation is changing what teams expect at work
• Why kitchens are so hard on mental health, and what still needs to change
• Independents vs big operators: where small businesses have the advantage
• Two free strategies: publishing rotas a month in advance and gathering formal team feedback
• What to do when you can't afford training or say yes to every request
• Why "clarity is kindness"

You can find out more about Kelly’s Cause at https://www.kellyscause.com

Connect with Ardita and find out more about her work at https://linktr.ee/arditakurtaj

This episode contains open discussion of suicide, mental health struggles, and workplace stress within the hospitality industry, including reference to the death of a real person by suicide.

If you are struggling with your mental health or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out for support:

Samaritans: 116 123 (free, 24/7)

Shout: text 85258 (free, 24/7)

This episode is intended to inform and support people working in hospitality.

It is not a substitute for professional help.

This podcast episode was recorded by Creative Content Studio at Mio Fiore, Newbury. 

The episode was edited by Creative Content Studio.

Running a restaurant is hard enough. Carrying your team's mental health on top of it is a whole different weight.

In this episode of Independent Not Alone, Ardita sits down with Rachel Kerr-Lapsley, Managing Director of Kelly's Cause, the UK's leading provider of mental health first aid training built specifically for hospitality. Rachel spent 15 years on the front line of restaurants before taking on the charity, founded in memory of chef Kelly, whose story is at the heart of why this work exists.

Ardita and Rachel discuss what actually happens when a team member discloses a mental health struggle, why "push through it" culture is still the default in kitchens restaurant floors across the country, and what independent owners can do with or despue their budgets and even time constraints. Rachel also shares how she personally protects her own mental health while holding other people's hardest moments, and why boundaries aren't a luxury, they're the job.

If you've ever felt like you're the only one holding your business together, this conversation is for you.

In this episode:

• Rachel's path from pot wash to Managing Director of Kelly’s Cause
• Why hospitality skills are chronically underrated
• What Kelly's Cause actually does, from training to policy to one-to-one support
• The industry factors that make poor mental health worse, and what helps
• How to build a disclosure pathway that protects your team and you
• Rachel's personal rules for staying well while supporting others

You can find out more about Kelly’s Cause at https://www.kellyscause.com

Connect with Ardita and find out more about her work at https://linktr.ee/arditakurtaj

This episode contains open discussion of suicide, mental health struggles, and workplace stress within the hospitality industry, including reference to the death of a real person by suicide.

If you are struggling with your mental health or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out for support:

Samaritans: 116 123 (free, 24/7)

Shout: text 85258 (free, 24/7)

This episode is intended to inform and support people working in hospitality.

It is not a substitute for professional help.

This podcast episode was recorded by Creative Content Studio at Mio Fiore, Newbury. 

The episode was edited by Creative Content Studio.

Running an independent business can feel like carrying the whole world on your shoulders, alone.

In this trailer for Independent Not Alone, host Ardita Kurtaj explains why she's making this show. After nearly 20 years in corporate roles before opening two restaurants and a coffee shop, Ardita talks candidly about the isolation of ownership: being surrounded by a full room and still being the only person who knows what's really at stake.

She sets out what the show will actually be: some episodes will be Ardita speaking directly to you about the practical stuff, numbers, people, pressure, and the decisions nobody prepares you for. Others will be conversations with people who run something, carry something, or have learned something the hard way, starting with Rachel Kerr-Lapsley of Kelly's Cause.

If you run something, a restaurant, a clinic, a salon, a studio, a shop, an agency, this show is for you.

In this trailer:

• Why Ardita started Independent Not Alone
• The difference between being independent and being alone with it
• What the show will cover, and who it's for
• A first look at the next episode, with Rachel Kerr-Lapsley of Kelly's Cause

Connect with Ardita and find out more about her work at https://linktr.ee/arditakurtaj

This trailer briefly references suicide in the hospitality industry. If you are struggling with your mental health or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out for support:

Samaritans: 116 123 (free, 24/7)
Shout: text 85258 (free, 24/7)