The Burnt Chef Project: tackling mental health in hospitality

This lasted with me all the way through until I was thirty, when I again experienced a relapse of ill mental health and sought CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) to get some help. It was at that point my therapist helped me realise that we all have an internal monologue and thoughts that we deal with on a daily basis which we don’t advertise to others. This is further compounded through the use of social media.

Working in the hospitality industry I saw the effect that the working conditions were having on its workforce through my own learned experience. Chef friends who were struggling with relationships, suffering from alcohol or drug abuse and an unfortunate number of suicides prompted me to stand up and give the trade a voice – to let people know that they are not alone.

Using my photography skills I decided to start taking black and white photos to show, in a poignant way, that you never know what goes on behind the scenes. It quickly became apparent that more needed to be done to lift the lid on this Pandora's box on a national level, so I made the move to start The Burnt Chef Project and give the hospitality industry a voice to challenge the long felt stigma of mental health and act as a beacon for those who feel that they are alone with one clear message: it’s OK not to be OK.

The Burnt Chef Project raises awareness through sales of Burnt Chef Project merchandise whilst also hosting regular stigma-breaking talks on mental health throughout the country. As a non-profit we dedicate any profit we have from sales and donations into mental health training courses, as well as management training courses so that we can upskill the workforce into how they manage both themselves and their teams. We’ve found this to be very useful as many who find themselves in management positions tend not to have had much formal training in people management.

Whilst the UK market has responded well to the aims of the business, we have found engagement has grown worldwide, reaching countries including Australia, Japan, Canada and across Europe.