In his latest in a series of regular columns for Daily Focus, Feasted’s Cris Cohen explores the pitfalls of mental health in hospitality.
Guys, I want to take a second to thank you for all the support you have given to hospitality over the festive holiday.
We love been busy in kitchens. We love seeing people enjoying themselves. After all hospitality is all about the welcome, the fine food and drinks and great service.
Please spare a second as well for the guys who have worked tirelessly… not just the chefs, but the other staff that sometimes don’t get the thanks or kudos.
I want to spend a little more time exploring the excellence and pitfalls of mental health in hospitality. The reason why our industry is so understaffed and under qualified is alarming.
Many of the young people who choose or fall into hospitality have had challenges in their life. They may have found school a huge challenge and let’s say it didn’t work out for them.
There also maybe trauma and a pre-dispensation to drug and alcohol abuse as a result of their life experience.
I feel part of the issue of retention and recruitment is part PR failure and part ignorance from the management teams in the businesses across the UK.
What has led me to this place of thinking is my own experience of working as a teacher and seeing how some kids fail and lose their sense of direction with crippled low self esteem.
Myself and my wife have also adopted a child and seen the seeds of the limiting beliefs emerge. It has been an education and the learning continues…
But life does not have to play out this way. And there are methods that can help.
For me the most enabling words in a professional kitchen or any learning environment are: T R U S T and R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y
These words put each person’s progress at the forefront of their development and give them a sense of direction and autonomy.
Do that in your business and you will never need to advertise for staff. And not only that you will attract the right people.
My team are incredible. I can’t think of one of them that hasn’t and isn’t progressing and to add overcoming challenges.
It is incredible to see them grow their ambitions under my mentorship and something that I am incredibly proud of.
I would like to close with the idea of ambition. When you mention you work in hospitality often it can be a perception that ambition is only what happens in the four walls of the hot, sweaty confines of the culinary concoctions.
This isn’t and shouldn’t be the case.
I ask my chefs to cook and be skilful with great knowledge. But cook out into communities. Cook and share your wisdom. Unfold the arms of arrogance and be open to progress.
After all, within a kitchen we have the knowledge to challenge the crisis of food poverty as well as nutrition.
Chefs just need to be exposed to what their ambitions may lead.
The possibilities are endless chef. You just have to believe it.
