Health risks of being a chef; The unavoidable lifestyle that comes with the title

BY NOEL CUNNINGHAM

One of the most popular questions that chefs often get asked is, what is your favorite meal to eat? The answer usually comes with a moment of silence to think. Followed by comfort food, my mother/grandmother’s stew or just a dish right off the top of their head.

Growing up I always heard the popular phrase if you can’t stand the heat stay out of the kitchen, and this is so true. This phrase is actually a double-entendre. It can be the literal heat from the fire or the unavoidable lifestyle that the kitchen comes with.

Couple of years ago I saw a meme about what society thinks I do. The meme shows a picture with food, what my friends think I do, another with Gordon Ramsay shouting at another chef, captioned what people think I do. Another with a chef with tools, what my parents think I do, another picture with the chef throwing out food with caption what my boss thinks I do. Then another picture with a beautiful plate of food, what I think I do, then finally a picture with a chef with a glass of beer and cigarette, what I actually do. This hit home because it is the sad truth of the kitchen culture. After a long stressful day, all you need is a cold drink with some spirit.

I remember my first head chef job at Mantra. My boss Laura Marley looked at me and said I think you are going to be a great chef but my fear for you is that you will become an alcoholic. I never clearly understand what she was saying. By this I started working more, then I realized that chefs not only drink to ease the level of stress in the kitchen but actually we don’t eat or rest properly which is causing a big problem in the industry. It’s no secret that behind the glamorous kitchen life that chefs work 70-80 hrs/week, usually for low pay, and often face verbal (and sometimes physical) abuse.

We all know that the signature feature on a chef is the big belly, this is because of the lack of rest, no time to eat properly or healthy. We taste so many sauces and absorbing all the food scent at the end of the day we are full. Constant sampling and tasting leads to higher calorie intake, we have no time for exercising after a 12 hour shift for the day. I know several chefs who died from a heart attack. Recently we lost two prominent chefs to a heart attack. Celebrity Chef, Judson Todd Allen from Chicago and a few weeks ago Celebrity Chef Carl Ruiz, also known as Carl “The Cuban”. Ruiz was an American restaurant owner and celebrity chef, best known as a judge on various US cooking competition television shows on the Food Network, such as Guy’s Grocery Games.

Earlier this year I saw a picture with a chef eating on a garbage bin in the kitchen which sparked a huge debate on kitchen culture, posted by Matthew Arezki’s. The post saw over 100k reactions and 86k shares and has been circulated widely on every social media platform. Many cooks sharing how they have a sadomasochistic relationship with their jobs.

“This picture really hit home with me,” writes Arezki. “I cook over 1,000 plates a week for people to enjoy dinner with their families and friends and this is how I usually eat dinner – like this or hunched over a garbage can.” I’m encouraging all my fellow chefs and hospitality workers to remember that your health is your wealth and take some time to think of you first.