An article in partnership between The Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF), The Burnt Chef Project, and CHOW (Culinary, Hospitality, Outreach & Wellness)
Written by: Ryan Conklin, CEC, North Carolina Ambassador for The Burn Chef Project & Past President of AHF | Jasmin Parks-Papadopoulos, Chief Growth Officer for CHOW
As a kitchen veteran for almost 30 years, 24 of which have been in Healthcare, I have witnessed the immense pressures faced by professionals in both the culinary and healthcare sectors. September marks National Suicide Awareness Month, a crucial time to shine a light on mental health challenges and promote resources that can make a difference. This is a great reminder to check in on our teams in both Healthcare and Senior Dining. The culinary and healthcare industries are demanding, often characterized by long hours, high stress, and intense environments. These factors can contribute to mental health struggles, including depression and anxiety, which may lead to suicidal thoughts. It’s vital to recognize these challenges and foster a supportive community.
Acting as Leaders- Here are some ideas
- Educate Yourself and Others: Understanding the signs of mental health struggles can empower you to offer support to colleagues and friends. Utilize resources like The Burnt Chef Project and CHOW to learn more.
- Promote Open Conversations: Encourage discussions about mental health in your workplace. Creating a culture of openness can reduce stigma and make it easier for individuals to seek help.
- Supportive Environments: Advocate for policies and practices that prioritize mental health, such as reasonable work hours, access to counseling services, and mental health days.
Key Resources for Support:
The Burnt Chef Project:
- Mission: Dedicated to eradicating mental health stigma in the hospitality industry.
- Resources: Offers training, support, and a community for those in need. Their website provides valuable insights and tools to help manage mental health.
CHOW:
- Mission: To support the lives of food/beverage/hospitality workers through shared stories, skills and resources.
- Resources: Provides peer support groups, educational workshops, and a platform for sharing experiences. CHOW aims to create protected spaces for individuals to discuss their struggles, successes and seek help.
Suicide Awareness Month is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of mental health in our industries. By leveraging resources like The Burnt Chef Project and CHOW, we can work towards a future where mental health is prioritized and individuals feel supported. Let us commit to fostering environments where everyone can thrive mentally and emotionally.
Call to Action:
- Check in with the people you work with. It can be a quick “How have you been doing?” conversation.
- If you or someone you know is struggling, reach out to these organizations or a mental health professional. Remember, you are not alone, and help is available. Together, we can make a difference.
- CHOW encourages you to check in with your teams often, candidly and authentically. We love using a Temperature Take before shifts, at staff meetings, before we start an event. It allows for us to intentionally check in with ourselves and the team and seek opportunities to follow up post shift.
- We check in on a scale of Rare to Well Done, because we recognize that we often have more words for our food than we have for our feelings. Allowing conversations to center around how we are feeling allows for check-ins to become regular, consistent and encouraged with our teams.
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AHF is an organization of passionate, dedicated, leaders in healthcare foodservice, senior dining, and hospitality segments. We are honored to partner with CHOW and The Burnt Chef Project to recognize the struggles that our members, and their teams, may encounter and offer critical free resources and tools. We are #BetterTogether. More information about each organization is provided below.
We hope you will all take a moment to check in with your teams and yourselves.
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About The Burnt Chef Project: Launched in May 2019 The Burnt Chef Project was setup with the sole intention of eradicating mental health stigma within hospitality. They are a registered global nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to stamping out mental health stigma within the global hospitality industry through education and awareness and providing support to those who may be struggling with their wellbeing.
About CHOW: CHOW (Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness) was founded in 2018 by Denver pie maker John Hinman and food writer Alexandra Palmerton. After Alexandra interviewed John for an article on mental health challenges in the hospitality industry, the overwhelming response made it clear—people needed a space to share their stories. Seeing this need, John created CHOW as a protected, supportive community for those navigating pain, recovery, and mental well-being.
About AHF: The Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF) is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to self-operated foodservice professionals in healthcare, senior dining and hospitality. Founded in 2009 following the merger of two long-standing and respected organizations within the industry, AHF’s mission is to provide the professional network, resources, and tools to promote self-operation. Our members are dedicated to enhancing food quality and customer satisfaction through self-operated models, which is recognized as the gold standard in non-commercial foodservice. By fostering innovation, collaboration, and the promotion of best practices, AHF partners with its members and business partners to advance the industry, improve the quality of care for patients and residents, and ensure financial and operational success.