The Burnt Chef Journal

This week Kris is joined by Global Neurodiversity Lead and Snr Client Partner for Yahoo, Jack Ellis.    Jack and Kris met each other at This Can Happen Global awards earlier in the year which was setup specifically to tackle issues around mental health, diversity and inclusion and workplace safety.    Jack joins us on The Burnt Chef Journal to talk openly and passionately about his diagnosis of AD...

This week we are sharing the Staff Canteen conversation, in partnership with Rational, that we were invited to be part of in October 2022.    The conversation was hosted by The Burnt Chef Project Non-Exec and Staff Canteen Editor, Cara Houchen. The stellar panel consisted of:   Rehan Uddin - Indi-Yang/Asian Restaurant Owners Network Ollie Williamson - The Fat Duck Elliot Hill - Chester Grosvenor T...

This week Nikki Bond joins us from Martin Lewis’ Money and Mental Health Policy Institute. Which was setup to specifically tackle the relationship between finances and mental health.   Kris and Nikki discuss many different subjects relating to finances and it’s impact on our mental health as well as the impacts the our mental health can have on our finances. As Kris said on the episode, he’s been...

In this special episode recorded LIVE at Commercial Kitchen and Catering Show in September 2022, we discuss company culture which has never been such a hotly discussed topic as it is now. We receive no training on it, you can’t easily measure it, and yet it can make or break a successful team and business. Join Cara Houchen and Kris Hall from The Burnt Chef Project and their incredible panel of An...

We tend to take being able to come to work FOH, BOH or Management as ourselves for granted. However, living with mental illness or the stress of living inside ourselves as a different person to the one we bring to work isn’t something we can always identify with. But that was the reality for Emily Hamilton for most of her working life. Until 2019, when she came out. “I knew something was very diff...

Angela presented the BBC1 BAFTA nominated and winner of the Mind Media Award for Best Factual TV documentary, ‘ Life After Suicide ’. The film encouraged discussion and exploration of mental health issues, challenging the stigma of suicide. Describing her own experience and that of her children after her partner took his own life 15 years ago, Angela travelled the length and breadth of the UK talk...

Chef Imrun Texeira has worked in some of the world's best and most influential restaurants, including 3 Michelin Starred Noma in Copenhagen. Most recently, he has been named as a recipient of the Top 30-Under-30 Award for hospitality leaders in Canada and as a rising talent in North America by The Art of Plating.   Imrun was a semi-finalist on the Food Network’s Top Chef Canada Season 8 and a fina...

Chris Koch doesn’t let limitations or obstacles stand in his way. Despite being born without arms and legs, Koch grew up like any other small-town kid — playing road hockey, causing mischief at school, and helping out on his family farm. Neither he or his family treated his disability like a tragedy, and instead used it to fuel his dreams. Today, Koch is a motivational speaker who inspires his aud...

As it's Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK and Mental Health Awareness Month in the USA (plus we're a little behind on providing our community with stigma busting audio!) we're pleased to announce a special episode taken from our panel discussion at the Hotel, Restaurant and Catering Show.    Kris from The Burnt Chef Project was invited to attend a panel discussion hosted by Exp101's Chris Fle...

This week we are joined by Julie Pilcher who was an amazing guest who shared the impact that focusing on nutrition has had on both her mental and physical health.   Julie began to experience a lot of problems in her early 20's with irritable bowel syndrome, then, in her early 30’s was diagnosed with cancer, with treatment leaving her traumatised, fatigued and in chronic pain.   Working in a busy c...

This weeks guest sees the return of Sports Performance Psychologist Joar Svensson from Ascension who joins us to talk in more detail about all things performance psychology, effective communication, motivation and mental health.    

Hello and welcome to 2022's first installment of The Burnt Chef Journal. A podcast dedicated to tackling mental health stigma, raising awareness and inspiring others.    We kick the year of with Simon Maguire who is Managing Director of Luxury Family Hotels. Simon talks openly about his reliance on alcohol, painkillers and food as a coping mechanism whilst he continued gain weight and build his ca...

 Jacob van't Hoff. Is a personal trainer and fully-qualified nutrition coach. His mission is to help as many people as possible transform their body . He has worked with multiple professional athletes as well as countless regular people with families and jobs   He joins us on The Burnt Chef Journal to talk about ways in which we can begin to gain some control over areas of our health and wellbeing...

This week's guest is Andrew who founded Emilias Pasta after re-discovering his childhood love of pasta and wanting to share his enjoyment and passion with others.    But hang on, pasta is calorie heavy carbs, of which we are supposed to be eating less, no?   “If you make it freshly and in the right way, it digests properly. When we started, we thought, if you were to eat this every day, what would...

In this weeks episode of The Burnt Chef Journal we're joined by Trevor Bird. A globally acclaimed chef and known in Vancouver as the award-winning head chef and owner of the popular Vancouver restaurant, Fable Kitchen.   Trevor boasts an impressive number of titles under his chef’s apron as two-time Top Chef Canada finalist and Top Chef Canada All Stars.    Kris and Trevor talk about the role that...

This week's guest is Burnt Chef Project Ambassador Harry Kimberley who has recently joined the amazing team of international Ambassadors around the world to speak openly about their mental health experiences to challenge perceptions and fight stigma.   Harry joins us from London UK to talk about his journey through hospitality touching upon many different working environments and what he has learn...

Chef Stuart Collins, 37, is owner and chef at Docket No.33, Whitchurch in Shropshire. Stuart worked with big names in the food business, from Gordon Ramsay to Michael Caines and Gary Rhodes and had the opportunity to travel all around the world with his job as a professional chef.   In this chat we talk about his experiences and the things he enjoyed throughout his career as well as what it was li...

This week's guest is Mike, the founder of The Hospitality Hut. After one of the most challenging years of his life, 2020 taught Mike some viable lessons, both personally & professionally. He was working for a top restaurant group, 16 hours a day, missing out on family life, when the penny dropped… working in hospitality should not be this difficult. He is a Michelin trained Executive chef with ove...

Edinburgh born Roberta is a newcomer to the competition who is determined to represent her home country. Roberta started out aged 16 doing work experience and hasn’t looked back since. She has worked for one of Scotland’s best chefs, Michelin starred Tom Kitchin, at The Kitchin and then moved to Castle Terrace with Dominic Jack.   She is Chef Owner of The Little Chartroom in Edinburgh which she ru...

Celia Gaze, what can we say? This is an insightful chat with an amazing individual who has worked across different sectors including as a Director for the NHS, has written a book "Why Put a Bow Tie on a Llama?, and randomly found her way to establishing a wedding venue focused on wellbeing and stress reduction (with the odd llama thrown in!).   Celia is a true leader in the field of wellbeing and...

This weeks guest is Kim Ratcharoen who joins us on the podcast to talk reflectively about her journey into hospitality having studied Economics until the age of 25 before deciding that hospitality was where she wanted to concentrate her energy, passion and forge a career.    Kim soon found her way to Gordon Ramsay's Restaurant on Hospitality Road under the mentorship of Matt Abé where she spent 6...

This weeks guest is Leigh Evans. I am lucky enough to have followed Leigh's career since he became an Acorn Award winner back in 2013. He joins us on The Burnt Chef Journal podcast to talk about his journey through hospitality and how from a young age working in his family's pub he fell in love with the hospitality industry.   Leigh has always been a driven individual but in this episode he talks...

Fink are a social enterprise street food and events and caterer who are on a mission to break down mental health stigma, one bite at a time.    Through epic food experiences, their mission is to blow the mental health conversation wide open and encourage our customers to be more conscious of their own mental wellbeing.   By providing information, supporting services and raising awareness they are...

This weeks guest is Japanese chef Masaki Sugisaki who joins us to talk about his experiences of training to be a chef in a Japanese restaurant in Japan and how the culture was a lot tougher than in European kitchens.    The conversation with Masaki was both insightful and inspiring as we explore the subject of resilience, mental health, leadership, music and Japanese cuisine.    Thanks to Masaki f...

This weeks guest is Emeka. He co-founded Chuku's - the world's first Nigerian tapas restaurant. His goal is to positively change the way the world thinks about Africa and help retell the story of this beautiful continent as well as inspire creativity and entrepreneurship. An amazing guest this week and one you shouldn't miss!