The Burnt Chef Journal

This weeks episode sees our guest Ross join us to talk about his personal experience of hospitality and what the subject of wellbeing means to him.   Ross, CNC's one man band, is a trained nutrition coach and professional chef. Having worked in high end and Michelin starred kitchens for a lot of his chef career, Ross' passion for food shows through in how his dishes look and taste, and his attenti...

This weeks guest is Joar Svensson from Ascension who joins me to talk about all things performance psychology, effective communication, motivation and mental health.    This is an episode that you can't miss. There were so many take away points from this episode and as an added BONUS to our listeners we will be hosting a FREE motivation workshop with Joar on Friday 2nd July. You can register for t...

This weeks guests are Peter and Laura who join me from their business The Greenman in Ashbourne, Derbyshire.    Laura speaks about her experience of ill mental health as a result of an operation where her heart stops and how together they manage her mental illness whilst running multiple businesses and encouraging staff to talk openly about their own wellbeing. Thanks Laura and Peter!

This weeks guest is Erik Love who joins us all the way from Brooklyn, New York to chat about working in hospitality from chef to barman to GM and how his journey in life led him to become a meditation and mindfulness coach.    This is a great episode with loads of useful tips on how to begin on your journey to a more mindful life.    If you are interested in coming onto the Burnt Chef Journal plea...

This weeks episode a 'reverse' interview as Kris sits down to speak with Alex from At The Sauce podcast.   A great episode for those who aren't familiar with where The Burnt Chef Project started or are new to joining us.    Huge thanks to Alice for providing this platform to help us spread the message. Do go over and listen to her podcast when you get a moment!   At the Sauce is a podcast about fo...

Jeremy Fox gets personal about his struggle the stress and anxiety that comes with being a very talented, highly acclaimed chef. In this episode Jeremy kindly joins us to talk about what happened when he opened Ubuntu, the restaurant that first brought him fame and then nearly ruined his life.   Jeremy shares some of the most hard hitting life lessons that we've heard to date. This is one NOT to m...

This weeks guest is Birmingham born and bred, Aktar Ismal.   Aktar's exposure to British cuisine and the strong influence from his culture and heritage are what have shaped his approach and unique style; taking authentic cultural delicacies from the Indian subcontinent and combining them with modern innovative techniques and the best local produce sourced from independent ethical suppliers.   Akta...

Harriet took an unconventional route into the industry. After studying Politics and History at university, she thereafter retrained to be a chef.   She took her first 'proper' kitchen job with fellow south west chef Mark Hix in London before going to culinary school and went on to intern at the prestigious Noma (2*) in Denmark, followed by a couple of Michelin kitchens in London and then into the...

Stuart has worked in some very prestigious places including Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (2*) in New York, and for VIP clientele at the exclusive Sandy Lane luxury resort in Barbados.   Seven years ago Stuart opened modern Scottish restaurant Aizle, meaning a burning coal or spark in Scots. It is Michelin guide recommended, and in 2019 was rated the 5th Best Fine Dining Restaurant in the UK, and numbe...

DJBBQ is a trail blazing barbecue cook with a tribe of dedicated fans on his  DJBBQ Youtube channel  and across social media. His first DJBBQ cookbook (Penguin), released in 2014 sold over 70,000 copies and still resides in the Amazon top 10 BBQ books. His second book Fire Food (Quadrille) was released in April 2018 and was an instant success. 2019 heralds the release of his third book, ‘The Burge...

This week's guest is Dru Jaeger who is co-founder of the growingly popular non-profit Club Soda.    Club Soda helps individuals to live well by being more mindful about drinking. Whether it's cutting down, taking a break from alcohol or stop drinking, it's a fantastic community funded by The Drinks Trust full of amazing resources and support.    For more information about Club Soda head over to: W...

This weeks guest is Tommy Heaney. Chef Patron of Heaneys Restaurant in Cardiff and has featured twice on Great British Menu.   Tommy’s first kitchen experience came at the age of just 14, working in his uncle’s restaurant in America. On his return he spent some time working under Tony Hughes at La Mon House Hotel in Belfast before travelling to Australia and spending time at a high end restaurant...

This week's guest is Simon The Butcher who is Captain of the GB Butchery Team as well as owner of Surrey Hills Butcher and Deli.   He comes on the Burnt Chef Journal to talk about his experience of long hours and high stress and the impact that this has had on his mental and physical health.    Simon talks openly about his experience with counselling and we discuss how terms such as "Man Up" are c...

This weeks guest is Oli Marlow.   30-year old Oli did his apprentice at Chewton Glen in Hampshire and then went on to work in world renowned restaurants such as The Fat Duck (3*), Eleven Madison Park (3*), and Maaemo (3*) in Oslo.   For over four years Oli has been working for Banquet winner and veteran Simon Rogan and is the Exec chef for Aulis London, an eight seater chef’s table dining experien...

This weeks incredible guest is Geoff McDonald. He has hosted a TED talk twice on the subject of mental health and is a business transformation advisor having worked with many FTSE 100 companies.   Having experienced an incredible career at Unilever Geoff talks about the turning point in his life when he experienced a mental illness and the journey that he was led on to begin to tackle the stigma o...

This weeks guest is the amazing Candice Brown who has been a long time supporter of the Burnt Chef Project and even managed to get featured in The Sun, The Daily Mail and The Mirror wearing a Burnt Chef F**K Stigma Tee!   This week's conversation has been a long time coming and is as raw and unfiltered as you would expect from these podcasts. Candice talks about her journey into baking and how tha...

This weeks guest is Bea Schulz who is one of our longest serving Burnt Chef ambassadors and is currently based in Germany.   She joins us to talk to about her own experience of mental illness including how and when it first occurred as well as how she manages it. Bea is also a qualified nutritionist and gives us an amazing insight into the synergies between our mental and physical health    Head o...

This week's guest is Clare Smyth who owns CORE and has recently gained her 3rd Michelin star.   I was impressed by how much Clare's focus was on her team and staff and was interested to learn that she had adapted her management style and views on kitchen behaviours shortly after she took on the Head Chef role at Gordon Ramsay's Restaurant on Hospital Road.   An inspirational conversation and one t...

This weeks guest is Paul Ainsworth who joins us from Padstow. Our conversation covered so many different subjects from personal development, Paul's journey through hospitality, life lessons and much much more.   It is a fantastic episode and one that I hope that you enjoy. Why not rate the episode and leave a review?   This episode was recorded 16th February 2021   For more information on The Burn...

This weeks guest is Sam Moody from Ballyfin in Ireland. Sam joins us to talk about his career from the age of 16 working his way up through the kitchens to inheriting the Head Chef role at the michelin starred Bath Priory under Michael Caines.   Kris and Sam talk about the importance of respecting your staff as well as working a fair amount of hours for a fair pay. A great conversation which meand...

This weeks guest is Jaqueline Wise from Positively Delicious who joins the Burnt Chef Journal to talk about her journey into hospitality having given up a great salary and sales and marketing job in London to try her hand at the chef life after being offered a job in a pub.   Jacqueline gives us a unique insight into how she manages her staff, runs her business and how she has managed her mental h...

This weeks guest is Darryl Collins who joins us on the podcast to talk to Kris about his journey into hospitality from living on the beach to developing a fruitful career as a chef.    Darryl talks openly about his experience with mental illness, receiving help through therapy and gives top advice to others who may be unsure how to ask for help.   If you have been affected by the issues discussed...

This weeks guest is Nathan Outlaw who joins us from Port Isaac to talk to Kris about his culinary journey from contract catering with his Father, to working with the legend that is Rick Stein to owning multiple award winning businesses just down the road.   It was a pleasure to speak to Nathan and hear about his experiences and outlook on his work and personal life as well as his plans for the fut...

This weeks guest is Adam Byatt who is Chef/Owner of 1 Michelin Star Trinity Restaurant as well as Upstairs, Charlies at Browns and Bistro Union.   He drops us his pearls of wisdom after working in the trade for almost 35 years and gives us a peak behind the curtain into what life behind a busy Michelin kitchen is like.   Huge thanks to Adam for joining me on this weeks chat and as always stay tune...

This weeks guest is Matt Abé, Chef Patron of 3* Restaurant Gordon Ramsey   Matt and I speak about what his career has been like since starting his career at 16 and how he found his current position as Chef Patron and good friend of Gordon Ramsey.   It's an interesting behind-the-scenes of how Matt manages his team in the pursuit of perfection and what it is really like having Gordon Ramsey as a me...