Cooking in mind is the brainchild of Steve Mercer. He wants to turn his suffering of anxiety and depression that he went through into something magical.
“I’ve battled for most of my life. Its come and its gone. Its been manageable and its been unmanageable. I’d say its been caused by a mixture of stress, issues of abandonment and low self esteem.
The kitchen has been a mixture of a relief from those feelings and very much the cause of those feelings. I used to hide from my thoughts by burying myself in the stress and pressure of my kitchen.
By April 2016 the feeling engulfed me there as well. I could only hide for so long. My personal life fell apart. I could no longer cope.
I made the only decision I felt I could make. I decided where I wanted to take my own life and I got into my car and I drove to Torquay. Nothing my loved ones could say could stop that thought process.
At the very last point, something inside me told me to drive to Mcdonalds. To this day I have no idea why but I found a 24 hour one and bought some food. Before I knew it I found the strength to drive to my parents house. I knew I needed help.
Help came at first with medication and counseling. It took some time but I managed to make myself safe again.
Since then I’ve work hard to improve my mental health. I found in running, my purpose in life and I considered my values and destiny in life.
In the kitchen, I’ve found the attitudes and expectations to be like a rope tugging me back. I’ve always strove to be the best I can be as a chef. This has been at the decrement of my mental health.
But, I believe it can be different but it needs us all to be on the same page. There is no space for being macho, no space for settling for an anxious kitchen.
Pressure to be our best selves is a wonderful thing but it needs to be looked after.
Cooking in mind is going to tackle the tough issues to make the cheffing a better and safer industry that we feel proud to advise our children to go into.”