Wellbeing could mean safety. It could mean calm. It could mean community.
It could be internal to you. It could be in the environment.
In my first post I wanted to put that thought out there and to talk about what it means to me and what its meant to me in the past.
When do you feel well?
For me, in the kitchen, a feeling of wellbeing is there when I feel like I am being my best self. When I feel safe in myself and safe in the environment that I am in.
For some I know it is in the midst of service. When adrenaline is flowing and they feel part of the team. The brigade. With a feeling of being in that moment.
It used to be the case for me. Not anymore. For me I enjoy a calmer, more balanced environment.
Which are you?
It can be a rhetorical question or one we talk about, but its invaluable to know. To know yourself. To know what wellbeing feels like. To know what you need in your life to feel it.
The Chefs Wellbeing program and the Chefs Union as a whole are here to say that this DOES matter.
The days of the hospitality industry being stoic and tough and putting up with a life without wellbeing are OVER.
Your Wellbeing MATTERS. And the wellbeing of your friends and colleagues matters.
Meditation is a broad term that has many meanings to different cultures and religions and is carried out in a multitude of different ways.
If you googled it now you would get many different definitions for what it means to meditate. Varying from enlightenment to changing the way your mind works.
What is Meditation?
It is important to choose your own definition for what you would like to achieve meditating. For me it is:
“To create a space to be connected with my true self, my true self not associated to stress or worry”
I like to strip back the term. Instead of setting out time to meditate, simply set out time to sit still.
How do you meditate?
You will find a huge amount of different techniques for how to meditate. For some this is great, choice is of course one of the great privileges of the internet but for me it becomes a little overwhelming. How do I choose? Which is right for me?
Traditionally most meditation techniques all require you to sit comfortably in a seated position and bring your attention inwards focusing on your body and your breathe. You then sit in this space for a set amount of time bring your attention back to your breathe or focus point each time you have a thought.
Like many I started with Headspace a few years back. The worldwide app has brought meditation to the masses. To keep it fresh however there are a huge number of different courses you can do for a technique that I think should be left much more simple.
Challenges of meditation?
When I spent time in India one thing I was doing was meditating every morning. To meditate fully you need be in a comfortable seated position, cross legged on a mat or cushion. This enables your body to stay alert. If you are supported in your seated position you mind can become too relaxed and you could sleep.
I’m afraid as a chef this will probably be incredibly difficult. When I started I could sit cross legged for about 2 minutes before my middle back, hips or groin screamed at me to get up. This is very normal and not something that should stop you.
Asana, the movement part of yoga which we are all familiar with is the way you stretch and strengthen your body to be able to sit cross legged and meditate.
I am in two minds as to whether or we call the monkey mind a challenge to meditation. It’s what we are looking to calm and control using meditation.
Finding your meditation?
A teacher of mine recently gave me a different perspective on meditation. Meditation simply doesn’t have to be this traditional way. For some it is great but its not for everyone.
We meditate whenever we are consciously taking control of our thoughts using focus.
For you, when do you feel you have control of your thoughts, your monkey mind? It is this time you can cultivate. Expand on. To meditate.
It could be…
Brilliantly for us… when you cook? Cooking is a great meditation. Next time you are kneading bread or stirring a risotto simply focus your mind on your breathe, or on the job at hand. If you have a thought, acknowledge it and then let it go. Don’t judge yourself (keep up your Ahimsa practice – see my post on Ahimsa).
or is meditation for you when you are in the bath, whilst on a walk, whilst running or whilst doing a yoga class?
So, don’t be overwhelmed by the term. Just appreciate the benefits and give it a go.
For me I have always found that the more I meditate the more I can take this calmer mind into life. The stresses of life or the stresses of the kitchen.
If you would like to chat about how you could benefit from meditation drop me a message and we’ll have a chat, and if you have other ways that you think you meditate then please share.
I’ve spent the last week thinking about what I could say. I’ve been speaking relentlessly about how we need reform in the hospitality industry and now for the time being there is no hospitality industry.
We are all no doubt in very different situations. We need to put our loved ones first. We need to look out for our colleagues.
We need to get our house in order.
This is where my wonderful friends at the Chefs Union come in. Brian and the whole team are working relentlessly to make sure everyone is looked after and safe. There are links here from my site. Please take a look
Then my friends we need to accept where we are and reflect on our lives, reflect on what is important and be kind to ourselves and the others around us (from a distance of course).
Acceptance is tough. But its is always got to be the first stage. This will end. We will all return to our jobs. To our kitchens. To our lives.
Reflection is a magical and important thing we should all try to do.
In all my years in the kitchen I’ve never really found that time.
That time is now. Its time to reflect simply on what is important to you. This has the potential to be life changing for you in such a positive way. A real chance to stop and breathe. Something almost every chef I have ever spoken to has been asking for. Its here and we don’t have any choice but to embrace it.
This is my reflection on what is happening. I believe that an entire industry needed a rest. A reset. It is under the saddest of terms but chefs we have to accept and reflect so that when things return to normal we are all stronger, we all know what is important to us and we all have to mental space to love ourselves and each other.
Following on from talking about no fear in the kitchen I want to talk about how yoga philosophy can be applied to how we carry ourselves. How we act. How we can be good to ourselves and good to the others around us and in the kitchens we share.
Patanjali wrote verses that put all theories into one place. A document. A manual yogis could follow going forward.
He defined Yoga as having 8 limbs. They vary from how we act, to how we breathe, how we develop until we find the space to meditate and reach enlightenment.
The first limb is called the Yamas ; A Yama is your attitude towards others and the world around you. It’s these Yamas I think that can be applied to how we work in the kitchen as well as how we act in life.
Yama #1 is Ahimsa – Non-Violence
Ahimsa is a bit of corker when it comes to talking about the professional kitchen. Ahimsa translates into English as non violence. I’m sure this brings you an imagine of streaming chefs wielding knives and screaming at kitchen porters.
Violence starts in the mind. The thought trigger from the stress factor or the simple dislike of something. To help with non violence in the kitchen we need to be aware of these violent thoughts in our mind.
This violence towards others could come out in my forms. Physical violence is an outlet but at least this one is on the decline, laws if nothing else are in place to help here.
It includes
ANY physical violence.
Name calling.
Banter which is very clearly at the expense of others. Any form of mob behavior.
Gossip.
Putting undue pressure onto other chefs in your kitchen
Belittling chefs to make yourself feel stronger
I could go on and on and I am sure we have all seen it.
By cultivating Ahimsa in ourselves we develop respect from each other, the team we work with in the kitchen.
A big part of Ahimsa is non-judgement. This is a big statement and something I have spent some time considering.
Judging others is violence.
Do you judge the chefs under us for not being able to achieve something? Do we judge our peers and bosses for their behavior?
Letting go of this judgement has a huge effect on your mental health and it leads onto how I have found Ahimsa help me in the kitchen. In a space of non-judgment compassion fills the gap. Compassion in the kitchen is a game changer! We are all having a hard day. We can all cultivate Ahimsa within ourselves by being compassionate.
In the past like most I have judged others in the kitchen. I judged my head chefs and my managers for their behaviors. I would get stuck in this cycle. It never helped. Over the past years I let go of this and it felt like a huge weight lifting. By not judging others I could focus more on myself and my own behavior. The bit I could actually change.
From a benefits of Ahimsa point of view, I believe I have always acted in a non violent way towards the chefs that are working for me. This comes fairly naturally, I think I can safely say Im a gentle sole but during difficult times this has still taken cultivation. I have found that this style of management has meant that I have helped chefs to be their best selves. I’m very proud of that.
Now, the second half of Ahimsa is non-violence to ourselves. This is actually a lot harder.
Do you judge yourself even more than you judge others?
Do you violent towards yourself? For how much you got done? How much you achieved or didn’t achieve? Does this judgement help you?
I do. I always have. This takes a lot more work but has even more benefit. Keeping a positive outlook during difficult times. Are you grateful for what you do have?
The yoga mat offers this wonderful place for non-violence. Its my place to pro-actively cultivate Ahimsa.
The Yogic answer to how we can can look at ourselves, to look at how we can be our best selves.
How can we apply ancient philosophies to the modern day hospitality industry?
Patanjali, who wrote the definitive guide to yoga so to speak hundreds of years ago broke yoga down into 8 limbs.
The first two limbs of yoga relate to how we treat others and how we treat ourselves. We’ve talked a lot about #nofearinthekitchen back last year for example. We’ve also talked about looking after our bodies and how we mustn’t put to much pressure onto ourselves.
The theories form a basis for a lot of western self help therapies and life coaching.
The Yamas which are how we treat others translates into English as:
Non violence
Truthfulness
Non Stealing
Non-lust
Non-possessiveness
The Niyamas, how we treat ourselves translates to:
Purity of body and mind
Modesty, contentment with what we have. Acceptance that there is a purpose for everything
Disciplined use of energy
Self Study and observation
Celebration of the spirit within you and all things
Now I think we could all see that if as individuals we all modeled our behavior in the kitchen to these points we would be able to create a more harmonious, safe environment for all.
Which of these points relate to you?
Can you see the negative effects in your kitchen from anyone breaking any of these points?
Can you see how following these simple ideas could create a great kitchen?
The interesting part of the Yamas and Niyamas are that we are all in full control. We can all be aware of our behavior. We can all spot when we are acting harmfully. Its a game of awareness. A game of seeing the difference in how you feel and how others feel about you when you act your best self. It is that simple.
Keep your eye on www.cookinginmind. I’m going to talk about the first Yama which is non violence, Ahimsa in more detail.
Thank you to Virium (https://www.instagram.com/viriam_yoga/?hl=en) for her teachings.
I’ve been away for while, away from the kitchen, away from social media, away from the western world. I needed a break. I knew that and I was fortunate enough to be able to take it.
In November I traveled to India to complete my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training certificate. A wonderful experience and a huge step in my personal growth and development.
What have a learnt?
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1)
Space is good for my soul.
I learnt it is vital to give yourself some space from the professional kitchen. I’ve always believed it, now I know it. I understand it might not be that simple in a world of family and mortgages but I think it should be a very serious consideration when moving up through the career ladder as a chef. A holiday isn’t a holiday when you are the captain of a kitchen. Your mind is always still wondering and your phone might still be ringing.
Take a break between jobs if you can. Give your mind some space, to come back to your true self, not only the self who is running a kitchen.
.
2)
I really love to cook.
I went about 6 weeks without cooking a single thing, and I really missed it. I think the best way to know whether you want to cook all the time is to stop cooking and see how you feel. If you feel relieved and like you never want to cook again then id say there is a message there.
For me I was desperate to cook something. I learnt cooking is meant to be a part of my life.
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3)
A yogic lifestyle is the one for me.
I learnt more than just how to teach an asana class. I learnt about philosophy, diet and lifestyle. I learnt that we need to look after our body, mind and spirit, the by doing this we can understand ourselves and live in true balance
.
I learnt that I am to bring Yoga into both my cooking, my chefing and into cookinginmind.com.
I hope you are all have a wonderfully peaceful start to 2020.
This morning I am traveling to Goa to do my 200 hour yoga teacher training.
This is post 5 that I’ve written to talk about that, without posting. I’ve written even more posts about yoga, none of which have ever seen the light of day. To say as a chef that I’m heading out of comfort zone would be an absolute understatement…
Yoga has become a big part of my life and a big part of where I am planning to take Cooking In Mind.
I found Yoga about 18 months ago but the last 6 months or so I have really taken it to my heart. I have always enjoyed running. When the busy summer season started this year I began running as an outlet for that stress, but found that it was pushing me too hard physically. I replaced this with a strong, regular yoga practice.
It was perfect. It gave me that release of stress and gave me space from the stresses of the kitchen but actually gave me even more. It relieved the tension in my shoulders, a problem I always suffer from when I work too much. My physical health never really suffered in the way it has in the past.
On top of that, I was learning breathing exercises which I started to find that I could use when anxiety hit. I have a memory I’ll never forget when one of the chefs working with me and I did a simple 3 part breathing exercise when we were under extreme pressure. The simple process of focusing on breathing through the belly, the ribs, the throat and then out again completely changed my mental state. This was I now know partly because I was giving my blood some oxygen and partly because I was stopping the snowball of negative thoughts.
I really believe yoga can offer something to everyone in the hospitality industry. Like myself, I know a number of chefs yoga has helped and I can see so many more. I would like to see businesses encouraging staff to try it as well as larger businesses running their own yoga classes for staff to attend. If it works for google, why cant it work for us.
If you’re interested and would like any advise as to how you could get into yoga, drop me a message. Otherwise if you’re in Ireland check out the Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre in Cork.
Ballymoloe trained chef, superstar and head chef at Good For The Soul Cafe in Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland talks about where his passion of food came from and the love you need to be a chef.
Food is an expression; a lifestyle choice ever before we step foot into a professional kitchen. For me, my love affair with food began as a quiet teenager in a family of wonderfully outspoken individuals as I asked myself what I could bring to the mayhem of this equation. The obvious answer, it seemed, was cake and suddenly things got personal.
All those years later, and things have changed little. A tough day can still be made better by a good bake; every family occasion is marked by a signature dessert, but what’s more is that each day has found me at the head of the Good For The Soul kitchen as my relationship with food goes from strength to strength.
The reason I touch back on the beginnings of one of the most important relationships in my life, is to then pave the way for a focus on the fragility and vulnerability which comes with such a connection. It is a brave move to subject something so important to the professional kitchen environment: an environment of intense pressure driven by the cruel mistress of time, under the watchful gaze of a temperamental audience. There must really be only one reason why we would do it, and it is true; we do it for the love.
However, love too is a double-edged sword, and in cooking with your heart, you put your head on the line. Despite being a part of a fast-paced team, the overriding narrative can often be your own thoughts. Such thoughts can manifest themselves in various forms along the spectrum, from the inner-saboteur to the well-satisfied ego. Orders flood in, plates go out and demands of tomorrow have already begun encroaching on your mind, and suddenly the lines between the head and the heart become blurred as the pressure grows and the pot boils.
A superior gives you feedback, a colleague does not share your vision, a customer takes to their online podium of power, blissfully unaware that for each blow they deliver, the ripple effect will throw another ten, leaving a chef accountable to their seniors, their peers and most directly to themselves.
There are so many external sources of impact on the mind of a chef that put our mental health in jeopardy. It is therefore our responsibility to be aware of such factors and to create that on/off switch between the personal and professional. Whilst easier said than done, what we can do for ourselves is simple: remind yourself regularly why you cook; what dish you first cooked which gave you the confidence to say ‘yes I can’ and stay present. Let not one flawed dish set a precedent for the following hundred, rather reaffirm why and prove yourself in the comeback, as you continue to strive for excellence.
The next step is to turn outwards, look at those around you. Those with whom you share a kitchen and a common goal are quite likely experiencing similar thoughts and have different levels of ability to deal with them also. Be a support and be supported. Signs of stress or anxiety can often be clear so be prompt in your action. You should know the mood and what your kitchen can be; like a well-rehearsed song, that you know instantly if somebody is out of tune.
I maintain that food should be accessible and not a well kept secret. We are all connected by our love of food, and so should share that freely: talk. Talk, don’t tell. Share with each other your knowledge about food, your experiences, ideas, inspirations and realign your personal mission statement before it gets so entangled in a stifled, emotion-driven silence.
Chefs have been tarred with the ‘tired and cranky’ brush for far too long. We are allowed to be vulnerable and to feel the highs and the lows in equal measure. With every failed soufflé, comes a memory; with every memory comes an experience and with every experience comes an opportunity to grow. Do not retreat from these moments; rather cherish them as soon-to-be highlights in your own memory bank of learning.
Finally, from a diners’ perspective also food evokes memory. As chefs we owe it to the legion of great chefs before us to facilitate the creation of more special memories through the dishes which we present. It is an honour to be entrusted with this task. However, as humans, we owe it to ourselves to take care of one another, to know when the relationship is fraught and in need of repair, and to ensure we are able for the role before we reach the point of burnout.
Cook with the head and with the heart, but above all, cook smart.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I think is the biggest message for managing chefs in the kitchen.
I realised I had it when having a conversation about it earlier this week and my blood began to boil.
Fear.
#nofearinthekitchen
There is still, in 2019 a culture of fear. Chefs are going into the kitchen feeling scared. Scared of the behavior of their boss, Scared to make a mistake. Scared to get hurt. Scared to be abused.
For World Mental Health Day I would love to start a little ball rolling. To have the conversation about how there is still a culture of fear and how we are going to STOP IT. To do that I want to talk about what we replace it with. Inspiration.
Why is there a culture of fear?
Well, I think it is because in Paris and London 100 years ago the culture of the kitchen was bloody intense. Everyone had an exact role and no mistake could be made. Chefs realised that like in the army perhaps that no mistakes would happen if fear was high enough. It makes sense to an extent. In the moment I think you’d be more likely to stay focused and give it all if you are flooded with fear. You’re in flight or fight.
Why does it still exist?
Because as a commis chef you learn that this is how it is done. So, as you go up through the ranks you manage in the way you were managed.
Why does it need to stop?
Because its irresponsible. We have a responsibility to look after the people who work for us.
Also, you will never get the best from someone who is scared. You’ll get a lot sure but not the best. People work to rule rather than strive to achieve more. You’ll also find staff turnover to be a lot higher in such kitchens.
What can we do instead?
Well, I think I’ve always got 110% from the chefs who work for me. I am sure that no chef that has worked for me has ever been scared.
Inspire people to achieve good things rather than focusing on the consequences of things going wrong. We all know those consequences anyway, no need to be drilling them in.
Why do this?
Its simple really. The legacy from this is that over time all new chefs will learn to be inspirational rather than militant. Sounds good doesn’t it? Which would you choose to be?
From a business point of view your staff turnover will lower and you will get the pick of the better chefs as soon chefs will only be choosing to work in the kitchens where you know you’ll be treated right. I think that’s happening already.
What can you do?
Be sure that you are focusing or your boss is focusing on the positive feeling of success rather than the negative consequence of failure.
If this has hit a nerve with you and you agree with the message then please share using the hashtag #nofearinthekitchen, tag me so I can see, that’s what its all about for me.
On #worldsuicidepreventionday I want to talk about the mental health risks in our kitchens from a different angle.
At Cooking In Mind I want to talk about the problem from the bottom up. There are wonderful charities out there to help people who are really at risk from suicide, drug abuse or other serious mental health issues. What makes me passionate is to think about how we can prevent people feeling like this in the first place.
Lets look at the causes rather than the symptoms.
The pressures of working as a chef or in the hospitality industry is enough to make people feel suicidal. I’m interested in what we can do to look at the causes. What can we be doing to loosen that grip, to keep people safe and enable our hospitality workers to live balanced lives.
By doing this we could prevent one chef from reaching that point of danger. Just one and I’m happy.
To do this…
We all need to take responsibly for others. Primarily we need to be aware of how we manage the people below us. Are they ok? Am I asking too much? Are they coping? By taking this all the way to the top we change the way we manage and over the years those commis chefs who become head chefs take that good style of management with them.
We all need to take responsibility for ourselves. How do we live our lives to give ourselves the best chance? Do we live a good work/life balance? Do we get outside? Do we get some exercise? Do we fuel our bodies well?
Lets start this journey. Lets shake it up for the hospitality workers of the future. Lets bring down the chef suicide rate one kind word at a time, one responsibly management service at a time, one run at a time, one hug from a loved one at a time.
