How Chefs Have Learned to Fight Stress and Stay Healthy [Video]

“You’ve got 16 other hours a day to live your life. You need to check your bulls*** at the door for the eight hours you’re here.”

I can’t even count how many times a boss said that to me. I don’t want to count how many times I repeated it, minimizing the person in front of me to a role as simply a worker, not a human. People die, birthdays happen, and long-term relationships end. Still, we, as hospitality professionals, are taught those things don’t matter because there’s a crucial job to do. People need to eat and are paying for our hospitality.

I have a friend, a fire department captain, who also worked in food service when he was younger. His job is to run into burning buildings and save lives. At the end of his shift, he goes home and lives a full life with his family and runs a couple …