Held at Alliance NZ in London, the event hosted speakers from Fair Kitchens, Kelly’s Cause Foundation, Beyond Food Foundation and Burnt Chef.

Matt Owens commented: “It was fantastic to bring together this dynamic and group of people. It was truly exciting to see how much progress has been made in the mental health space for chefs.

“Whilst there’s no doubt there is still a lot more to be done, it's brilliant to be able to signpost chefs to these great organisations so that every chef can have access to resources for good mental health.”

Aston opened the event with an ‘inspiring’ speech, sharing his personal experiences of lockdown, followed by a passionate talk from Matt Owens.

Alex Hall and Lisa Riley from Fair Kitchens took the floor next, explaining how the initiative started, and how it has grown. Primarily driven by social media Alex noted Fair Kitchens was about, ‘the betterment of the industry and helping to drive the industry forward.’

Riley added: “Fair Kitchens is about chef to chef and human to human interaction. It’s about making the working environment of hospitality better.” The Craft Guild of Chefs endorses Fair Kitchens leadership training programme, which consists of six detailed modules.

Next to speak was Rachel Kerr-Lapsley from Kelly’s Cause Foundation. She highlighted their research found an astonishing 81% of chefs will struggle with mental health at some point in their career, and that overall mental health costs the UK economy £105B per year. Kelly’s Cause is helping deliver mental health first aid training to chefs, and to date they have trained 500 chefs.

Simon Boyle from Beyond Food Foundation and the Brigade Bar and Kitchen in London Bridge spoke next, sharing his experience of supporting homeless people through food.

He said: “We’re a true social enterprise, supporting vulnerable people who are either homeless, or on the edge of homelessness. I believe food is a powerful tool, and you can change people’s lives with it. Whether that’s ensuring they are eating the right food for themselves, or by using it as a means to earn money and become self-sufficient.”

Boyle has developed a training programme which includes various modules such as, Fresh Life, Stuck In, and Made Again. To date they have worked with approximately 6,000 homeless people and created 149 apprenticeships at the Brigade Bar and Kitchen.

Next, the attendees heard from Kris Hall of Burnt Chef who have delivered training to almost 9,000 people in the industry. In their research they found nearly half, (46%) of chefs, felt uncomfortable talking about their mental health concerns. To help overcome this, their training programme focuses on mental health and leadership.

To close, Anthony, a Burnt Chef ambassador, shared his personal and compelling story of struggling with depression, and his journey to help overcome it.

Attendees were treated to delicious dishes of lamb from Alliance NZ and cooked by Chairman Matt Owens and the Craft Guild of Chefs wellbeing ambassador committee.