Launched in 2019, The Burnt Chef Project has been a ‘driving force’ in eradicating the stigma around mental health in the hospitality industry. The Burnet Chef Project aims to help raise awareness, provide support and deliver educational programmes. 

Research shows that as many as four in five hospitality professionals have experienced mental health difficulties in their career, yet almost half (46%) would not feel comfortable talking about it with their colleagues. As the charity’s first equipment supply partner, Unox is committed to supporting The Burnt Chef Project through fundraising, driving awareness and hosting events.

Scott Duncan, managing director at Unox UK, said: “Working in the foodservice and hospitality industry can be highly rewarding, but also notoriously tough – something that can have a significant impact on the mental health of operators and those in the wider supply chain. At Unox, we are committed to supporting our customers, colleagues and our team, by raising awareness of the challenges and helping to remove the stigma around mental health issues.

“We are immensely proud to become the first equipment supply partner of The Burnt Chef Project and we are looking forward to working with Kris and the team both here in the UK and through our global Unox team around the world. Supporting the partnership, we are delighted that our Unox head office team in Italy has agreed to match our UK fundraising total in the next year.”

Unox UK has committed to initially fund 285 licences to The Burnt Chef Project’s Thrive Mental Wellbeing app, a total of more than £10,000. The app contains a complete library of wellbeing training, webinars and sessions which can be accessed at any time.

Kris Hall, founder of The Burnt Chef Project, added: “It’s fantastic to have such a prominent global brand as Unox committing to support The Burnt Chef Project going forward. Raising awareness of mental health challenges in the hospitality industry is crucial, particularly as the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis is having such an impact on so many.”