Published: December 30, 2020 | Updated: 31st December 2020
Kris Hall describes it as his ‘calling’.
Tackling the stigma of mental health in the hospitality industry.
It led to the formation last year of The Burnt Chef Project, a non-profit social enterprise.
In just over 18 months it’s had a phenomenal impact in raising awareness of the issue.
Two months ago the father of two left his well-paid job as Head of Sales at a Dorset food service company, complete with BMW 5 Series car, to devote all his energies to the cause.
“The Burnt Chef Project was a bigger calling,” he said.
The figures make grim reading.
A survey of 1,273 hospitality professionals showed that more than eight out of ten of respondents (84 per cent) had experienced mental health issues within their career.
And nearly half – 46 per cent – would not feel comfortable talking about their health concerns with their colleagues.
The reasons are hardly surprising.
Long antisocial hours, tough environmental conditions and pressures to perform against a background of slim margins and frequent cost-cutting.
And that’s before the pandemic and its devastating effect on the hospitality sector.
Kris, 33, said: “It’s a 100 mile an hour industry.
“To suddenly go from that to virtually nothing has been like hitting a brick wall.
“Even spending time with the family has been an alien concept to many.”
Kris saw at first-hand the effect such a punishing career can have on an individual’s mental health when he worked behind the bar at a Bournemouth pub.
“12-hour shifts, sometimes with just ten minute breaks snatched here and there, with the classic chef screaming and shouting.
“It was an eye-opener but more than just watching people performing under high pressure.
“You could see there were deep-seated issues with some more affected than others,” he said.
But it was a photography project which was to ultimately lead to Kris founding The Burnt Chef Project.
He said: “A conversation with Dorset Mind – Dorset’s mental health charity – highlighted the issues of the hospitality sector.
“For me that was a lightbulb moment.
“Using my photography skills I decided to start taking black and white photos to show, in a poignant way, that you never know what goes on behind the scenes.
“I was amazed at how the chefs and others in the photos really engaged, some describing how they’d attempted suicide or suffered other mental health issues.
“It was cathartic for them and for me.
“I realised more needed to be done to lift the lid on this Pandora’s box on a national level.
“So I made the move to start The Burnt Chef Project and give the hospitality industry a voice to challenge the long-felt stigma of mental health.
“I wanted it to act as a beacon for those who feel that they are alone with one clear message: it’s OK not to be OK.”
Kris developed the idea into a talking event in October 2019 which proved an instant hit.
25 chefs were invited but, on the day, 65 queued outside the venue, the Terroir Tapas in Southbourne.
All were eager to take part in conversations led by Dorset Mind and Kelly’s Cause Foundation.
The latter was founded by professional chef Tobie-Anna Durk and named after another chef, Kelly, who experienced mental health issues, eventually taking her own life at the age of 23.
Kelly’s Cause Foundation, a registered charity, now trains ambassadors in what it describes as ‘mental health first aid’.
The Terroir event raised more than £2,000 in ticket and raffle sales which was reinvested into the first training.
Still holding down a full-time job, Kris started building The Burnt Chef Project brand.
It included a high-impact website featuring his black and white photos , strong social media presence and the sale of branded The Burnt Chef merchandise while also hosting regular stigma-breaking talks on mental health throughout the country.
Today The Burnt Chef Project has more than 18,000 Facebook, Instagram and Twitter followers; a podcast – The Burnt Chef Journal – and a range of branded clothing and accessories, from jackets and hoodies to flasks, aprons and recipe books.
Meanwhile the Burnt Chef Ambassador programme aims to create a UK network of mental-health-trained ambassadors who can further spread the work of The Burnt Chef Project and provide help to those who are suffering.
Kris hopes to have at least two Burnt Chef Ambassadors in each restaurant, pub and hotel in the country.
It means that no matter where anyone works, they’ll know that the topic of mental health is no longer taboo.
Kris, who has suffered from depression and mental health issues in the past, said he had enjoyed the support and encouragement of leading names on the local hospitality scene including Andy Lennox, Matt Budden and Luke Holder.
But, he added: “I feel we haven’t scratched the surface and there is so much more to do.
“I want to have 30,000 people trained in mental health awareness by the end of next year, have our own training programme for management teams and individuals, launch a free to access app and get the word out to as many people as possible.
“There are 72 million people worldwide working in hospitality.
“I won’t rest until I’ve done everything in my power to destigmatise mental health within the industry.”
