CHEFS' TROUBLES
Floortje Ijssel de Schepper Xiao-Er Kong
Obesity
Depression
Eating disorder
Relationship problems
“The duty of a good cuisinier is to transmit to the next generation everything he has learned and experienced.“ - Fernand Point. This is the experience of always getting back on your feet and the lessons chefs can learn to prevent problems.
CHEFS' SOLUTIONS
SOLUTIONS
CHEFS'
CHEFS' TROUBLES
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Photo by Paloma Baytelman
Chef’s solution: happy cheffy family
RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS
Anthony Bourdain started his career working at several restaurants in New York. His big break came when he launched his book, ‘Kitchen Confidential’. Following two divorces, he has now started a new relationship which has been going for about a year.
The question is whether his work as a chef was the cause of the relationship problems he had in the past. It’s a simple fact that a chef’s lifestyle has a negative impact, in almost all cases, on their relationships. Of course there are several solutions which can enable chefs to have a happy family. According to Phillip Foss, owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant ‘EL Ideas’ in Chicago, it is important that the chef’s partner understands the business. Only then, in his opinion, does the relationship have a chance of working.
Editor's note: Scarcely a month after publication Anthony Bourdain tragically passed away. He will be gravely missed.
CHEFS' SOLUTIONS
PROBLEMS
RELATIONSHIP
CHEFS' TROUBLES
NEXT
PREV
Chef’s solution: fighting food with food
EATING DISORDER
Margarita Forés is the founder of restaurant chain, ‘Cibo’, an Italian café concept in Manila, the Philippines. She developed bulimia in her teens but she overcame her eating disorder in her twenties. She left for Italy to master both the language and the local cuisine. She had to be totally self-reliant in a place where no one knew her family name (which is famous in the Philippines). Finally she could spread her wings and allow herself to develop. In the end, the solution was to confront the problem and fight food with food. "Because it's disrespectful to food when you have an eating disorder, working with food allowed me to work at whatever that weakness was," said Margarita. She learned to respect food just like the Italians do. She then made it her passion and grew to become one of the most successful chefs in the eastern hemisphere.
CHEFS' SOLUTIONS
DISORDER
EATING
CHEFS' TROUBLES
NEXT
PREV
Photo by Chris Boland
Chef’s solution: no beer and no carbohydrates
OBESITY
Tom Kerridge was born in Salisbury, United Kingdom, and is the owner of the two-starred pub, Hand & Flowers. He is one of the many chefs who became overweight due to unhealthy and irregular eating habits. Christmas 2012 was the turning point for him. He made big changes to his diet, but continued to enjoy food and drink. He stopped drinking beer and reduced his intake of carbohydrates, which meant that he lost about 140 pounds in two years.
Since 2012, his weight has remained healthy. The main ingredients of the meals he serves in his pub are not based on carbohydrates, so he can continue to taste all his dishes himself. The only difference is that he now does this in moderation!
CHEFS' SOLUTIONS
OBESITY
CHEFS' TROUBLES
NEXT
PREV
Photo by Supayfotos/AEGA
Chef’s solution: talking tough
DEPRESSION
According to San Franciscan Daniel Patterson, owner of the eponymous, ‘Daniel Patterson group’, one thing in particular is very important in the gastronomic profession and that is that depression must be discussed in the kitchen. For many of those suffering from depression, not only for chefs but also for others too, talking about the problem feels like it’s not an option at first. They often see mental illness as a sign of weakness and therefore continue their lives burdened by problems for an unnecessarily long amount of time. Medication does help, but does not contribute to understanding and addressing the situations surrounding depression. Depression needs time to heal, just like a physical complication. It is important to foster understanding in those who work in the culinary field and in the kitchen. The lesson Daniel wants to share is: if you are suffering from depression, take time for yourself and talk to others. Most importantly, talk about your feelings, that’s the hardest part!
CHEFS' SOLUTIONS
SION
DEPRES
Floortje Ijssel de Schepper Xiao-Er Kong
“The duty of a good cuisinier is to transmit to the next generation everything he has learned and experienced.“ - Fernand Point. This is the experience of always getting back on your feet and the lessons chefs can learn to prevent problems.
SOLUTIONS
CHEFS'
Anthony Bourdain started his career working at several restaurants in New York. His big break came when he launched his book, ‘Kitchen Confidential’. Following two divorces, he has now started a new relationship which has been going for about a year.
The question is whether his work as a chef was the cause of the relationship problems he had in the past. It’s a simple fact that a chef’s lifestyle has a negative impact, in almost all cases, on their relationships. Of course there are several solutions which can enable chefs to have a happy family. According to Phillip Foss, owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant ‘EL Ideas’ in Chicago, it is important that the chef’s partner understands the business. Only then, in his opinion, does the relationship have a chance of working.
Editor's note: Scarcely a month after publication Anthony Bourdain tragically passed away. He will be gravely missed.
Photo by Paloma Baytelman
Chef’s solution: happy cheffy family
RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS
PROBLEMS
RELATIONSHIP
Margarita Forés is the founder of restaurant chain, ‘Cibo’, an Italian café concept in Manila, the Philippines. She developed bulimia in her teens but she overcame her eating disorder in her twenties. She left for Italy to master both the language and the local cuisine. She had to be totally self-reliant in a place where no one knew her family name (which is famous in the Philippines). Finally she could spread her wings and allow herself to develop. In the end, the solution was to confront the problem and fight food with food. "Because it's disrespectful to food when you have an eating disorder, working with food allowed me to work at whatever that weakness was," said Margarita. She learned to respect food just like the Italians do. She then made it her passion and grew to become one of the most successful chefs in the eastern hemisphere.
Chef’s solution: fighting food with food
EATING DISORDER
DISORDER
EATING
Tom Kerridge was born in Salisbury, United Kingdom, and is the owner of the two-starred pub, Hand & Flowers. He is one of the many chefs who became overweight due to unhealthy and irregular eating habits. Christmas 2012 was the turning point for him. He made big changes to his diet, but continued to enjoy food and drink. He stopped drinking beer and reduced his intake of carbohydrates, which meant that he lost about 140 pounds in two years.
Since 2012, his weight has remained healthy. The main ingredients of the meals he serves in his pub are not based on carbohydrates, so he can continue to taste all his dishes himself. The only difference is that he now does this in moderation!
Photo by Chris Boland
Chef’s solution: no beer and no carbohydrates
OBESITY
OBESITY
According to San Franciscan Daniel Patterson, owner of the eponymous, ‘Daniel Patterson group’, one thing in particular is very important in the gastronomic profession and that is that depression must be discussed in the kitchen. For many of those suffering from depression, not only for chefs but also for others too, talking about the problem feels like it’s not an option at first. They often see mental illness as a sign of weakness and therefore continue their lives burdened by problems for an unnecessarily long amount of time. Medication does help, but does not contribute to understanding and addressing the situations surrounding depression. Depression needs time to heal, just like a physical complication. It is important to foster understanding in those who work in the culinary field and in the kitchen. The lesson Daniel wants to share is: if you are suffering from depression, take time for yourself and talk to others. Most importantly, talk about your feelings, that’s the hardest part!
Photo by Supayfotos/AEGA
Chef’s solution: talking tough
DEPRESSION
SION
DEPRES