New survey on Kitchen Culture shows 78% of chefs have worked while sick and 60% have used painkillers to push through a shift. Despite this, 69% of them still claimed that being a chef is the job they dreamed of doing.
Fine Dining Lovers, the global gastronomic magazine by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, has today released the first results of an investigation into professional ‘Kitchen Culture’.
Using information accrued anonymously at the annual two-day Food on the Edge symposium in Galway city, Ireland (21st&22nd Oct), the survey asked attending chefs to share their insights on the Industry, including working conditions, aspirations and work-life balance in the kitchen.
Fine Dining Lovers senior correspondent, Ryan King, addressed the symposium audience on ‘The Sustainability of the Chef’ during the opening day of the event.
Kitchen Culture has become of particular significance and poignancy in recent years, as more leading chefs are vocalising their opinions on the subject, while endeavouring to inject positive change in their own restaurants.
“I think this is vital for the industry. We need better work life balance with a focus on team building and creativity.’ said JP McMahon founder of Food on the Edge and he added: ‘We try and cap chef's hours at 45. This is important. Particularly for the sustainability of it. There is no point using sustainable products when the environment that they are used in is not sustainable. Sustainable of people and products need to be placed on an equal footing. It was important to have Ryan bring up the sustainability of a chef's life at Food on the Edge. We often overlook this aspect and fetishise the products that we use.”
The results highlighted a range of different aspects of kitchen culture with opinions shared on job satisfaction, career progression, hours of work, and physical and mental well-being.
The survey also focused on a number of positives in the Industry, the majority of respondents of all ages had overall job satisfaction but there were a number of anomalies between different generations working within kitchens today.
The results highlighted in particular the continual strain with 70% agreeing that the work affected their mental wellbeing.
The survey will bring an honest representation of kitchens globally, based on empirical data and analysis. Fine Dining Lovers will continue to conduct surveys throughout 2020 and update the findings in due course. In doing so, they aim to help promote sustainable change and ultimately carve a more positive path forward for all chefs working behind the scenes, no matter their geographic location.
Please click here http://bit.ly/35n7kM8 to read more about the survey.
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