Have Head Chefs stopped shouting? Welcoming a new generation of kitchen leaders running healthier, happier kitchens.
By Rosie French
A traumatised generation of chefs
Most millennial chefs can tell you a story about a traumatic experience suffered at the hands of another chef – often their bosses, and usually during their formative early years in the industry. Tales of being berated or mocked publicly, being sworn at, food being thrown to the floor, being dismissed as not good enough with no guidance on how to improve, being set up to fail with no proper training – we’ve even heard of chefs being locked in walk-ins or being subjected to serious physical and verbal abuse. Behaviour that just would not be tolerated in any other workplace – not to mention the rampant sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia and daily microaggressions that somehow became normalised in professional kitchens. There are so many brilliant chefs who won’t work in restaurant kitchens anymore – scarred by their experiences at the hands of chefs who played out controlling, abusive behaviours at work rather than unpacking them in therapy.
It certainly didn’t help that these toxic leadership styles were sold as global television entertainment and made certain celebrity chefs a fortune in the process – a hugely damaging influence on the industry and on aspiring head chefs who believed being “in control” in the kitchen meant you needed to put others down and be the loudest, rudest person in the room.
Thankfully, the industry is growing up – a recent open letter from 70 female chefs in response to a problematic Jason Atherton comment was yet another wake up call to an industry in need of a major behavioural revolution – we need to talk openly about the trauma and legacy the past has left behind in order to evolve and move forward.
Head chefs are realising they don’t just need to lead service at any cost but they need to look after themselves and lead the culture of their restaurants from a place of mental and physical safety – only then can they be mentors for their teams and curate healthy, calm, organised and respectful kitchens.
We have been interviewing chefs across the industry and asking them how they lead their kitchens and what qualities they admire and strive to emulate from other leaders in the industry. Guess what? Shouting the loudest didn’t come up.
“Everyone looks out for one another, the shifts are often fast paced, demanding and can be stressful so in the down time a relaxed, calm atmosphere is very welcome. I hope to think I’m kind and easily approachable for any of the team.” Theo Lewis, Chef & Owner @ Theo’s
“I’d say I’m firm but fair. It’s important to show your team that you’re one of them — get down and do the nitty gritty stuff. I love a deep clean.” Holly Middleton Joseph, Owner & Head Chef @ Hausu
Bidding goodbye to the bully in the brigade and waving hello to empathy
With over 6000 restaurants predicted to close this year building a healthy kitchen culture that nurtures and retains chef talent is more important than ever. We are seeing a new generation of head chefs and leaders who have zero tolerance for the outdated, toxic behaviours of the past. In turn, even younger chefs are being inspired and pulled into the industry which is fantastic news for the UK restaurant scene.
We are noticing a very welcome, positive change in the way kitchens are being led in 2025 – ego driven leadership is not a good look and the word that comes up again and again is EMPATHY and how successful head chefs try to keep this at the heart of what they do. Empathy needs to flow in all directions in a restaurant – from head chef to KP to front of house to owner to the fussy diner at table 4 and when that is achieved you have a restaurant everyone is happy to work in and it emanates outwards for an enriching customer experience too.
“A good leader is someone who genuinely listens and is adaptable, calm, encouraging and willing to teach. I think that last one is most important – so often there can be an expectation that people can come into a business and work in the way in which you expect them to. I have made that mistake before – much earlier in my career – where I held the misconception everyone would work in the same capacity as me and it’s grossly unfair.”
Marie Mitchell
“You have to make space for chefs that maybe need an extra push – see if they flourish. Everyone deserves a fair crack at the whip but you also have to be ready with clear, kind and constructive feedback.” Paris Rosina
It’s important for head chefs to know what’s going on in their teams’ lives and to set a tone for being adaptable and responding to their team member’s needs – giving them slack if they ask for time off and encouraging that reciprocal respect for life outside the kitchen. We hope as leaders and peers, when we see someone struggling we can offer hands without feeling frustration. It takes work but empathy in teams can be built and leading by example is crucial here. One of the chefs we met mentioned that his boss always asked after his Grandma who was in hospital and how that small thing meant a lot to him and created a mutual care and respect between them. We have seen a few highly strung chefs rolling their eyes at these ideas – but empathy isn’t woowoo. It’s a crucial personality trait we see in all successful leaders. When chefs complain about the apathy of their team it is often because they can’t fully access that empathy – so cycles of negativity can easily creep into those gaps.
Stress spreads! How small acts of care can change kitchens for the better
Every chef knows how intense and stressful service can be. We are so often short-staffed, it’s noisy, demanding, physical, hot and you are constantly having to react on the spot. This hectic combination of stimuli can make us boil over sometimes – understandably – so what can we do when that happens? How can we take care of ourselves and our team?
“If a team needs morale keeping up, then something else is up. Teams should feel empowered, capable, and great at what they do. We do buy Birkenstocks for our chefs though – new shoes always make people buzz!” Bash Redford, Forza Restaurants
“Music is really important in the kitchen – I encourage the team to listen to what they want to get everyone in the right zone for prep and service. I like to check in on everyone throughout service to see if they’re ok or need anything whether it be a push with getting dishes out or grabbing something from the walk-in. I want people to feel the pressure and get that rush from a busy service but also not feel overly stressed.” Michael Miles, Head Chef @ Crispin
“You really need to be aware that everyone’s hungry – literally make sure you feed and water everyone! If staff meals are getting skipped you’re failing everyone.” Paris Rosina
When we know our bodies and minds well, we can feel when our cortisol levels are rising. Our hearts start to race, jaw clenched, stomach tightens and our fight or flight mode wants to kick in. We ask chefs to try to spot that moment and wherever you are in service just to STOP. Take a breath. Even if tickets are backing up and it feels counter intuitive. Communicate to your team that you all need to pause and regroup. Check in on everyone – make sure everyone has water topped up, all take a sip and a deep breath. Then resume. So many chefs we speak to say this simple technique of stopping just briefly, communicating openly with the team and taking control stops stress from escalating and makes the whole team feel reconnected and regulated as one unit.
A certain amount of pressure and electricity is required in service – and most chefs thrive off this energy and it’s what keeps them motivated in some circumstances. Preventing that pressure from converting into stress is where the art of a good leader comes into play. So many brilliant chefs have learned from their mistakes in this area and have very deliberate strategies in place. You can’t just start service and hope for the best – it all starts with healthy, functional communication, realistic goal setting and practical planning for every eventuality.
Lots of chefs are swapping the post work pint for a post work peloton as a way of physically releasing any pent up stress and over-stimulation that can manifest in unhealthy ways if left to build up. It’s so refreshing to hear so many young chefs prioritising their minds and bodies in the full knowledge that this will have a positive effect on their leadership style and so also on their team’s overall wellbeing. Remember you can’t help others before you have your own life jacket on.
Defining your Kitchen Culture
Determining the kitchen culture and psychological ethos of your restaurant should be as important as finding your suppliers, building the kitchen and opening the doors. A healthy, happy back of house not only sets the tone and atmosphere for your restaurant but it makes everything else easier in the long run. A happy, organised team will enjoy training new staff and take pride in doing so thoroughly. On the flipside – undervalued, unhappy chefs will not train new staff well and this is where a negative culture can spread like wildfire. Resetting from that point is an exhausting uphill struggle – so many chefs we speak to have learned from their mistakes here. A positive culture makes the often nightmare business of recruitment and staff retention so much easier – word of mouth about the best places to work spreads fast in this industry and chefs are in short supply so they will vote with their feet! We see the best leaders in the industry defining their culture from the start and working to maintain it every single day:
“Our kitchen culture is creative, supportive and genuinely seasonal (not the arbitrary way people use that word).” Bash Redford, Forza Restaurants (Voted happiest place to work)
“Our kitchen culture is good-natured, holistic and educational. We are a small team that share the space across Llewelyn’s and Lulu’s, so everyone needs to be mindful of each other to make it work. It can be challenging at times especially during our really busy summer period. This means we always have to improve our setup and systems to better suit both sites. Listening to frustrations from all staff members and acting on these as best we can. At the end of the day a restaurant is only as good as the people who work there.” Lasse Peterson, Lleweyns & Lulus
“The kitchen culture at Hausu was something I really wanted to nail – yes we work hard yes we push but we also have fun and laugh. I want my chefs to be themselves and I’m hoping I give them the space to do that.” Holly Middleton Joseph, Hausu
“It’s a small kitchen at Crispin so we’re all very close and we look after each other. As much as there are “sections” there is overlap with MEP and everyone helps out. I also really want the kitchen to be an educational space where everyone is pushed just a little out of their depth technically and creatively, including myself.” Michael Miles, Crispin
“I would say the culture is definitely one of camaraderie. Most of the team are a youthful bunch and there is a multicultural vein running through the staff as we have a workforce from all over. This is a great thing and it’s lovely to see it evolve on its own as people come to work and have fun, make friends, learn a serious skill & maybe pick up a new language.” Rory Shannon, Head Chef @ Mani Pizza, Dublin
“A healthy kitchen culture is one that is reciprocal – it’s an exchange and always should be. It should never be about one person, or ego, but about a whole team contributing and each person’s voice being respected.” Marie Mitchell