The Nobility of a "Restaurant Family" is a Lie

When I began the journey of becoming a Chef, my hero was Anthony Bourdain. He was brash, cool, intelligent, funny and he had wit that stuck with you after you read any of his books.

He was a rock star.

As I watched his shows, I admired the sense of respect and honor he had towards people he came in contact with and the respect for their food as well as their cultures. Even my world respected hero couldn't escape the weight of the pain he carried throughout his life and career.

The nobility of a "restaurant family" is a lie. There, I said it. As someone who has been given an amazing life, working through various aspects in the food world, this does not come lightly. I have met most of my best friends, my mentors and most importantly, my wife through the service industry. I've traveled and helped provide a middle American life through this industry.

Again, I don't take this lightly.

As my hair turns grey and my life experiences position me as the OG in most rooms, I realize how many people have defined themselves by what they do...including myself at times.

There is a high cost to putting a restaurant first—to putting your blood, sweat, and tears into forging a "successful" career as a Chef. At the same time, more than in any other industry, you are expendable.

Now, that doesn't mean there aren't some awesome restaurants and groups that do an amazing job of taking care of their people. I will say this, how many times have you seen people climb through a restaurant's ranks to only become more expensive?

When a scenario like this happens to a manager in a bank they usually—at the bare minimum—get a phat severance. In the restaurant industry, that's generally not the case. If your restaurant goes from the hottest spot in town to being a cool spot for local to come to there will always be pressure on you to recreate the magic. (If this is you, hit us up to recreate the buzz. We live and breathe to help people like you find success both in the short and long term.)

In the end, your faith, family and friends are what are lasting. No one adds their Yelp reviews on their tombstone. I hope no one's dying memory highlights are slinging plates on expo—except for me when I met my beautiful wife or a couple of my best friends.

Remember why you do the work. Don't let the work become the focus on of your life. You'll regret it....Believe that.