Episode 2: Minds of the Chefs

The Front Burner with Jimmy & Andrew

Mental illness, psychological disorders, and substance abuse have been a part of the DNA of professional kitchens for generations. Often glamorized or joked about, and just as often swept under the runners, they are rarely taken head-on for the serious challenge they represent to both individuals and the industry. Writer and Tasting Table Editor at-Large Kat Kinsman (author of the forthcoming Hi, Anxiety) has launched the “Chefs with Issues” project, founded on an online survey for food professionals, to tackle this subject. Kat joins Jimmy and Andrew to talk about the project and the observations it has yielded to date, along with chefs Frank Crispo (of NYC’s Crispo and an industry veteran) and Jesse Schenker (of NYC’s Recette and The Gander), who wrote about his own struggles with many of these issues in his memoir All or Nothing. All that plus the week’s headlines.

“As a kid I was crazy and when I got into the kitchen it was soothing, controlled chaos.” [28:15]

–Jesse Schenker on The Front Burner

“We have this tremendous stress all day performing and looking that gratification.” [35:30]

–Frank Crispo on The Front Burner