The Healthy Chef Vol. 1 Issue 3 Sam Green

My name is Sam Green I’m a 37 year old chef who has been in the industry since the innocent age of 14. I have worked every position imaginable, have held many different titles, and have worked alongside some of the top names in the industry from New York and Orange County CA. The one thing I wish I would have learned throughout my time as a chef is how to separate work and life. I’ve always believed that work is life, but that’s not the truth. It’s what we do not who we are. As time has gone on, we have seen the loss of countless talented individuals because of the inner demons that people can’t see.  

Depression is an ongoing struggle in this industry that they never teach you about. In our pursuit for that little bit of fame we all seek as a chef we lose sight of the things that matter most around us friends,family, significant others and most of all personal time. Take it from someone who has given their life to an industry that has chewed them up and spit them out. I may have a great resume and skill set but what I lack the most is the love for myself as I don’t know who I am. I call myself a chef but at what cost to my own well being both physically and mentally. 

It’s a day to day struggle all the time but at the end of it we have to take care of ourselves and I wish I would have sooner. I now seek professional help and it has opened my eyes to the bigger picture of life and what that really means. Don’t be ashamed to admit that you need speak to someone or to even seek help. Culinary love is all about self wellness and mental health in a brutal no holds barred eat or be eaten industry.