Great conversation with Kris Hall, who is the founder of the Burnt Chef Project, talking about the mental health issues of many people in the Hospitality Industry.   It doesn't need to be how it has been in the past.  There is focus now more than ever to change the culture and stresses in the industry.   

Joanne Irizarry is a chef in the industry that knows what it is like to deal with mental health issue, substance abuse and suicide.  She spoke with us about what it's like in the restaurant industry and why she started "A Safe Place Inside Your Head" to help people who are looking for an online community for mental health support.

Passionate, creative, and undeniably driven, Kyla Tuori’s culinary career began at the highly acclaimed professional chef school George Brown College. Starting her career in fine dining coupled with a marketing background from University of Guelph, made Unilever Food Solutions an ideal fit.
What began as an internship evolved into a career with the prestigious company, and the opportunity to work amongst Unilever’s talented and experienced chefs throughout North America and the Globe.
Through Chef Tuori’s, almost decade long career with Unilever, she has been the recipient of the OHI’s Top 30 Under 30 Award, affiliated with a variety of Culinary associations, and on the advisory board of charitable organizations, such as Community Outreach/Second Chance, which changes the lives of people in need by creating reliable connections and opportunities.

I’m a traveling foodie living in Raleigh North Carolina with my partner & 2 boxers. During COVID, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that required me to completely remove gluten from my diet. After months of cycling through tests and medications, I was relieved to have a “simple” solution, yet I found it was very challenging to eat out anywhere. After a couple gluten-poisonings from “trusted” restaurants I was convinced there needed to be someone to help educate restaurant staff and implement processes to safely serve gluten-free patrons. After a few more accidental gluten ingestions, I realized that person was me.
A few months later, I left my nine-to-five to start SLNG Consulting, LLC to partner with restaurants looking to improve their gluten-free guest experience.

Resources: 

www.spreadlovenotgluten.com 

@spreadlovenotgluten Facebook and Instagram handle
Blog post: Serving gluten-free customers 

One size does not fit all.  Shelby helps us understand the options and how to decide what is right for you and how employers can help their employees get coverage.

With over 5 years of experience as an insurance agent, Shelby Freeman has the skill set, background, and credentials to advise you on the best insurance plans for your situation. She has worked diligently to assist countless clients in finding plans that fit their lifestyles and give them peace of mind in all 24 states she is licensed in. Shelby became an insurance agent to help people navigate tricky policies and to ensure all policyholders are aware of their risk exposures. Her mission is to build customized insurance policies tailored to each client’s specific personal, business, or family health coverage needs. 
Shelby has a passion for helping small businesses and is well equipped to help you in choosing the perfect insurance plans for your company. Her areas of expertise include insurance solutions for food and beverage businesses, builders and real estate operations, and legal professionals. She believes that putting her clients first and maintaining a high level of professionalism on their behalf is what makes clients eager to refer her to their family and friends. 

Amy Glasmeier is professor of Economic Geography and Regional Planning. She runs LRISA, the lab on Regional Innovation and Spatial Analysis, in DUSP. Glasmeier is also a Founding Editor of the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, a journal which publishes multi-disciplinary international research on the spatial dimensions of contemporary socio-economic-political change. 

Glasmeier's research focuses economic opportunities for communities and individuals through the investigation of the role of geographic access and the effect of locational accident on human development. She won a 2018 grant from the National Science Foundation for her Collaborative Research on Understanding the benefits and mitigating the risks of interdependence in critical infrastructure systems. Recent awards include the  Fellow award from American Association of Geographers (December 2017) and the MIT Office of the Dean for Graduate Education Receipt of the Award from the “Committed to Caring” campaign (2017).

She is writing a textbook on the Geography of the Global Energy Economy. Her other project, "Good Bye American Dream" traces the ideology of opportunity that undergirds America's relationship to the poor. Through analysis of census data, popular media, and personal narratives, Glasmeier is exploring the contradictions in the most sacred of constructs by demonstrating the ephemeral nature of economic opportunity encumbered by locational accident, institutional inertia, and the unintended consequences of public policy. The work builds off of her long running Living Wage Calculator, which analyzes the minimum level of income required for individuals and families to pay for basic living expenses. Recent press includes an interview on MIT Spectrum.

Glasmeier holds a professional Masters and PhD in Regional from UC Berkeley and currently serves as Associate Planning Board Member in the Town of Cohasset.

Algenon Cash shares his take on the state of the restaurant industry.  He touches on many of the issues that restaurants face now and in the future.  Learn what efforts he is taking to ensure that restaurants and their employees are inspired and motivated.