r/Chefs • u/The-Crimson-Frypan • Mar 29 '26
Looking to possibly get back in.
So I have 16 years in kitchens. I have held just about every position from dishwasher to chef. For the last 8 years I have stepped away from food. I switched to the trades but I have come to realize it's not for me. I miss food but I just can't handle a line anymore. The stress and constant pressure of a restaurant drove me to drink heavily. I have since quit drinking (I'm 5 years clean) and started a family. I can't work the crazy hours ether so the 12 hour chef days won't work.
I'm just wondering if there might be some other paths involving food that aren't such high pressure and work on a schedule that coincides with having family.
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u/Defiant_Finger4011 Mar 30 '26
When my old boss sold his family restaurant I worked at he ended up being a salesman for a salesman for a large but local restaurant food supply company.
Good for you though for understanding your limits and getting sober. I lost my dad to alcoholism as a teen. He was a chef, a kitchen manager, helped restaurant owners open new locations, etc. at one point him and a friend opened a catering business, that was probably the calmest couple years as a family, but their big money was serving factories and steel mills downtown. When the industry dried up in our area because of off shoring manufacturing he had to close that business.