25 Chefs Share The Moments That Made Them Stop Cooking Professionally For Good

I went to culinary school and got into the industry because I liked to cook, and I wanted to have a career that I was passionate about. I worked in BOH for a decade, and I was a chef for the last 4 years or so of that time.

When you're working in a kitchen, you're always working as fast as you can, you're understaffed, you're doing 8 different things at once, and someone is probably yelling at you about something. It's unnecessarily stressful, the pay is low, and you'll always be staying late and being called in on your days off. All but one of the places I worked in were breaking labour laws.

Before I decided to change careers, the last job I had was Chef at a fly in, fly out work camp in northern Canada. The money was good compared to my previous work. I realized one day that I was working just as hard as all of the tradespeople I was feeding, but they were still earning almost double what I was earning. I eventually got laid off (Covid), and the company didn't pay me the severance they owed me. At this point, I was done with the industry for good. I would like to retire one day and not have to eat cat food, so I researched what the highest paying trade was in my area and ended up going back to school to become an Elevator Mechanic.

Now I'm a second year apprentice making more than I could in a kitchen. It's not perfect, but I still think I should have done this a long time ago.

I was tired of making $15 per hour and having no benefits, no time off, no future after 20 years of experience.

I wanted kids someday and wanted the kid to be able to see a doctor before they were old enough to get a job themselves. Restaurants simply cannot provide that.

Covid just really drove it home how owners would VASTLY prefer their employees alll die than themselves take a slight hit on profits.

My body was breaking down. Turns out I had a broken foot, thyroid cancer and an undiagnosed connective tissue disorder. Now I run sleep studies, it’s far easier on my body.

Anthony Bourdain wrote one of the best books about the unglamourous side of the kitchen. I loved Kitchen Confidential. I think most people leave the industry when they realize how much they are being taken advantage of for the lowest pay possible. The passion for the business that kept me there turned out to be unsustainable. Lots of overtime. No benefits, low pay, and repetitive injuries that make you less able to do the job as you get older. Then you realize you'll never be able to retire and leaving the industry is your only choice. Frankly, I can't see this industry and the poor conditions and wages ever changing.

I started as a dishwasher, and quite frankly chased the paycheck. By the end of my 11 year culinary career I was sous at a restaurant owned by a multi James Beard nominated chef. I hated it, but it was all I knew how to do.

I was very lucky to have found the opportunity and time to go back to school. And now I work a really cush job on the beach. The campus I got my degree is where I work and I dont do anything related to my degree lol but it is a *very* sweet gig.

I was the head chef and already working 60 plus hour weeks, but I had a stellar crew that I hand picked, trained and everyone did their job and got along with one another. I did want less hours, and my crew wanted more hours, but I wasn’t able to give them more than 40 unless it was an emergency.

Corporate comes along and says I have to eliminate an entire position in the kitchen and cut everyone’s weekly hours by one shift. Apparently, I was supposed to eliminate 80 hours of productivity a week and make up the difference myself because I was salary.

Ha! No.

Validating side note: They took five months finding my replacement, and my replacement lasted six days and then quit.

I worked 15 years as a cook. Never having proper time off or sick days. Being paid so little for the amount of stress and work put into the job. Drinking my face off to cope. Finally had enough one day.

Took me 3 years of grinding while still working as a cook and getting education. Now I am one class away from my computer science degree and I am working full time in IT. I can't tell you guys enough, get the f**k out of resturant industry. It is so much better literally everywhere else.

Get this, I was sick the other day. I sent in one email in the morning informing my team. Nobody was blowing up my phone. The team is staffed well enough that missing one person isn't the end of the world. I even get paid for that day. Its crazy.

GTFO.

I'm working on leaving. Tired of sweating bullets all the time, constant burnout, catering to an ungrateful clientele. My specials have never ever sold well at any job or in school, and being aged artificially quickly from all the stress.

It was tolerable before, but it hasn't been worth it in years and I cant wait to quit.

I switched to café life. I was working in forbes kitchens for the past 3 years and was a chef in the Hamptons prior for 10 years. The stress, both physical and mental is simply not worth the sacrifice. I began to resent cooking and food. I never had time off and had to practically beg for four days off to fly home and see my now husband out of the country (expiring visa). In the US it's s****y enough, I moved to Ireland and ended up in the same boat but worse. Three hours of unpaid overtime most days, 10 days straight working most months, then one day they put me on 9 days then 8 days with a day off in between all because I had the audacity to use my alloted holiday to get married. My knees were f****d, my back was f****d, I was constantly ill from the mould and oil vapors and carbon dioxide. They would never get us equipment or tools when we needed them (despite making nearly 20mil in profit a year), and I was pulling the weight of my colluege while taking the blame of his f**k ups. Not to mention I would work the line by myself often (worst day was 94 covers by myself, 10 minutes per dish and must forces standard), some days I'd have to make afternoon tea sandwiches (180 sandwiches precisely trimmed and cut, all the prep and extras) as well as staff meal (soup, 6 salads, two carbs, a veg, and a protein) for 200-300 people twice a day while prepping for the next day AND being demanded by my colleague to help on the line. All for 13.40 quid hourly. OH and I was HORRENDOUSLY bullied by my subordinate- a cunty Italian narcissist girl who prided herself of being a vicious b***h, as well as my direct sous chef who liked me for 1 day after I did 94 covers alone. I was s******y harassed by one of the KPs until he slapped my a*s in front of people and I reported it
My last day there was when I slipped walking past the flat top, landed on it with my arm and slid forward, pulling my arm across a 400c degree ceramic plate- i ended up with a scar covering my entire forearm. That straw broke my back.
I get laid better now, everything is a team effort, I have 4 weeks paid holiday a year and I can take them in the middle of summer if I want. My boss is sound, and I have creative freedom. I'm in charge of the little kitchen and I can even sell my paintings in the cafe.

I'll eventually phase out completely but I don't really consider this chef work.

I was only in the industry 6-7 years, and had to walk away recently. I had a minor heart attack in 2024 on the line after working a year straight at 70+ hrs/week. I now have congestive heart failure as a result due to a weekend heart muscle. I tried to stick it out as long as I could, but I went from working as a prep cook to being a sous chef after 3 weeks of insane turnover, and all my accommodations went out the window. Plus my chef was an absolute jerk and I couldn’t stand working for him. I was burning the candle at both ends for so long and this industry does not accommodate severe chronic illness well, so now I’m looking into other career options to better my health.

I worked at a newly opened restaurant and it was the "chef"/owners first resturant. I don't think he had much experience in restaurants. I'm just a cook but I have been in the business for a while so I tried to give advice which he just wouldn't take, even when the chef that came in to advise him agreed. Like just because its in a bag chicken still shouldn't be on the top rack or that if you pack the freezer with soo much s**t that it covers the vents it will break.

Final straw was when we got into an argument because he told me I clean my cutting boards, knives and other stuff too much and how expensive soap is. I'd get it if i was using the dish machine but i wasn't. A big part of the job is making sure everything is clean, fresh and to not cross contaminate. The first and only time I've been told I clean too much.

Worked at a spot once where I took the sous position as a favor to the head chef who i knew and worked with previously. I made them fully aware that I'd do my best, but I'd work no more than 50 hours a week because I was in school for my masters degree.

Head chef took a vacation during our busy season, while we were short people. I told them I wasn't going to be working tons of extra hours, but id help out a bit more because it was only a week.

Well, he came back from his vacation and got pissed me because I left the previous couple of days when I had to go to my classes. Everything was fine for service and no one had issues.

He found out that I didn't skip my classes to stay at work. He proceeded to call me a lazy f**k and give me s**t about it.

I had worked 48 hours in 3 days already that week and that was the last straw. I told him if he didn't apologize to me right then and there (in front of everyone), I'm going to go get my s**t and leave.

He doubled down and told me to shut the f**k up and get back to work.

So I threw the large pot of demi I was working on into the sink. And I f*****g threw that b***h 10ft across the kitchen as hard as I could. Went and got my knives, tools, and things I had brought in to the kitchen. Shook hands with the cooks and told them it was a pleasure working with them, and walked out.

I just remember how funny it was because we were yelling at each other across the restaurant as I was collecting my things. Id go from pissed and telling him off, to calm and saying goodbye to everyone.

He put his hand on my shoulder once as I was walking away from him, as he was a get in your face and scream kind of a*****e. I had my large meat mallet in my hand as I was collecting my things and I put it to his throat, pushed him away from me, and told him if he touched me again id go to prison and he would go to the hospital if he was lucky. (was proud of that one, as I'm not a very confrontational person.)

I also text his gf and let her know he was cheating on her with multiple servers and bartenders.

My 2nd day I asked if I could do a deep clean of their kitchen (I refused to even eat there) and they said no, it’s a waste of time. Someone “showed me how to change the fryer oil” by simply dumping the old oil & refilling it. Clearly had never been scrubbed or even wiped out. The second he finished, all the brown & black sediment floated to the top. He looked at me with a huge smile & a thumbs up. I quit an hour later.

After 8 years in the kitchen, at 30 years old I stepped into the IT world. I spent 2 years in customer support, then switched to QA. I loved cooking, and the kitchen shaped my character, taught me how to handle different situations, and gave me lessons I would never trade for anything. But at the same time, it took away too much joy from my own life, spending long hours, many days, in places that belong to someone else.

It makes you want to just chill after work, otherwise you feel tired all the time. Working on Christmas, bank holidays, etc. I just love too many things in life to sacrifice myself completely to one kitchen. It just wasn’t for me. There are people who are happy living this life. Good. I’m happy for them and see them as warriors. Maybe someday I’ll open my own small place.

Now I take some jobs at events with my old crew, so it’s nice to come back once a month, every time in a new place, but I wouldn’t go back full-time. At least not now. I’m happy to have weekends off, to work 6–8 hours where the value of your work is measured by impact, not how many hours you stayed or how hard you tried. So… I guess that’s why.

I moved to another country to help open a restaurant with a buddy I had previously worked for who went on to gain Michelin star experience. He partnered with a celebrity chef in that country. They paid for my entire move, visa, etc.

Once the restaurant opened we were doing 12hour days, 6 days a week. I expected this until we iron out the kinks and get the ball rolling.

Four months later it's still the same grind. We've had high turnover and during service my buddy turns into Marco Pierre White, cursing, slamming pans, and just being an irate p***k. But I'm told not to take it personal, "it's just service."

Then we have a meeting about how we aren't hiring anymore staff. Oh, and we need to really watch what we're spending on groceries.

I worked the satellite kitchen with an apprentice that was located in the dining room. I had an ear piece radio that I used to communicate with the main kitchen to choreograph dishes coming out of the satellite and main kitchen going to the same tables. After the chef got in my ear cursing and screaming about the apprentice I knew I was done.

I went home that night, asked my wife if she was ready, she was. We booked tickets for the next day. I went to the airport, texted the chef that I quit, and threw my phone away.

The place closed down two months later. It's the only job I've walked away from but it was deserved.

I had a newborn son and my wife divorced me for not having enough time for them among other reasons, she decided she was gay. So I had to find a job that would let me spend time with him. Miss the chaos,love my holidays and weekends.

10years of cooking was fun and stressful. But with a family its just not manageable. Went to papa johns for a quick GM fix. Then to a grocery store in the meat/seafood department for a more relaxed yet food related environment. Now I do pest control😂. Make more than double in my NET income than I did my GROSS income.

I got injured and found out very quickly that workers comp zero and after many years in the game, it just never really had my back. I've gone through my nest egg and now, still busted up, I have to try to start all over in some other industry that will use my labor and spit me out.

Like a lot of people, you spend years (a decade in my case) over extending and over committing yourself to establishments and owners that don't return the favor, the potentiality of earning more for less effort in another industry. Or over time the body isn't the young energetic vessel it once was that could handle 10+ hour shift 6 days a week.

Mental health and hospitality - peanut butter and jelly - bangers and mash ect... you can't have one without the other. In some cases it's the key reason to leave the kitchen but for me, it's what had me shackled to it.

The anxiety and fear of leaving the industry and failing was crippling, to the point where I felt safe or comfortable staying in the same unhealthy conditions. It was like being at war with myself. The desperation and desire for more but fear of failure.

Got a job doing bread/pastry for a small private college. New company taking over an old kitchen. Boss was a nepo hire former marine who put his marksmanship awards on the wall of his office right behind his head. His sous were trash, lazy office dwellers who only came into the kitchen to yell. Waited two weeks for them to order yeast, being interrogated every day in the meantime as to why there was no fresh bread. Then I came in to find a tub of INACTIVE NUTRITIONAL YEAST on my worktable with a post-it on it from my least favorite of the sous with "no more excuses! :)" written on it.

Later that day I made 120 trifles in martini glasses for a banquet. I put them on sheet pans on a rolling rack. The same sous tried to roll the rack down a steep grade and spilled every single one of them onto the floor, smashing most of the glasses in the process. They then walked right back over to me and said "clean these up and have their replacements ready in one hour."

A couple years later I was running another place and I hired one of the other cooks who overheard the tirade I unleashed on that sous, he told me I was still being discussed in the kitchen for my walkout.