Chefs call time on abusive practices
Business Daily
BBC
4.4 • 816 Ratings
🗓️ 19 July 2021
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Is it time the old trope of the brilliant, angry chef gets retired for good? Michelin-starred chefs are often famous for their skill, precision and passion. But many of them are just as well-known for their tyrannical and belligerent behaviour towards staff. With ever more allegations surfacing of abuse and harassment in Michelin-starred restaurants, leaders in the industry are calling for the culture to change once and for all. Eric Rivera, owner and head chef at Addo in Seattle tells the BBC’s Tamasin Ford about the abuse he’s seen and experienced first-hand, and why he thinks it’s always white male chefs who get praised for this behaviour. Asma Khan, chef and owner of Darjeeling Express in London, says chefs should be stripped of their accolades if found to be abusive. Chef and TikTok star Poppy O’Toole says she’s worried that without positive change, an industry ravaged by Covid-19 might never fully recover. And Viviana Varese, chef and owner of Viva in Milan, tells Tamasin how she built an inclusive and supportive environment for her staff, while still achieving Michelin-star excellence.
Producer: Frey Lindsay
(Photo: Chef holding a pan in flames. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, I'm Tamerson Ford. Welcome to Business Daily from the BBC. If you've ever worked in a restaurant, you'll know it can get pretty tense in the kitchen. |
| 0:12.5 | You know, I've had pots and pans thrown at me. I've had people burn me on purpose. I've had chefs throw me against walls, throw me around in the kitchen, throw food at me, |
| 0:22.8 | you name it. |
| 0:23.9 | But does it really have to be that stressful? |
| 0:27.1 | In today's Business Daily from the BBC, we speak to the chefs who are speaking out about |
| 0:32.5 | the toxic abuse hurled at staff in restaurant kitchens. |
| 0:37.3 | Look at a number of shows of shouty, obnoxious, toxic male chef. |
| 0:42.1 | It is not brain surgery. You're not 16 hours operating on someone. |
| 0:46.1 | No one is going to die. You're just peeling potatoes. |
| 0:49.0 | That's all coming up. |
| 0:53.9 | If you haven't seen the shouty, angry celebrity chefs on TV, here's a glimpse of what we're |
| 1:00.3 | talking about. |
| 1:01.7 | Why are you wiping the plates? |
| 1:03.9 | Every time there's food in the past, where should it be? |
| 1:06.0 | On the fucking past. |
| 1:07.7 | Hey, big boy, your choice. |
| 1:09.4 | You want to stand there talking to the fucking kitchen pods all night. I'm standing here doing your job. What do you prefer? |
| 1:13.7 | I hope you're happy. So big boy, just calm down. Stop worrying about your flash jackets. |
| 1:18.1 | I'm 50 quid. Concentrate keeping your fucking job. |
| 1:20.6 | Dr. Marco, look at the feel. It's pink, medium rare. |
| 1:23.8 | Fatty. Well, you're not too slim, are you? Let's be honest. |
| 1:29.1 | That went down a bit black, didn't it? |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.