17 February 8 - 14, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents whose concepts include Whiskey Cake and Sixty Vines. He recently helped open the new Bankhead Brewpub location in Farm- ers Branch. “Every now and then I hear stories about people throwing things and yelling at their people, but for the most part, I don’t think that kind of behavior is tolerated anymore,” he says. “Especially at places that are smaller and chef-owned.” Of course, as Clayton can attest, bad be- havior still runs rampant at many restau- rants. The key seems to be finding the bosses like Gardner and Provost, and in turn, the key for chefs and owners is to hold onto those people for dear life. “We have to compete with companies that are paying more than us,” Van Meter says. “So, if you’re not mentoring at some of the culinary schools, you’re not going to get people. Apprenticeship used to be the model, but now people want mentorship. You want someone to be kind; I don’t think that’s asking for too much, and I don’t know why it’s always been so hard. It doesn’t have to be.” The people interviewed for this story shared several theories as to how the well- deserved stereotype of the toxic chef came into existence in the first place. In The Bear, we see Carmy struggle to break free from the vicious cycle of trauma-inducing chefs in which he is both victim and par- ticipant. Abuse will continue to be passed down from kitchen to kitchen until the cy- cle is broken. “It breeds a certain type of individual who is tough and willing to put in the work,” Clayton says. “There can be a unique sort of mental illness that comes with doing service industry. Because if we analyze it from a class perspective, you’re putting in a lot of work and making a lot of money for other people. You’d be shocked at how many adults are trapped doing this work.” Belmore said something similar. “Everything in the kitchen was under my control, and that’s attractive, but it also makes it very toxic,” she says. “Kitchens at- tract a lot of people with addictive person- alities. I’d say, to an extent, I have one as well. People get pissed at each other, but then you make up as soon as the shift is over. The emotional highs and lows are ad- dictive.” As a head chef, she admits she was harsher than she should have been. Relative to others, though, she was often seen as “too nice.” “That was only because I worked with people who had the same managers I did, managers who were assholes and would throw stuff against walls.” After eight years, she had still never quit a job mid-shift, even though she thought about it regularly. But she was miserable, and she needed a change. So she put in her two weeks and got a job somewhere dramatically different from a kitchen: a library. She now works a predictable, tenable schedule, her days off are truly days off, and the theatrical highs and lows that were once alluring are now a thing of the past. “The only way I knew how to get health- ier,” she says, “was to get out.” FEBRUARY 26 HOUSE OF BLUES ENTER TO WIN TICKETS
