Chefs do more than create meals — they create moments, memories, and comfort. They nourish our communities with their talent, their passion, and their heart.

But behind the apron is a reality most people never see — the pressure, the exhaustion, the long nights, the trauma, the burnout, and the emotional toll of the kitchen.

Yes, Chef! Behind the Apron™️ is not just a project — it’s a movement to humanize, honor, and uplift the people who feed us.
Our mission is to celebrate chefs, reveal their hidden struggles, and make a tangible impact on their lives and our community.

Through storytelling, photography, advocacy, and chef-led initiatives, we focus on two critical needs in the culinary world:

🥣 Fighting Food Insecurity

Partnering with chefs and local organizations to provide meals, resources, and support to individuals and families who need it most.

🧠 Promoting Mental Health in the Culinary Industry

Creating safe spaces, conversations, and support programs that address burnout, stigma, and the unseen emotional labor hospitality workers carry.

🎙️ And coming soon… EXPOSED: Behind the Apron Podcast

Raw conversations. Real stories. Unfiltered truth from the people who live it.
This podcast will open the door even wider — bringing the voices, struggles, victories, trauma, humor, and humanity of chefs directly to the world.
It will deepen the movement.
It will expand the conversation.
And it will change the way we talk about hospitality forever.

Yes, Chef! Behind the Apron™️ is an organization dedicated to advancing food equity and mental health awareness through chef-centered storytelling and community engagement.

By documenting and sharing the powerful, often unseen stories of culinary professionals, we work to humanize the individuals behind the apron, raise critical funds to combat food insecurity, and provide access to wellness resources for those working in high-stress kitchen environments.

Our mission is to inspire empathy, activate community support, and create systemic impact—through the intersection of art, advocacy, and food.

Vision Statement

We envision a world where chefs are not only celebrated for their craft, but supported as individuals—where their stories spark empathy, their influence drives change, and their leadership helps eliminate food insecurity and mental health stigma in the culinary industry.

Impact Statement

Through compelling visual storytelling, collaborative community initiatives, and direct partnerships with food banks and mental health advocates, Yes, Chef! Behind the Apron™️ has already:

• Funded over 70,000 meals through regional food banks
• Elevated the personal stories of over 20+ chefs through portrait-driven campaigns
• Created platforms for dialogue around wellness, recovery, and resilience in the kitchen
• Laid the foundation for a growing national movement that merges art, advocacy, and action

With continued funding and partnership, our goal is to scale this model nationally—expanding our reach, deepening our impact, and empowering even more chefs to serve not just food, but meaningful change.