Ómós Digest #146: Taking a career break

Why it's a good thing. Written by Cúán Greene.

I’m often told by colleagues in hospitality that they are taking a break from the industry. But instead of this being something positive, they’re telling me rather ashamedly. There’s a perception that taking a break from work is negative. Today, I’m going to tell you why that’s false. 

There is a wealth of material available that emphasises the importance of taking breaks. The context of those articles (especially in hospitality) commonly relates to daily breaks during work hours, rather than actual career breaks. And there's a reason for that. Hospitality, amongst many other industries, is well known to be one where time is of the essence and daily breaks can mistakenly be considered secondary to the mise en place and to-do lists that occupy staff throughout the world. An image went viral a couple of years ago of a chef eating, slouched on an upturned bucket, next to the stove of a galley kitchen. The owner of the image posted it on social media, hailing his staff member as heroic. The image, which was intended to display his devotion, instead backfired, going viral with most highlighting how this kind of lauding of ‘hard work’ is what has led to the industry's bad reputation and infamous accounts of burnout. I am highlighting this particular photo however to suggest the link between this learned attitude and the mindset that career breaks are for those who can’t cut it.

Most jobs are either physically or mentally challenging. Hospitality is both. It’s a career that demands you to think on your feet while standing on your feet. It commands the ability to multitask and to calculate while remaining organised and hitting deadlines. The industry works off notoriously low margins and high costs. Anyone who has worked in hospitality will have had to make social sacrifices that can affect relationships. The job is undeniably hard but all that being said, few jobs will deliver the same rush, euphoria and gratification you receive from a busy service, working with a talented team and happy guests. It sounds like a cliché, but it's that feeling that makes the industry addictive and got me in it in the first place. Additionally, there are few environments where creativity, experience and remarkable encounters are so present. The places I’ve been, the food and drink I’ve tasted, the art and design I’ve experienced, the incredible parties I've attended, the people I have met, and the cultures I have learned about are a result of my career choice. I don’t completely subscribe to the ‘job is a lifestyle or vocation’ or a ‘work hard play hard’ mindset, I want a life outside of work thanks very much, but I do accept that for the hours you are at work, it's hard, enjoyable and rewarding all at once. Therefore, minimising the amount of time spent at work is where we must place focus. I was recently told that the greatest example of User Experience (UX Design) is found in high-end hospitality because nowhere else can you find customers shedding emotional tears through sensory experience on a daily basis. 

The chef Christian Puglisi stated on Instagram that one of the reasons why he has remained in the industry is because he has been able to take a pause. He has run many successful businesses that have had cult followings, including Michelin star Relæ, wine bar Manfreds, pizza restaurant Bæst and the bakery and café Mirabelle, which is now a small plates, Italian-focused restaurant. When asked how the 42-year-old chef of Italian descent has been able to operate at the forefront of the Danish hospitality industry for so long, he stated, “I’ve taken lots of breaks”. Relæ and Manfreds, both responsible for his acclaim and success as a chef, are now closed. While they were a great success and inspired many restaurants around the world, he declared that they had run their course and it was time to pause before taking the next decision. Although I think Covid closed Relae, and reassembling the loyal talent he controversially let go would have been a challenge not worth taking, I admire his outlook that certain restaurants have an expiry date and that's ok. I remember as a kid genuinely feeling sadness when a local restaurant closed, thinking it was due to lack of business (how pensive of me). Restaurants can be such an exciting thing to build and run, but perhaps after a few years, some run their course and it's time for rest before the next vision takes shape. More probable still, the rest inspires the vision. Something is reassuring about that. 

Several weeks ago, I was introduced to a sommelier regarding a position at Ómós. She had worked in a host of restaurants which shared commonalities to our future vision. When approached, she exclaimed how exciting the project seemed, but that she was taking a break from hospitality. Her break has been spent living in France, working on vineyards. This summer, she plans to work on a farm where she hopes to grow some vegetables (as well as prioritise personal growth). Rather than disappointed, my response to her plans were nothing other than supportive. In this instance, I fully accept that this sommelier may never work at Ómós, however, it's also a possibility that she could join us better skilled and more emotionally prepared and equipped, having taken that break. 

Maybe you’re currently on a break or seeking answers. There isn't a single right answer, as it varies depending on the individual circumstances and your home commitments. I’ve taken numerous career breaks. I’ve spent as much time out of the kitchen as I have in it, and I believe this has shaped who I am today. If I had devoted the last 17 years solely to kitchen work, my fish butchery skills might be sharper, but my character and outlook would be different. Kitchens are fantastic places, but they also benefit from having people with diverse perspectives.

As early as my third year in college, I took a sabbatical and returned for my fourth year rejuvenated. I achieved higher grades than I would have, had I not taken the year away from college. Honestly, today when I think of a career break, I don’t think there is anything I would want to do more than to cook right now. There’s nothing that gives me the same buzz and energy, and I can’t live without it. If I wasn’t doing it for Ómós and I had no commitments at home,  I would probably take my knife pack and hop off first to Asia and cook my way around the world. After experiencing Bangkok last year, I have a yearning to sample new foods and explore new cultures. Anyone who says that’s a bad idea hasn’t a breeze.

I am now gearing myself up for the first time as an owner, which in traditional terms means no break for the foreseeable. While I am prepared for the intensity and perseverance that awaits, I want to advocate a business where that impulse to run diminishes for all. As mentioned in many of our articles, we hope that people feel cared for, enthused and inspired within the environment we create. For that, achieving balance is paramount. But what does balance mean? In the past, I have often found that despite feeling inspired and creatively fulfilled, working in kitchens has had various effects on my mental and physical health; conditions I have been able to dramatically improve and work on in recent years. These health issues are a result of the following: being overworked with too many consecutive long shifts. At moments, my time in high-end kitchens felt like a proverbial ‘rat race’, devoid of sleep. Late shifts were followed by early shifts, making time to yourself scarce. Consequently, in hospitality people feel trapped, without a sense of independence and downtime. A lack of emphasis on enforced daily or bi-daily breaks is all too common. 48 hours is the absolute most that one should be in the kitchen. Even at that, it takes a toll on the body. It’s all very well specifying that staff should take breaks, but any absence of support that enables you to take those breaks often gets in the way of developing a supportive culture. Thus, many kitchens develop totalitarian cultures, with inflexible rules and management. All of these points need addressing and maximum effort should be placed on ensuring that staff can feel fulfilled, relaxed and energised by the working environment. It's undeniable that work in restaurants is physical, but how can we creatively reduce physicality? What measures can be put in place to do that? For restaurants that serve dinner, working nights is a given. However, if we prioritise sleep, can we make those late nights earlier and early mornings later? Can we work fewer nights? When our bodies grow tired and we crave nothing more than rest, with that feeling of breaking becoming so unavoidable it can’t be dismissed, well then, I hope we are in a position to encourage and support it.