From kitchens to community leaders: Why "chefs have to lead" a new era of culinary advocacy

The role of chef has both stayed the same and changed dramatically over the last 30 years. Especially since the beginnings of The Food Network, the influx of food competition reality shows, and the ensuing bevy of food media and entertainment that helped stoke the culinary interests of the masses, chefs are no longer just the stars of their kitchens. They are celebrities and public figures, netting contracts, scads of money and millions of fans along the way. 

Some use that platform to do the expected things, like sell condiments or a splashy line of cookware. But according to Katherine Miller, author of the new book "At the Table: The Chef's Guide to Advocacy" and the founding executive director of the Chef Action Network, chefs can and should leverage this cultural moment to operate as leaders — both inside and outside the kitchen. 

The Chef Action Network is an organization that was started in 2013 to coordinate the advocacy efforts of chefs who participated in the James Beard Foundation’s Chef Bootcamp for Policy and Change. Perhaps expectedly, many of the efforts were centered on food-based or industry-adjacent topics, like food insecurity, price gouging and inflation, food waste and labor rights. In the ten years since, there has been a lot of movement among culinary professionals to address those issues. 

"The biggest strides that the industry have taken is fully understanding that chefs and restaurants have responsibilities outside of putting delicious food on the plate," Miller told Salon Food. "Over the last decade, chefs have used their restaurants to demonstrate sustainability and support for local and regional food systems."

She continued: "Chefs have stepped out of the kitchen to support organizations in their own cities and communities. And chefs have stepped up to leverage their networks and profile to raise awareness of the necessary policy changes needed — such as protecting SNAP funding, policies to encourage food waste reduction and funding for school meals."

Miller highlights some notable project examples that have emerged over the last decade, including the work of organizations like Family Meal and The Lee Initiative, which worked to mitigate hunger and allow people to avoid the "stress and loss of dignity related to food insecurity."

She pointed to the work of Bakers Against Racism. Launched initially in 2020 by Chef Paula Velez, a James Beard Award finalist, Bakers Against Racism was a virtual worldwide bake sale that raised funds for charities that supported the Black Lives Matter movements. Miller classified it as "one of the best examples of how communities can mobilize to deliver money and awareness to important social causes” and "should be highlighted in every class about effective advocacy."

Katherine Miller (Courtesy of Brooks Craft)

Some particular chefs that Miller mentions are Chef Elle Simon, Chef Michel Nischan and Chef Renee Erickson for making strides within SNAP benefits and food aid, expanding excess to fresh produce, the importance of nutrition and the significance of sustainable seafood and sourcing. Furthermore, Miller recognizes the advocacy efforts of Chef Andrea Reusing, who is passionate about the topic of undocumented workers and harmful immigration policies.

In recent years, the restaurant industry has also become more comfortable with talking about some of the darker issues that are sometimes hidden in the back-of-house, like mental health struggles — something that chefs Patrick Mulvaney and Chris Shepard are trying to address through their organization Restaurant After Hours, Inc. — and inadequate wages. 

"There's always going to be more room to grow and change when it comes to the inequities baked into the restaurant world," Miller said, pointing to the work of Hollis Silverman, the founder of the East Point Collective restaurant group which is "modeling ways to pay high wages, provide benefits and still maintain high levels of hospitality and food quality."

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated just how fragile our food systems really are, Miller says now is the time for members of the food industry to push for government cooperation when it comes to issues surrounding hunger, food access and the treatment of service workers. 

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"I would like to see the next administration appoint a food czar and really deliver on the promise of the White House Conference on Hunger, Food and Nutrition," she said. "That conference held in 2022 was the first one since the Nixon Administration and companies and policymakers made lots of commitments . . . We need a systemic redesign of our food system that involves discussions around how we use food to create jobs in local communities, rebuild our agriculture policies to prioritize the health of communities and also make delicious and healthy food readily available to all."

Table display of Miller's new book, At The Table (Courtesy of Katherine Miller)

The pandemic also prompted the organization of the Independent Restaurant Association, which was a collective of thousands of chefs and owners of independent restaurants and local chains. They originally formed to fight for relief aid, but are now organizing around other tax incentives and business practices that, according to Miller, will help grow a better industry for all.

"I want every chef to truly step up and become a leader in their kitchen and in their community," she said. "Chefs have tremendous power and with that comes real responsibility. They have a responsibility to lead by example and create work environments that are safe and free of violence and abuse. They need to recognize their role in the greater food economy and prioritize local and regional sourcing and purchases."