In episode 267 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Robert Parks.
Robert is a Head Chef and someone our Founder Freddie has known since they were school-mates one year apart at Ilford County High School, where Freddie attended for sixth-form college. They then went to the same university at Sussex and have remained friends ever since.
Rob broke into the culinary industry in the most unconventional way possible, by appearing on the 2015 edition of BBC’s Masterchef and making it to the semi-finals.
From there, he became Head Chef at his fellow contestant Tony Rodd’s restaurant Copper & Ink, which he set up and ran alongside his wife Becky.
He worked there until 2023 when he left the job to move into private hospitality and nine months later, sadly the restaurant was forced to close its doors and serve food to its customers for the final time.
In this episode we chart his culinary journey at Copper & Ink, his professional and personal relationship with Tony, the impact of Covid-19 on the restaurant and the industry, why he decided to leave, work-life balance and identity as a chef when you leave a job like that.
For Rob’s continued mental health journey, we discuss: the personal impact of Covid-19 on his mental health, why it had one small benefit of allowing him more time to spend with his brother whom he lived with, the reality of mental illness and how he saw this manifest in some of the staff he managed at Copper & Ink and the benefits he’s had in moving to a 9-5 job in the industry.
As always, #itsokaytovent
You can listen to Part 1 of Rob’s journey here.
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