JCIP #20 - Robert Parks

In the twentieth episode of the Just Checking In Podcast, we spoke to Vent Champion and Head Chef at London restaurant Copper & Ink, Robert Parks. Rob got his big break in the industry when he made it to the Semi-Final of BBC cookery show MasterChef in 2015.In this pod we discussed the article he wrote for Vent in January 2018 about some of the realities of working in the restaurant industry and how it's pressure cooker environments can have an impact on one's mental health, with some important stories about how it has taken the lives of several prominent chefs as well. We also discussed his own cookery journey, his mental health journey and of course, a mental health chat. A final topic of discussion was around identity and the interview he did for the Metro for journalist Natalie Morris as part of her 'Mixed Up' feature, which is a weekly series that aims to elevate the under-heard voices of the mixed-race population in the UK.You can read that article in full here: https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/10/mixed-up-if-you-are-anything-other-than-white-you-are-considered-black-9139063/You can also read the full article he wrote for Vent 'Boiling Over' here: http://vent.org.uk/boiling-chefsFollow Robert on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertDAParksInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/copperandink/Follow Copper & Ink on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/copperinkInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertdaparks/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CopperandInk/?ref=br_rsIf you are a chef and need additional support with your mental health, you can contact 'Chefs with Issues' here: http://chefswithissues.com/As always, #itsokaytoventMusic: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvkSupport Us:PatreonPayPalMerchandise