Chef Appreciation Week

Cooking an inspired meal can be exciting but also tiring – and professional chefs do it just about every day! Pay some special attention to those chefs who feed people in the local community or all over the world during Chef Appreciation Week.

History of Chef Appreciation Week

The background of Chef Appreciation Week can be traced back to 2013 when the day was founded by Donald and Lisa Crutch of the organization called Chefs Against Cancer. The purpose behind establishing the day was to show appreciation for and celebrate the hard work of the folks who serve with dedication in the culinary industry.

By 2018, Chef Appreciation Week had grown to be celebrated in many restaurants throughout the United States and eventually to more than 30 countries all over the globe. Each year, individuals and companies unite to show appreciation for the chiefs in their lives with the theme: Great People Inspire Great Food!

In addition to celebrating and saying thank you to chefs all over the world, Chef Appreciation Week also encourages restaurant owners and chefs to participate in programs that can make the world a better place. From running a kitchen in a more environmentally sustainable way to preventing food waste with creative recipes, the opportunities for chefs and culinary teams to collaborate are exciting!

How to Celebrate Chef Appreciation Week

Chef Appreciation Week is the ideal time to think about how amazing it is to eat a well-made meal, and then consider the person behind the delicious food on the table! Show some love by celebrating with some of these ideas and activities for enjoying the event:

Say Thank You to a Chef

One of the best ways to celebrate Chef Appreciation Week is to find a time during the week to show a chef who is a friend or family member just how much they are loved. Send a card or flowers, buy them a little gift or take them out to dinner – so they don’t have to be the one cooking for once.

Even people who don’t know a chef personally can still celebrate. Folks who eat out at restaurants may not realize how nice it is when a chef receives a compliment from the dining room floor. It doesn’t need to be a big deal, but it’s great to ask the server to let the chef know that their food was delicious. It’s just a little way to celebrate the hard work it is to work in a kitchen and cook creative, tasty meals!

Watch Some Chefs on Film

One fun way to celebrate Chef Appreciation Week might be to watch some shows or films that feature the hard work of chefs, whether from a dramatic perspective or with a whole bowl full of culinary laughs. Check out these interesting films about chefs for starters:

• Julie & Julia (2009). Based on a true story, this film by Nora Ephron contrasts the life of famous American chef Julia Child with an aspirational chef in New York who endeavors to make all 524 of Julia Child’s recipes in a year.
• The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014). This delightful romantic comedy with Helen Mirren and Manish Dayal shows what happens when an Indian family moves into France and sets up a restaurant across the street from a French Michelin star restaurant.
• Burnt (2015). This gritty film starring Bradley Cooper shows some of the dirty underbelly of what happens when a chef is working too hard and living under big pressure.
• Ratatouille (2007). Sure, this one is an animated film, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining! This comedy drama tells the story of a rat named Remy who loves to cook but, of course, has difficulty getting a job. So he enlists the help of a restaurant garbage boy, and an important relationship ensues.

Be an Agent of Change

Through the celebration of Chef Appreciation Week, chefs are encouraged to join together in collaboration to be agents of change. The website for this important annual event offers a range of ideas and resources that chefs can implement to build into their community and benefit the world around them. From wellness and sustainability action in the back of the restaurant to food waste prevention activities such as Stop Food Waste Day, the folks involved with the events of this week are excited about the impact that chefs can have on their communities.