Ep. 28/ Executive Chef/Restauranteur John Gorham on Building A Culture of Wellness

  Long before the death of Anthony Bourdain, Restauranteur John Gorham was addressing the issue of mental health in the kitchen. Restaurant workers have the highest rate of illicit drug use and the second-highest rate of suicide. In this episode, John talks with the Beyond Well team about the structural changes he's made to address anxiety, depression and drug use in restaurant workers. "Anthony's suicide was brutal on our industry," John says, "Because he had it all. He had the dream. He had it all. So if life wasn't good enough for him, how could it possibly be good enough for others who don't have his skills?"  John Gorham is Executive Chef/Owner of iconic Portland restaurants Toro Bravo, Tasty n Daughters, Tasty n Alder, PLAZA DEL TORO and co-owner of Mediterranean Exploration Company, Shalom Y'all, and Bless Your Heart Burgers. Gorham believes that a chef’s cuisine and style is influenced by a trade route composed of travels, past work and cities lived in.