What if we told you it is possible to run a restaurant where staff don’t burn out, and the business thrives? Where treating staff correctly equals better performance.

In this episode of Heard, Ryan sits down with chef and author Ben Shewry, co-owner of Attica in Melbourne, one of very few restaurants in the world operating as a certified B Corp.

Ben’s not interested in trends or empty virtue-signaling. He’s spent the last decade proving that you can build a high-performance restaurant without sacrificing your team’s health, your ethics, or your culture.

“We are not tortured artists, that’s not an acceptable mentality.”

From implementing a four-day work week to rejecting toxic kitchen hierarchies, Ben shares a blueprint for how the next generation of chefs, restaurateurs, and leaders can create a workplace where people actually want to work.

He’s been ridiculed for his ideas, “a bunch of pussies,” the team were once called, but the industry’s shifting. And Ben believes that change is no longer optional.

“You can get on board and change for the right reasons… or that change will come for you.”

Ryan sits down with sociologist Ellen Meiser, who has studied restaurant culture from the inside out. Together, they explore how chefs endure violence, toxic traditions, and relentless pressure, often romanticized as “tough love” or a rite of passage.

From the false military roots of Escoffier’s brigade system to the glorification of hustle culture, we unpack how food media and industry norms have shaped and normalized extreme kitchen environments. With insights from food writer Kenji López-Alt and Ellen’s groundbreaking research, this episode questions what we've accepted as normal in professional kitchens and how we can change it.

If you've ever wondered why chefs wear their scars like medals, or how kitchen culture became a battlefield, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Heard, we sit down with the founder of the first affordable health insurance and wellness benefits marketplace built specifically for the hospitality industry. Learn how restaurant owners, chefs, and hospitality workers can finally access affordable coverage—without complexity or high costs. If you're passionate about building a healthier, more sustainable kitchen culture, this conversation is a must-listen. With Elizabeth Tilton, founder of OS Benefits.