“These are incredible spaces where you can hear the conversations and the temperature of the industry and receive support.”
— Jasmin Parks-Papadopoulos Chief Growth Offi cer Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness (CHOW)
the group includes participants from Canada, Australia, Italy, Portugal and other nations. As its reach grew during the pandemic, CHOW recognized a need for more vocationally-specifi c educational resources. In response, it developed a four-hour course that addresses issues affecting workplace wellness and pairs those challenges with a vocationally-specifi c resource meant to “help create a saner, safer food/ beverage/hospitality industry for all of us,” Parks-Papadopoulos says. Everyone at CHOW is also trained to
provide free one-on-one meetings via Zoom, where individuals can get help with topics that may not be covered in the group’s regular programming (for example, intimate partner violence). The group collaborates with multiple other organizations and nonprofi ts to help individuals address these issues and get the necessary help. It then creates systemic check-ins to ensure individuals are indeed receiving the support that they need. This year, CHOW is offering a four- hour Mental Health Amuse’ Course. The training course is backed by scientifi c research, offers tangible tools for self-assessment and is accredited by the Colorado Providers Association (COPA). Parks-Papadopoulos says the course focuses on how mental health “shows up” in the industry, how to recognize it in yourself and others and how to support each other to be more “recovery-friendly” centered.
28 FEDA News & Views Developing a Culture of
Longevity Creating protected spaces where people can talk about their successes and struggles is helping CHOW develop a culture of longevity in an industry that’s historically been known for having high employee turnover. Parks-Papadopoulos notes that CHOW’s many different discussion groups, actionable resources, skills and tips can all be taken back to the workplace and shared with other foodservice professionals who, in turn, can benefi t from those tools. CHOW is also working with manufacturers and dealers in the foodservice space, where it mediates conversations on important topics such as workplace culture, career advancement and vocational training. “We’re invited into a lot of conversations where we can talk about workplace culture, modeling resources, healthful behaviors and other important topics with companies in the industry,” Parks-Papadopoulos says. She adds that CHOW is getting involved with sustainable workplace conversations, particularly in the manufacturing and distribution space.
“Our goal is to deconstruct the idea that the food/beverage/hospitality trade is just a chef, server, restaurant and hotel, because it’s not,” she concludes. “The hospitality industry is much broader than that and extends out to everyone who is in the manufacturing, supply and creation fi elds.”
Getting Involved To foodservice equipment dealers
wanting to learn more about CHOW or who’d like to get involved with the organization, Parks-Papadopoulos recommends listening in or participating in a discussion group as a great starting point.
“These are incredible spaces where you can hear the conversations and gauge the temperature of the industry and receive support,” she says. “Beyond opportunities to get involved with our current services, if you’re moved by our mission and believe that we can offer you support on some level, just invite us into a room that we haven’t been invited into yet.”
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