The Drug- And Alcohol-Fueled Lifestyle Of Chefs: How Does One Escape?

Zia Sheikh has been through it all, and now he provides free and affordable counseling resources to hospitality workers with his nonprofit, Restaurant After Hours.

In the past few years, mental health concerns have increased in the restaurant industry, as in the world as a whole. Anthony Bourdain’s suicide in 2018, especially, brought attention to the issue. Unfortunately, drinking and drugs are often par for the course in the food industry, as highlighted by a 2015 study on the high rates of alcohol and drug abuse among restaurant workers. The pandemic has also generated a mental health crisis, increasing the anxiety of those who were already experiencing it.

In 2019, chef Zia Sheikh founded the New York City-based mental health awareness nonprofit Restaurant After Hours as a way to offer free and affordable counseling resources to hospitality workers and to host free virtual support groups. A Staten Island native, Sheikh worked at prominent restaurants like Zahav and ABC Kitchen before becoming a private chef and caterer. On Dec. 3, 2018, he became sober. “Sobriety for me is more than just freeing myself of alcohol addiction,” he told HuffPost. “It’s about learning to cope with my emotions in a positive and healthier way.” For this edition of Voices in Food, Sheikh candidly told Garin Pirnia about his struggles with mental health and how he channeled them into helping others.