July

From HomeEat & Drink

COOKS WHO CARE Organization Bolsters Community in a Lonely Industry Chef Maria Campbell founded her not-for-profit to support the health and well-being of workers in the food and beverage industries. By Maggie Leenas | January 19, 2023

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“It started with a group of chefs, and we wrote down what is so backwards and broken in our industry,” she says. “We began thinking about how we could help each other as a community.” In 2017, Maria started Cooks Who Care, a not-for-profit dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of food and beverage industry workers. They’ve made it their mission to become a resource through events, seminars and other community-driven projects in the Greater Philadelphia area, including New Jersey. In December, the organization released the Cooks Who Care Community Cookbook, a digital compilation of video demonstrations from local chefs committed to supporting mental-health advocacy. Proceeds benefit HOSPITALITY NEWS JULY | Page 43

hough she is better known as a mental-health advocate, Maria Campbell dubs herself a chef

She and her husband, Scott, worked in the restaurant industry for many years. After they had a child, the pair began experiencing some mental-health struggles as both continued working full time. Maria remembers thinking, How do we [raise a family] and still be a part of the industry? Chatting with friends and coworkers, the two discovered they were not alone. So Maria took it upon herself to begin a conversation not many people were having at the time.