Imrun Texeira has spent almost half of his life in restaurant kitchens. He started at 14, working as a dishwasher and line cook in Ottawa. Then, he interned at several lauded restaurants in England, including The Hand and Flowers, the only pub in the United Kingdom to be awarded two Michelin stars. He also took on roles as sous-chef and chef de partie at Ottawa’s Stofa and Atelier, respectively. But it wasn’t until he stepped out of the kitchen that he felt like he was making the impact he wanted.
“I love fine dining,” he says of his many years of experience as a chef. “But looking at some of the pain points in our industry – when you think about burnout, turnover rate, staff retention – there’s something missing at the grassroots level.”
What is The Burnt Chef Project?
Texeira left restaurant kitchens at the end of 2020, though he still cooks for private experiences and events, including a demo for ELLE Gourmet. Instead, he shifted his focus on making an impact in other areas of the restaurant industry.
He soon came across The Burnt Chef Project, which was launched in 2019 in the U.K. Their goal is to help eradicate the stigma around mental health and provide support for those working in the industry. They tackled issues like coping strategies for stress and financial advice through founder Kris Hall’s podcast.
Hall was interviewing top chefs about strategies they were implementing to care for their colleagues’ physical and mental well-being. Texeira thought this was “amazing.”
“These were things that I’d put into practice for myself as an individual, and these were people who were running two- or three-Michelin-star restaurants and they were able to make it happen,” he says. “Why can’t everyone do this?”
Imrun Texeira Brings Mental Health Support to Canadian Chefs
By April 2021, he was working with The Burnt Chef Project. He brought the organization to Canada to support colleagues dealing with high-pressure environments, unstable work hours and low wages. All of these factors were further exacerbated by the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Burnt Chef Project provides training in several specializations: dismantling unconscious bias, drug awareness, safeguarding against abuse, staffing a crisis hotline and more. In 2023, 579 industry members messaged that hotline about suicidal ideation.
Joining Texeira in this work is a team of ambassadors spread across the country. They include Heather MacDonald, event director at Black Rabbit Creative Group in New Brunswick, Ryan Bissell, co-founder of Vancouver’s Coastal Chef Collective, and Edmonton-based private chef Jesse Kushneryk.
“A lot of the work we’re [doing is about] breaking down those barriers so that people can have open conversations about some of the battles they’re facing as individuals but also for us to talk about bigger battles that the industry as a whole is facing,” Texeira says.
Advocacy in Classrooms: Setting A New Standard
He’s also teaching students about how the hospitality industry can impact those who work in it. According to Statistics Canada, a significant portion of the workforce in food services is young. In 2023, 43.8 percent of employees were younger than 25; over two-thirds were under the age of 35.
Texeira started in the industry at a young age. He says he was exposed to things most teenagers would be challenged to wrap their heads around. That included the blurring of lines between recreational and pure substance abuse.
“Seeing that when you’re 14 or 15 years old, you’re indirectly or directly being taught that this is how you should be acting, this is how you should be conducting your life,” he says.
Three years ago, Texeira partnered with the Halton Catholic District School Board in southern Ontario. He shared his story with Grade 7 and 8 students, educating them about the realities of working in restaurants. But he also shared the other opportunities that exist within the hospitality industry, like marketing, foraging and farming.
“We want to get to students before they make certain choices in high school, maybe a bit blindly, to really open their eyes about the beautiful possibilities that are out there,” he says. Texeira estimates that he’s spoken with a few thousand students since he began giving these presentations.
In order to offer better support to young people entering professional kitchens, culinary school curriculum needs to be reconsidered too. “We’re not teaching these people what it’s really like to get into the industry in certain ways— the hours or some of the pressures that we have to deal with,” he says.
Texeira himself is a graduate of Algonquin College’s Culinary Apprenticeship Program. But, he says, “I think we’re taught chef skills—not life skills.”
“Kitchen Rags to Riches”: Imrun Texeira’s Educational Podcast
In 2025, he also launched his podcast, Kitchen Rags to Riches with Imrun Texeira. It helps bring the education to a wider audience. “With a podcast, there are no borders,” he says. The project will feature conversations with a diverse group of folks who work in the industry.
Texeira aims to talk about the real things that don’t always make it into mainstream media. This will be an educational tool for people looking to enter the industry. He also wishes to give a platform to people who don’t often get a chance to tell their stories.
And as he plots his next move, his work continues on The Burnt Chef Project. Just this summer, it became a registered charity in Canada. “Now the flag is in the ground in Canada,” Texeira says. “We’re able to now build something much more localized with hands-on support systems.”
The best part, he adds, is that for those who need it, “it’s all free.”
Discover more Homegrown Heroes from ELLE Gourmet, in partnership with Wines of Ontario
- Chef Ned Bell Shares Tips for Sustainable Cooking on a Budget: The B.C.-based chef explains why sustainability is so important to him, and how to buy seasonal seafood for less.
- Behind Kebaonish, an Indigenous and Woman-Led Drink Company: Located on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario, this coffee and tea brand is infused with cultural teachings.
- Bonton and Company’s Fresh Approach to Local Yukon Ingredients: Owner Shelby Jordan talks about how the award-wining restaurant got started and her guiding principles as a butcher.
