Hi all,

I’m still in the throes of book edits, but I wanted to share a nice development. I’m working with The Heirloom Foundation to use the data collected from my mental health survey to create a document that we can publish and use as proof of the ongoing crisis in the food industry.

Since I didn’t get board clearance before posting the survey (honestly, I just wanted to see if people had some things they wanted to talk about), the results can’t technically be considered as “board approved.” BUT! The raw data has made it through an independent review board and can officially be analyzed by a psychologist for publication. Which is huge. Which will allow us to demonstrate the scope of the problem. Which will make a difference.

Meanwhile, I’m crawling back into my writing hole, and I leave you with this love letter to the service industry, written by one of the biggest-hearted humans I know, Carla Rzeszewski.

“And if this invisible communication of industry folk seems a bit romantic to you, allow me to illustrate a more hard-wired lesson learned while working the floor. One of the richest things you can learn is the ability to be ‘in the weeds’ and more importantly, to get yourself out. (Being in the weeds essentially means that you are in the shits in the middle of service; it can feel like the ship is sinking around you, and it’s somehow up to you to get everyone back to shore.) And while being in the weeds can potentially be a nightly occurrence if you’re working at a busy restaurant, it’s a great opportunity to learn how to multi-task, remaining buddha-calm while attempting to make your bartender, manager, tables and chef happy. It is a wonderfully sadistic form of mediation.”

Read the rest of “A Love Letter To The Industry” at Medium.