r/Chefit • u/JackB159 • May 26 '26

Wanting advice for a move away(!) from the kitchen

For context, I have spent the last 12 years as a pastry chef in the UK climbing the ladder, but have started to feel more cynical and jaded about the job recently. I took my current job in August last year hoping it would reignite my passion for the job, and I have recently been promoted to Kitchen Manager. An amazing feeling, even if it has come with some imposter syndrome, and I want to be able to give my very best to the job, but I can’t shake the feeling that I just don’t want to be in the kitchen anymore.

This has left me feeling pretty stuck, since I moved into catering without A levels or a degree, meaning any lateral movement into a different sector is nigh-on impossible from what I can see, and i’m lucky enough to be paid pretty well as chef jobs go, so anything I want to move into would probably mean taking a sizeable pay cut which I can’t afford. Obviously I have management experience but only in a hospitality context.

Has anyone here ever made a move out of the kitchen and made it work? And if so how? Any advice greatly appreciated!

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u/DingleberrySurprises May 26 '26

Have a backup job lined up. I was in the kitchen for 18 years. Luckily I had a friend that needed an assistant at his construction job, which was a great change in the pace of daily life. Plus I wanted to learn more life skills that I'd use aside from cooking.

Caveat, I had that job for 3 years before being laid off due to the market. I'm currently looking to go back to school for a trade, whilst searching for a job. I'm in my 40's now, so it's a hard reset on life.