F&W Pro

Communal Table Podcast: Rocco DiSpirito

The chef and cookbook author talks about why therapy is a lifesaver and how to snap back to feeling like a chef.

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Published on December 10, 2020

Communal Table Podcast featuring Rocco DiSpirito — Photo: Flavorworks Inc

Chefs and restaurant workers take great care of everyone else, but often they need a little help themselves. Each week, Food & Wine senior editor Kat Kinsman talks with hospitality pros about they manage their business, brain, and body for the long haul. Is there a topic you'd like to know more about or a guest you'd love to hear from? Tell us at fwpro@foodandwine.com or tweet to Kat @kittenwithawhip, and subscribe to the weekly Food & Wine Pro newsletter so you never miss an episode. Catch up on previous episodes here.

Episode 86: Rocco DiSpirito

In 1999, Food & Wine named Rocco DiSpirito as one of its Best New Chefs—a vote of confidence in the future of a brilliant young cook who earned the esteem of his peers as well as a rabid fanbase of diners captivated by the handsome fella who quickly became a staple of the gossip pages. Just a few years later at the height of his fame, DiSpirito walked away from the restaurant world, leaving colleagues and fans scratching their heads and spinning theories. DiSpirito shared his story with Food & Wine last year after returning to the restaurant world, opening up about his physical and emotional struggles, and taking care of his mother in the years before her death. A lot has changed in the months since the article came out, so we got on the phone with DiSpirito for a very frank and open conversation about the importance of mental health care (and how to get it), weathering loss and change, and feeling like a chef again even if circumstances are keeping you out of a restaurant kitchen right now.