Meet Jack Mancino and Bryon Freeze of Culinary Love

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jack Mancino and Bryon Freeze.

Jack and Bryon, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Jack: Growing up, I always watched my Mom, Grandmother, and Aunts cooking. They were always able to take minimal ingredients and create these amazing meals. When I was 14, I started working in the family restaurant. I was getting paid $5 an hour. At that time, I thought I was rich. As I got older, my love for the industry grew. I enjoyed the rush of the kitchen. But as I got older, the long hours and infrequent days off caught up. I turned to self-medicating. The anxiety of working another 14 hour day without seeing any of my friends and family began to wear on me. I would sit and think about the memories I missed out on because I was working all the time. In 2012, I had a panic attack before the dinner service. I thought I was having a heart attack. After going to the hospital and having numerous test ran on me. I was told by doctors that the long hours, lack of sleep, self-medicating, and unhealthy diet were all part of the reason my body had shut down on me. That’s where my journey of self-care began. In 2015, I met Bryon Freeze through mutual friends. We shared our stories of the restaurant industry and became instant friends. A couple of years back, Bryon mentioned to me that he wanted to start an organization that could help chefs in need of therapy and/or rehab. So that they didn’t go through the same struggles we did. We put our brains together and came up with Culinarylove.org. We really didn’t do much with it until June 8, 2018. That morning when I woke up to headlines that Anthony Bourdain had killed himself, I was in disbelief. How could the guy who had the life all chefs wanted to kill himself? We sat in shock for a couple of days but decided it was time to move forward with Culinary Love. The website will be live in August. All proceeds from shirt sales will go towards helping chefs get the help they need. Serving those who serve us.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have been tons of challenges. Setting up the 501 C 3 has been an uphill battle. We are working on that but had to pivot to an LLC just to get the business up and running. Finding sponsors that will support us without our 501 has been impossible. Since they can’t write it off, no one is willing to step up. We are also both working full-time jobs while working side jobs to help pay for the start-up cost of Culinary Love. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s worth it.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Culinary Love – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Our goal is to provide support to the Hospitality Industry. Most individuals, in the kitchen, especially, work extremely long hours to provide an experience to others. What the public does not realize is the sacrifice we make to provide meals for others. Long hours, long weeks, work on holidays, and limited personal time for family and friends.

Combine these factors, and it can wear down the average human being. We experience bouts with depression, and a lot of us turn to substances to cope. These issues exist in many industries, and they are particularly rampant in food and hospitality. Anthony Bourdain taking his own life was the first time someone highly regarded outside of our industry made a choice to end their life. For years it’s been common to hear that a line cook or chef has ended their life. We all have stories of losing someone close to us.

We’ve lost too many beautiful people to depression, substance abuse, and suicide in the Hospitality Industry. People in the industry have become more comfortable with having conversations about these issues. Conversation does not change the issues, the pain, and the suffering.

Now is a time to take action. Culinary love is here to create awareness about these issues in the Hospitality Industry. We are focused on raising money to support individuals seeking help with depression, mental health, and substance abuse. Through the clothing line we have created, as well as culinary events, we are committed to helping our loved ones in the Hospitality Industry gain access to the help that they need.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We see Culinary Love being at the forefront of change in the hospitality industry. Getting the industry to understand it’s ok to have those feelings of anxiety and depression but let’s start having open and honest conversations about it. We also want those who need help to get that help. Self-medicating is not the answer.

We would also like to start a spin-off of our organization that will help provide urgent relief during emergencies and natural disasters. But that is years down the road.

Pricing:

• Price of shirts on the website are going to cost about $25. With more products to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: culinarylove.org
• Facebook: @CulinaryLoveOrg

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition, please let us know here.