Real stories from the kitchen. No filters. No bullshit.
Welcome to the ChefLife Podcast — where we talk about the real side of hospitality.
The wins. The war stories. The pressure. The pride. The chaos.
And everything in between.
This isn’t a podcast about foams and tweezers.
It’s about people. The ones who make hospitality what it is.
Chefs, cooks, bakers, FOH legends, managers, and the brave souls keeping standards high while the industry tries its best to break them.
I host ChefLife to give hospitality a voice that actually sounds like hospitality.
Why I started it
Hospitality is full of talent… and full of noise.
Everyone’s got an opinion. Everyone’s got a highlight reel.
But the best lessons?
They don’t come from perfect Instagram plates.
They come from:
• the services where everything went wrong
• the jobs you left with your head down
• the chefs who built you up (and the ones who didn’t)
• the moments you nearly quit
• and the moments you remembered why you started
ChefLife exists to talk about that.
Because behind every “Yes Chef” is a person trying to survive the pressure and still love the craft.
What we talk about
Every episode is built around real experience — not theory.
You’ll hear conversations around:
• kitchen culture (the good, the bad, and the outdated)
• leadership & team building
• discipline, standards, and consistency
• mental health & burnout
• career growth (from commis to head chef… and beyond)
• work/life balance (or at least trying)
• confidence, imposter syndrome, and earning your place
• food systems, sustainability, suppliers & seasonality
• fine dining vs real life
• how to build a career that doesn’t chew you up
It’s honest. It’s sometimes heavy.
But it’s always real.
And it’s always with respect for the graft.
What makes ChefLife different
There are loads of podcasts about food.
ChefLife isn’t about food.
It’s about the life behind it.
We don’t do fake motivation.
We don’t do LinkedIn quotes in chef whites.
We do:
✅ real stories
✅ real lessons
✅ real people
✅ and conversations that feel like they’d happen after service… when the mask comes off.
Sometimes it’s funny. Sometimes it stings a bit.
That’s kind of the point.
Who’s it for?
ChefLife is for anyone who’s ever:
• worked a 14-hour shift and still came back the next day
• been told “it’s not personal” when it clearly was
• wanted to leave the industry… but couldn’t shake it
• cared more than they got paid for
• built something with their hands and their heart
Whether you’re:
• a young chef finding your feet
• a senior chef leading a team
• FOH trying to keep it together on a Saturday night
• or someone who’s left hospitality but still thinks about it every day…
You’ll feel at home here.
Meet the hosts
ChefLife is hosted by Lee Cooper — a chef with over 20 years in professional kitchens across fine dining, hotels, banqueting and leadership roles.
It’s co-hosted alongside Carl Newey, bringing his own energy, honesty, and experience to the conversation.
Two voices. One goal:
Keep it real, keep it human, keep it hospitality.
What you’ll get from listening
Every episode should leave you with something.
Not just entertainment — but value.
Listeners walk away with:
• perspective
• lessons they can actually use on shift
• leadership ideas that don’t require being a robot
• and the reminder that you’re not the only one who’s felt like this
Because hospitality can feel lonely when you’re deep in it.
ChefLife reminds you you’re not on your own.
New episodes & where to listen
ChefLife is available on all major platforms.
You can listen on:
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Amazon Music
• YouTube (if you’re watching as well as listening)
New episodes drop regularly, with guests from across the industry.
📌 If you’ve got a story worth sharing — I’m always looking for guests.
Want to be a guest on the podcast?
If you’ve got experience, lessons, opinions, scars, mistakes, success — or just the kind of honesty that helps the next generation…
I want to hear from you.
This isn’t about status.
It’s about substance.
Use the contact form or drop me a message and tell me:
• who you are
• what you do
• what you want to talk about
• and why it matters
Sponsorship & partnerships
ChefLife Podcast is open to sponsorship and brand partnerships — but only the ones that make sense.
If your brand supports:
• chefs
• hospitality teams
• quality ingredients
• great tools
• training, development, or wellbeing
• or better industry culture…
Then we’ll get on.
I don’t do random shout-outs for the sake of it.
If I wouldn’t use it, I won’t sell it.
For sponsorship packages and collaboration enquiries, get in touch here:
