I lost my love of cooking after 12 years as a chef. Moving to a pig farm restored it

<p>Hospitality can be anything but hospitable to workers. But in regional Victoria, I found a community – and rediscovered something I’d lost</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/newsletters/2019/oct/18/saved-for-later-sign-up-for-guardian-australias-culture-and-lifestyle-email?CMP=cvau_sfl">Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email</a></p></li></ul><p>I was a keen-bean 15-year-old when I got my first job in a commercial kitchen in Canberra, raised on a diet of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/jamie-oliver">Jamie</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/nigella-lawson">Nigella</a> and bursting with a passion for food. I dived headfirst into an apprenticeship and eagerly put my training into practice on my days off, cooking elaborate meals for friends and creating plenty of dirty dishes.</p><p>But as the years went on, my love for the kitchen was dulled by a series of toxic workplaces, bullying bosses and long hours. Eventually cooking for myself became a chore. I was more likely to eat cereal on my kitchen floor than do anything creative that would result in dirty dishes.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/mar/21/hospitality-love-of-cooking-chef-pig-farm">Continue reading...</a>