Foodservice Cateys 2024: Extra Mile Award – Andrew Aston

In a fast-paced and highly demanding industry like hospitality, supporting colleagues to look after their mental health has never been more important. From putting in place structured campaigns and mental health training to simply being on hand for a chat, this year’s Extra Mile Award winner dedicates his time to ensuring his colleagues are taking time to look after themselves.

After struggling with his own mental health Andy Aston, who is head of community at BaxterStorey, wanted to support the wellbeing of both himself and others. This resulted in him spearheading a mental health project that created meaningful change in the industry and provided a support avenue for those who are struggling.

In 2021 he approached the Craft Guild of Chefs about developing a wellness campaign to help create cultural change. He subsequently became the guild’s first wellness ambassador and put together a sub-committee to develop strategies for improving mental health. As part of his role he runs three to four wellness events each year, where he introduces expert speakers and creates a safe space for chefs to share their experiences. The events have been attended by more than 300 people and have included topics such as cancer in the workplace, ADHD, suicide, addiction and healthy eating.

Speaking about his impact, chairman of the Craft Guild of Chefs, Mark Reynolds, said: “The programme and community Andy has created has been extremely well-received and continues to go from strength to strength, with a robust wellness programme in place for 2024 and beyond. We couldn’t have done this without Andy’s expertise, experience and sheer determination to improve mental health in our industry. As a mental health first-aider myself, I have seen first hand how important this area is, and how Andy has skillfully supported individuals through some extremely challenging periods.”

One of those supported by Aston was Nick Smith, National Chef of the Year 2021, who said: “Andy is genuinely caring. It took me ages to even realise I wasn’t in a great place and before Andy I couldn’t imagine talking about it. Andy worked through that with me.

“I strongly believe if we want to attract people to this industry we need people like Andy to help ensure chefs can enjoy the job and not be anxious about work or how little sleep they are getting. Andy is an excellent voice for this – it’s a tough industry and he has helped so many people just by listening. I know I could call him anytime and he would take my call and help.”

Aston’s support of his colleagues is also apparent in his role at BaxterStorey, where he builds chef partnerships to support the business, mentors chefs to further their careers and oversees the caterer’s charity programmes. His involvement has led to the creation of training programmes to support chefs working in schools, apprenticeship programmes and youngsters taking their first steps in careers in hospitality.

Aston has truly gone the extra mile to create support avenues that will continue to help those working in the industry for years to come.

See previous winners of the award here