Chef Taylor Desjarlais left OKC right before the COVID lockdown after successful stints at several spots in the metro including Café Cuvée in the Ambassador Hotel and Chae, which remains one of the most painfully missed spots in town. A heads up that this episode contains a frank discussion of addiction and suicide in the hospitality industry. Desajarlais agreed to talk about these subjects, at least where his path intersected these two seemingly epidemic issues in the industry, and it’s worth noting up front that he left OKC to enter a treatment program. After completing the program, he moved to a sober living center in Houston, where he continued to cook, but he also pursued other interests unrelated to his career, a move that helped him achieve the healing and wholeness he was seeking when he left OKC.

Desjarlais moved back to the metro this year, and we caught up at Clarity – Downtown last weekend, discussing many of the issues in this episode, including the odd way religious and vocational platitudes mirror each other and trap us in powerful cycles that make it difficult to develop our identity outside those two shaping forces. He’s still a chef, and he even made an appearance at last week’s Design Appetit, but these days, he prefers a family kitchen to a restaurant. His business For Your Table offers various services like family meal planning and cooking classes, and he’s actively seeking new clients. We’ll always miss Chae, but we’re happy to have Chef Taylor back doing what makes him happy. And if you’re someone in or out of the industry who needs some help, it’s available. Start by calling the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. They can get you immediate help, refer you to professionals, and even just listen. Chef said to remind everyone how many free resources are available. “You don’t have to go into debt to get help,” he said.