So what is to blame for the apparent chef shortage?

It's the 'hot' topic uniting chefs of all levels; from the Michelin-starred like René Redzepi to those producing pub-grub there is an ever growing concern over the shortage of chefs and the impact it is having on the industry. Discussions between peers have been prominent on social media, along with desperate pleas for staff, all of which have opened up debate. The Staff Canteen takes a look at what has to change.

So what is to blame for this apparent chef shortage? Is it the culture of the kitchen, money or are people simply just lazy?

As the 'foodie' culture has brought a boom to the restaurant trade in recent years, several big names in the industry have had their say on the lack of staff - most recently Noma's René Redzepi. He made a brave move openly admitting he himself is guilty of bullying in the kitchen and how 'confronting the unpleasant legacies of our past' is the only way to move forward.

Writing for the Lucky Peach, René said: “I've been a bully for a large part of my career. I've yelled and pushed people. I've been a terrible boss at times."

• René Redzepi asks: How do we change the culture of our kitchens?

He went on to say: “Maybe the old way has worked so far. But in the long run, it burns people out. There's a reason people are struggling to find cooks right now. Our industry is populated by young people. As they get older, they fall out of the trade because they can only take the abuse when they're young and strong. How many of your cooks are thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four years old? Maybe the head chef and the sous chef—that's it. We're on course to really mess things up if we don't start getting better at what we do."

Food for thought and a point of view which is supported by Sat Bains, the two Michelin star chef recently announced his restaurant would become a four day week operation. It provoked a huge response among the industry, one he and his wife Amanda were not expecting.

“We are just a little restaurant in Nottingham trying something different," explained Sat. “Everything evolves even cooking and it's not the kids coming in who have to change it's us. If they don't want to work the hours and in the environment I did when I started, why should they? We need to offer something aspirational and achievable."

Wise words from a chef who has been in the industry for 28 years, he's experienced the harsh reality of the kitchen environment and it appears he, René and several others are ready to make a stand.

“Some chefs weren't happy with our decision," explained Sat. “They worried where it would leave them but it was myself and Amanda who took the risk. We don't have backers and we don't have to justify ourselves to anyone.

“If something is not working then whose fault is that? If I don't have good chefs coming to me then it's me and I need to take ownership of my own flaws.

“We've got to be realistic and address these issues. I love this industry and I want kids to look at it like I did."

An important part of Sat's initiative, which he has been developing for the past 15 years, is that his team feel like a family. Simple things such as all sitting down together for meals and removing the hierarchy opens up the opportunity for all the staff to make valid contributions to the restaurant, menu and dishes; as Sat says '12 heads are better than one.'

It's these simple steps which René is equally keen to discuss, continuing in his article he says: “The smallest changes have also worked for us. Playing music in the kitchen, for instance. And real staff meals where you sit down to eat together. We had to change our opening time from six to seven to allow for a one-hour dinner break, but it was worth it. For too long I've been eating out of a plastic container while standing next to my section, and I don't want my cooks getting accustomed to the same thing.

“How can we rectify the screaming and shouting and physical abuse we've visited on our young cooks? How do we unmake the cultures of machismo and misogyny in our kitchens? Can we be better?

“Perhaps, the real question is this: Do we want to be better?"

A poignant question indeed. It's easy to say there is a staffing problem but making changes to ease this and rectify it that is possibly where the industry is falling down. And those changes need to happen sooner rather than later as Daniel Clifford, the chef-patron of two-Michelin-starred Midsummer House in Cambridge, told The Independent on Sunday,' the industry needs to act immediately or face rapid decline'.

“The chef crisis is getting to the point where practically