Solvang pastry chef plans fundraiser highlighting mental health in culinary industry

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Five cakes, all different flavors, all with unique designs, all inspired by the stories and experiences of local chefs. 

That’s what peasants FEAST Executive Pastry Chef Taylor Tate will be working on ahead of the upcoming Cakes for a Cause Mental Health Awareness Fundraiser happening on May 12 in Solvang. 

“This was something I’ve been thinking about for the past couple of years,” Tate said. “It really came from a place of wanting to do something creative, while also getting my chef community together because that’s something that has been really important to me.”

As part of the event, each of the custom cakes made by Tate will be part of a silent auction with proceeds going to Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness (CHOW). According to its website, CHOW’s mission is to promote wellness in the hospitality industry and enhance the lives of workers in the community. 

Tate explained that she chose CHOW as the fundraising recipient because she appreciates the mental health resources it provides for culinary workers. 

“I do feel that it’s sort of something that can be overlooked in the culinary industry,” Tate said. “We all struggle in some capacity with mental health because it’s such a demanding job. It’s really hard work, really demanding hours, and a lot of chefs don’t have the time or the resources to get the mental health help that they need.”

In preparation for the event, Tate chose local chefs that she admired from around the Central Coast to create custom cakes for. They include Levi Richard, executive pastry chef at Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez; Jacob Town, co-owner and chef at The Spoon Trade in Grover Beach; Brad Mathews, executive chef and co-owner at Bar Le Côte in Los Olivos; Nik Ramirez, executive chef and co-owner at Na Na Thai in Buellton; and Michael Cherney, executive chef and co-owner at peasants FEAST.

“I just felt like it was me wanting to get to know them better and create connections and create a community,” she said. “They also just have really interesting and really incredible stories that I feel like deserve to be shared.”

She started the process of creating the custom cakes by sitting down with each of the selected chefs to talk about their favorite flavors and colors. More importantly, though, Tate emphasized that these discussions included topics of culinary philosophies and personal mental health experiences. 

“[Interviews] honestly have been my favorite part of the process so far, getting to know some of my colleagues on a more intimate level and just being inspired by them,” she said. 

After asking each of the chefs to share advice for taking care of mental health needs while maintaining a job in the culinary industry, Tate said that the consensus seemed to be finding the right balance between knowing when to put in all one’s effort at work and knowing when to put in more effort into caring for one’s own needs. 

“I think for a lot of us, it’s so go, go, go, go, go, all the time that you sort of neglect your own mental health in order to get things out,” she explained. “I think a lot of them, their advice is if you’re just starting out, make your mental health a priority because all it’s going to do is going to make you a better chef, a better person, and it’s going to give you that mindset to be creative and flourish in the industry.”

Cherney from peasants FEAST told the Sun that he’s selfishly excited to see his cake because he “has no idea what it’s going to be.” He added that he’s most looking forward to the fact that CHOW will visit each of the participating restaurants to offer resources and support for workers. 

Na Na Thai’s co-owner, Ramirez, explained that being in the culinary industry can make people more prone to having mental health concerns because of the constant taxing work it requires. He said that oftentimes, chefs are encouraged to set aside their problems to focus on the needs of the restaurant, noting that this can be particularly detrimental for a person’s mental health. 

“I think the timing of [Cakes for a Cause] is very important,” he said. “I think that what Taylor is doing is pioneering a new version, a new way. I think it can be little things of just asking each other, ‘How are you today?’”

Tate planned the event, which is open to everyone, for a Monday, knowing that many chefs and other workers in the culinary industry have that day off. She expressed excitement about being able to raise both mental health awareness and funds. 

“I’m just really looking forward to being able to hang out with my peers and forge even stronger connections and kind of create a community with these chefs,” she said. “We all know each other. We all admire each other. At the end of the day, we all have the same goal, which is to make beautiful food and to feed people and take care of our guests.”

Staff Writer Emma Montalbano can be reached at emontalbano@newtimesslo.com.

This article appears in May 1-11, 2025.