I love food and the public but my body can't handle it anymore

Question

I live for food and educating folks who are asking for help with kitchen stuff; I may not have the answers but I will certainly point them to where they need to find the answers they seek. Right now I work for a gourmet food market as a butcher,and I love it but physically I can't hack it for much longer. I am 35, but have rheumatoid arthritis, plantar fasciitis, and had a spinal fusion at the age of 31.

What are some ideas of jobs that I can do without being in pain day in and day out but not giving up in the food business?

Answer 1

I think you're out of luck preparing or serving food. Obviously butchery is also very physically demanding. Depending on how much you can handle physically, you could consider sales, leading to a management position.

Another career that would take networking skill to "get into" would be writing about food.

As a blogger, you'd need strong writing skills and photography skills, but your career "ceiling" would be of your own making. I'm not aware of any well known blogs that center on butchery, that could be an option, but you'd really need to work hard at it to make a living at it. Take a look here for a bunch of books on the subject, and here for internet sources.

To work for somebody else as a food writer, they're mostly going to be looking for candidates with an apprenticeship background or formal education. Again, your butchery background could be a bit of an "in" if you're slick about it.

I can tell you from experience that you can learn A LOT about food writing by throwing yourself into this site. It will also help you to define exactly where your expertise lies. You'll find that the community gives excellent feedback, both positive and negative.

Answer 2

Other than what's already been mentioned, I can't think of a job to transition to that would both make use of your existing skills and keep you off your feet. I can, however, think of a few that might be a bit less physical:

1. Teacher. You'd have to show how to do things, but then you'd be watching and guiding others, as opposed to having to do all of the intricate cutting yourself. You'd still be on your feet the whole time. I'd look to see if there are any places that teach cooking classes in your area, and talk to them about maybe doing a butchery class. If there are restaurants that are doing 'farm to table' but haven't yet progressed to 'whole animal' cookery, you might be able to get some part-time work training their staff. You might also want to check the Meat Collective Alliance website. If you were willing to further re-train, you can contact your local school system to see if they have a home-economics or culinary arts program.

2. Knife sharpening / knife sales. If you were maintaining your own knives, I would assume you have sharpening skills; if you were sending them out to be maintained, you might still be able to use your expertise in sales, either industrial or to the public. Sharpening is still going to require good hands (but you can do it sitting), sales will likely require you to be on your feet if public, less so if industrial (as you'll likely be driving around more, so a chance to sit down). Contact local knife shops, kitchenware stores, hunting/outdoor stores, and whoever your current shop gets it knives from.

3. Health inspector. I suspect that there'd be writing involved (or using a tablet, if they've gone electronic), and you'd have to walk around a lot (with some resting while driving to the next place) ... but it should be less physicality than butchering. Contact your local health department (although, I'm guessing you also know your local inspector).

And, on the scope of butchery blogs ... for meat related blogs, see the list from the Portland Meat Collective