We’re looking forward to introducing you to Terrance Fisher. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Terrance, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
Many in the culinary world are silently struggling with burnout, depression, anxiety, and overwhelming stress. Behind every plate is a person carrying a weight few acknowledge. Long hours, high pressure, and a culture that praises sacrifice over self care have created a crisis that cannot be ignored.
That is why I started Mise En Santé, a project dedicated to changing kitchen culture and fighting for the well being of those who give their lives to this craft. This is more than cooking for me, it is about protecting and uplifting my culinary family. The project focuses on building support systems, offering access to mental health resources, and creating environments where rest, growth, and humanity are valued as much as the food on the plate.
My passion for this work comes from seeing firsthand the toll our industry takes on even the strongest among us. Mise En Santé is my commitment to stand in that gap, to spark a movement where chefs and cooks no longer suffer in silence but thrive in kitchens designed for both excellence and wellness. Healthy chefs create healthy kitchens, and healthy kitchens feed more than guests, they feed the soul of our entire community.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
“Well, I always say food is more than what’s on the plate, it’s what’s on the heart. Anybody can season a steak, but not everybody can season an experience. That’s what I try to do.”
I’m Chef T, a personal chef who found his calling not just in cooking, but in connecting. My journey started with one simple recipe back in the day, but it grew into this lifelong passion to create meals that bring people together and make them feel like family. When I step into a kitchen, it’s never just about the food. It’s about the stories, the laughter, the connections that happen around the table. That’s where the real flavor lives.
What makes my work special is that I pour my soul into every dish. My clients don’t stay clients for long — they become family. I’ve always believed that once you’ve shared a meal I’ve cooked, you’re part of my story and I’m part of yours.
And beyond cooking, I’m deeply invested in changing the culture of our industry. I started Mise En Santé, which means “putting health in place.” It’s my mission to fight for mental health in the culinary world. I’ve seen firsthand how burnout, stress, and depression can take some of the brightest talents in our kitchens and dim their light. I don’t want us to just survive in this field, I want us to thrive.
So yes, I cook food that feeds the body, but more importantly, I’m committed to nourishing people’s hearts, minds, and souls. Whether they’re sitting at my table or standing beside me in the kitchen.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
It was really my coworkers and friends who saw me before I ever saw myself. Back then, every potluck at work somehow turned into ‘let’s see what Terrance is bringing,’ and pretty soon I was the unofficial chef of the office. They weren’t just eating the food, they started paying me to cook, which told me they saw something bigger in me than I realized at the time.
One moment that really stuck with me was when I made a dish using a coworker’s mother’s recipe. When she tasted it, she broke down crying because it reminded her of home and of her mom who had passed. That was the seed planted for me. I realized that food could carry memories, heal hearts, and bring people together in ways I had never imagined. Looking back, those little potluck tables were where this whole journey really began.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me lessons that success never could. Success can pat you on the back, but suffering will sit you down and make you listen. I know what it feels like to hit a wall creatively, to stare at a plate and wonder if I had anything left to give. And I know the sting of rejection all too well — more than 20 jobs told me no before I ever heard my first yes. That was the moment I realized this road was never going to be easy. But I never loved easy anyway. I have never been afraid of hard work. Pressure does not break me, it sharpens me. I thrive in it because that is where greatness is forged.
Those struggles forced me to dig deeper, to rediscover why I cook and who I cook for. I learned that growth does not come when the spotlight is on you at the top of the mountain, it comes when you are in the valley learning how to climb again. That is where resilience is built. That is where humility is born. And that is where the best flavor of life comes from.
Like I always say, anybody can cook food, but not everybody can cook connection. And connection is born in the fire. Rejection, struggle, and suffering did not break me, they seasoned me. And now every dish I create carries that compassion, that strength, and that unshakable belief that the hardest battles make the richest flavors.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
One belief I used to hold was that I would sleep/rest when I die. I thought the grind was the only way forward and I wore exhaustion like a badge of honor.
In the culinary world that mentality is almost celebrated, as if the harder you push yourself, the more worthy you are. But I learned the hard way that rest is not weakness, it is wisdom. Rest is not quitting, it is the pause that allows you to keep going. It is stepping away to breathe, to heal, and to return stronger and more creative. True rest is not only sleep, it is giving yourself permission to be still, to reflect, and to understand that you cannot pour into others when your own cup is empty.
I have seen too many chefs and cooks push themselves past the breaking point because they believed rest was optional. That is why I fight for mental health in our industry, because without rest we lose more than energy, we lose passion, joy, and sometimes even our will to continue. With rest, we do not just survive, we thrive.
And here is what I know now: “rest is not the enemy of greatness, it is the ingredient that gives it flavor. Without it, life is bland. With it, life becomes a feast worth sharing.” ~Chef T
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I was not just told to cook. I was born to do this. Serving others through food has always been more than a job to me; it is a purpose stitched into who I am. Cooking is where my heart beats the loudest, whether it is preparing an intimate meal for a small group or feeding hundreds at once.
The clearest picture of that came these past two summers, when I had the privilege of cooking for over 800 campers across 10 weeks of summer camp. Each week brought a different size group, but on average it was around that number. It was never just about filling plates. It was about fueling joy, laughter, and community. Even in the middle of the chaos, the long hours, and the inevitable ups and downs, I still found myself smiling like it was my very first day in culinary school. That is when you know it is more than work. That is when you know it is love.
This gift I have been blessed with is not only the ability to cook, but the ability to serve. Every plate I send out is a reflection of my heart, my passion, and my belief that food has the power to bring people together. As I continue on this journey, I could not be more excited to keep doing what I was truly born to do, which is to serve others with my whole heart, one meal at a time.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Chefterrancefisher
- Linkedin: Terrance A Fisher
- Facebook: Chef Terrance A Fisher
- Other: TikTok-@Justbeingcheft
