Stay mindful when going with the flow: Enhancing chefs' subjective well-being and improving their food waste management practices.

This article explores the role of the psychological states of flow and mindfulness in enhancing chefs' subjective well-being and improving food waste management practices in professional kitchens. Flow is defined as a state of deep immersion and focused engagement in cooking tasks, fostering creativity and resourcefulness, while mindfulness involves conscious, non-judgmental awareness of the present moment, aiding stress reduction and deliberate decision-making. The authors propose that both flow and mindfulness positively influence chefs’ well-being, which in turn mediates more effective food waste prevention and reduction behaviors. The article highlights the need for empirical research to test these relationships across diverse hospitality contexts and calls for integrating psychological approaches with organizational and cultural factors to promote sustainable kitchen environments. It also discusses potential challenges, including the structured nature of commercial kitchens and ethical considerations related to mindfulness, suggesting future studies on creativity, team dynamics, and cross-cultural differences in professional kitchens.