Chef Leaves Fine Dining Career To Work at a Hospice Restaurant After His Son’s Passing

Chef Leaves Fine Dining Career To Work at a Hospice Restaurant After His Son’s Passing After the loss of his 17-year-old son, Seb, British chef Jon Smith made the decision to leave his career in high-end restaurants. Instead, he turned his focus to cooking for the hospice that had provided care and comfort to Seb in his final days after he was diagnosed with leukemia. Over the course of his […] READ: Chef Leaves Fine Dining Career To Work at a Hospice Restaurant After His Son’s Passing

Art Aug 12, 2025 0 0 Add to Reading List

Chef Leaves Fine Dining Career To Work at a Hospice Restaurant After His Son’s Passing

After the loss of his 17-year-old son, Seb, British chef Jon Smith made the decision to leave his career in high-end restaurants. Instead, he turned his focus to cooking for the hospice that had provided care and comfort to Seb in his final days after he was diagnosed with leukemia.

Over the course of his 30-year career, Smith traveled the world, owned several restaurants, and even had the honor of cooking for Queen Elizabeth II. However, after the loss of his son at St Catherine’s Hospice in Scarborough in 2022, he chose to redirect his culinary skills toward helping those less fortunate. He now works at Flavours Bistro, a restaurant in the hospice.

Talking about how his grief triggered a career shift, Smith says, “You learn to live with it, but it changes your perspective, without a doubt.” He adds, “I needed a reset, and this was it for me. You don’t normally get to do real good, so it’s very rewarding.” Smith also reveals that he wants to “give that element of warmth and comfort through food when people need it most.” He now serves delicious dishes from around the world to hospice patients and their family and friends.

One of Smith’s customers was Jimmy Hill, who passed away from colon cancer at the hospice in August 2024. His daughter, Lynsey Marsden, recalls how Smith made Hill iced caramel frappes to satisfy his sweet tooth when he couldn’t eat much. She explains, “His taste had changed and he couldn’t eat big portions, [but] he actually got to enjoy it. It made a massive difference to him, and I’ll never forget it.”

For Marsden and her mom, Flavours Bistro also provided a comforting space for them during a difficult time. “We were really sad,” she says. “To be able to come somewhere where you can feel ‘normal’ and be around the public is absolutely amazing.”

St Catherine’s relies on raising around £6.1 million (approximately $7.75 million) each year to provide end-of-life care for people across North and East Yorkshire, both in the hospice and within the community. Flavours Bistro is one place where anyone can directly support the hospice’s fundraising efforts, all while enjoying Smith’s dishes. Check out the exciting menu of Flavours Bistro on Instagram.

Flavours Bistro, Saint Catherine’s: Website | Facebook | Instagram