In January, [New Orleans chef Jason Goodenough] decided he’d had enough. And he was a star in the New Orleans restaurant world, known for his Southern dishes at Carrollton Market. Struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic, Goodenough said he snapped when a patron berated him for displaying Black Lives Matter signs in the restaurant window. He shut Carrollton Market down.

He says, “I know I never, ever, want to work in or own a restaurant again.”

Nor does he — or many fellow refugees from restaurant work — necessarily need to. Goodenough lately has cooked multi-course dinners for corporate clients and for guests in private homes, and he has entertained his Instagram fans with cooking lessons.

Even if former restaurant staff aren’t on his elite level, they may find themselves welcome in grocery-store cafes, gourmet shops with grab-and-go cuisine, and many places where, unlike many restaurants, the pay and hours may be steadier and even come with benefits