Chef Kevin Hart learned much of his craft working in the Montgomery County food-service industry. When his career was upended by addiction, it required a lot of personal commitment to maintain that professional skill. But Hart is showing himself up to the task, according to Michael Kline’s Philadelphia Inquirer story.

Hart describes his early years in food service as getting “stuck in the restaurant business.” He worked in the kitchen of a Montgomery County golf course. He then managed a King of Prussia steakhouse.

He was successful, when sober. Less so when he was not. Which explained some of the bouncing around.

Ten years ago, however, he finally turned to counseling to redirect his life.

“I saw the fork in the road, and I just begged myself, ‘Please. Will you just try this other way?’” he recalled.

The refreshed Hart was working at a French restaurant in Ambler when his catering clients begged him to go into business for himself.

He did, finding an established eatery that was having difficulty recovering from pandemic upheavals.

With a new name — The Hart of Catering — the Center City restaurant is performing double duty, serving breakfast as a café and using afternoons to meet catering clients’ needs.

Hart’s dark times yielded one more shaft of light: He met a counselor in rehab, started a relationship with him, and the two have been together 17 years.

The full serving of Kevin Hart’s recovery story is at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

_____

This video illustrates some of the challenges in starting and running a catering business.