Wait, in what world is working in a kitchen not blue collar?
I think it's safe to say the dividing line is somewhere in between working in some fast-food kitchen because you have to, and paying big bucks to a private college for years to study puff pastries, business management or whatever.
Even if we assume his work in the kitchen - however much of it there actually was - makes him a regular joe of sorts, he also owned and sold multiple businesses in the industry and spent the remainder of his career pre-campaign in government and the non-profit sector. I'm sorry, but I doubt he smacks of blue-collar culture with his background (something much more obviously present with a candidate like Bryce) and I clearly remember his campaign trying to frame him as "generic business owner" back in 2012.