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Simon Boyle

Chef, social entrepreneur

Simon is an award-winning social entrepreneur, chef, and charity CEO who has made a significant social impact through his work as chef-founder of Brigade Bar & Kitchen in London Bridge and CEO of the Beyond Food Foundation. He has reached over 7,200 vulnerable people and trained over 2,000, while also supporting over 800 individuals into employment and directly employing over 150.

Simon is also a respected public speaker, author, and fundraiser. He appeared on BBC’s Dragon’s Den, has given a TedX talk and given evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Group for London in the House of Commons. He has also been a speaker and host at events and fundraising dinners for organizations such as Lloyds Bank Foundation, TechData, Google, and the School of Social Entrepreneurs. He is a respected media commentator and has worked with outlets such as the BBC, LBC, The Guardian, The Telegraph, BBC Radio 2, and the London Evening Standard.

Simon has a strong track record of working with private sector companies and has developed a reputation for creating innovative partnerships and programs that have a significant social impact. He created an innovative partnership with PwC and DeVere Venuesto launch and operate Brigade Bar & Kitchen, and was Unilever’s first Culinary Ambassador. He has worked with companies such as Google, Nike, Knorr, Heinz, Aquafresh, Ben & Jerry’s, PwC, Biffa and Marriott Hotels both in their approach to Corporate Social Responsibility and in their core businesses.

Simon’s approach to working with corporates is focused on challenging them to think differently, finding ways to integrate social responsibility into their business models and to engage with the wider community in a meaningful way whilst still delivering business results.

Simon is a trained chef who studied at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and worked under some of the industry’s top chefs such as Anton Edelmann, Pierre Chevillard and Anton Mosimann. He has also served as the head chef on various high profile cruise ships, preparing food for thousands of people at a time and small groups of VIPs, and has helped major food businesses develop their innovation pipeline.

In addition to his work as a social entrepreneur and chef, Simon is an author. He has published three books: How to Find a Job and Keep It, How to Cook and Keep Cooking, and Feast With Purpose.

Simon is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and has won numerous awards including the Basque Culinary World Prize (Special recognition, relief work in London during Covid-19), the Social Impact of the Year award from SEUK, and the Extra Mile Award from the Food service Cateys and featured on the Evening Standard’s list of the Top 1,000 Most Influential People in London.

About Beyond Food Foundation and Brigade Bar & Kitchen.
Beyond Food Foundation is a charity providing life changing opportunities to individuals whose lives risk unravelling or have unravelled, using food as a catalyst to support, inspire and train its beneficiaries into work. Beyond Food Foundation is located within Brigade Bar & Kitchen, a modern, all-day brasserie in the Old Fire Station on Tooley Street, London Bridge. Brigade is a social enterprise restaurant founded over 10 years ago by Simon Boyle, in a unique partnership with PwC and Searcy’s.

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