Simon Boyle scoops top award at Foodservice Cateys 2018

Chef Simon Boyle, founder of Beyond Food Community Interest Company and Brigade restaurant on London’s Tooley Street, has been presented with a Foodservice Catey following his outstanding commitment to social enterprise.

Boyle, who was presented with the Extra Mile Award at the annual awards ceremony, run by hospitality magazine The Caterer, at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge on Friday night, was praised for his extraordinary effort in helping adults break the cycle of poverty by giving them the training, skills and the support they need to move into employment.

The entrepreneur set up the two businesses eight years ago after being inspired to use food as a stimulus for social change.

Backed by PwC and managed by hospitality specialist BaxterStorey, Beyond Food and Brigade deliver professional and inspirational training programmes for people who have experienced, or are at risk of, homelessness. At Brigade, a unique, social enterprise restaurant, they receive practical skills training.

After being turned down for funding on BBC Two’s Dragon’s Den in 2008, Boyle nevertheless went on to launch his concept in 2010, with Brigade opening on the site of Tooley Street’s fire station the following year.

Beyond Food receives around 100 referrals every six months from London’s homeless organisations and it has helped more than 1,000 people through its training programmes, some of whom were sleeping rough when they committed to training. Most were living in hostels and a large number were ex-offenders or had substance abuse issues.

Meanwhile, at Brigade, a recent initiative to raise funds and awareness has seen the introduction of the Social Diner, a supper club featuring a series of high-profile chefs. Recent interactive suppers have included Michel Roux Jr and Nigel Haworth.

Boyle graduated from the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ Specialised Chefs Scholarship at Bournemouth and Poole College before going on to have a glittering career at some of the country’s finest hospitality establishments including London’s Savoy and Chewton Glen in New Milton, Hampshire.

He went on to become a chef on board luxury cruise ships and while buying food from local markets for guests developed a passion for local, sustainable produce.
On returning home, he took on a managerial role at Mosimann’s before becoming Unilever’s first culinary ambassador in 2002.

After volunteering in Sri Lanka during the aftermath of the devastating 2004 tsunami, he started working on his own project to create a charity that would use food positively to turn around people’s lives.

Boyle said, “I was greatly surprised and humbled by the Foodservice Cateys’ acknowledgement of my work. The Extra Mile Award is incredible recognition for my commitment to using amazing food positively to change the lives of people with complex needs. I love the hospitality industry and the many opportunities it can provide vulnerable people to help move their lives forward successfully.

‘I am very proud to say that the Beyond Food Foundation has helped more than 1,200 people that have either been homeless or at risk of homelessness and I am currently reconceptualising Brigade with BaxterStorey to help even more people in the future.“

Sara Jayne Stanes, chief executive of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, said, “Simon was always a born leader and apart from excelling at his craft, he had a very generous spirit, so we were not surprised that he committed himself to charitable work which at the same time is benefiting the industry that he so evidently loves.”

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