Meet Simon Boyle, Founder, Beyond Food

Simon Boyle is remarkably chipper for a charity CEO who’s recently learnt it will lose its premises.

Since 2010, Beyond Food has helped almost 3,000 “unravelled” people get back on their feet using the power of cooking, but the lease on its Tooley Street restaurant and offices has unexpectedly expired. 

He runs through Plan B with the humble confidence that has persuaded the likes of Unilever, Google and PwC to back his cause over the years. 

Only his arm tattoos hint at a maverick streak – lyrics from the prog-rock group Marillion and the word ‘Annette’ in honour of his late wife and the charity’s co-founder.

The power of food

Beyond Food’s programmes help beneficiaries from all walks of life find self-worth and realise their ambitions. Mentoring is delivered alongside lessons and practical experience in cooking and hospitality.

The restaurant, Brigade, was where beneficiaries put their new skills to work. It earns a 5-star rating on review site The Fork and helps fund the charity’s work.

Cooking and counsel

Beyond Food’s work is best demonstrated through the stories of the beneficiaries.

There’s the woman who arrived in England with three children after escaping an abusive marriage in Pakistan. Beyond Food met her at a day centre and invited her to its FreshLife programme. She is now the longest-serving chef at a luxury hotel operator.

Then there’s the “feared character” from a pupil referral unit. After Beyond Food spent a day with him in the school kitchen, his teachers were amazed to see him engaged and playing football with the other young people. Beyond Food invited him to its Beyond the Classroom programme, and today, he works as a full-time caterer in the City of London. 

The outcome if the charity hadn’t reached him?

From chef to social entrepreneur

Unlike most of the people Beyond Food helps, Simon had a happy and stable childhood. However, he can identify with the feeling of restlessness that many feel in education.

“I wanted to cook with the best ingredients in the best possible way, and my catering college was getting frustrated with me,” he says, “So they put me forward for a new apprenticeship run by the Academy of Culinary Arts.”

A career cheffing around the world followed, ending in a consultancy role for Unilever, where in 2004, he persuaded his bosses to give him a sabbatical to help the survivors of Southeast Asia’s Boxing Day Tsunami. 

Twelve weeks later, he returned fully expecting to be fired. Instead, Unilever gave him a new role as Global Culinary Ambassador, helping the food giant with corporate social responsibility. It was the start of a career bridging the gap between grassroots needs and large corporations. 

This also left time for his own projects, including helping women in a London refuge. 

“I was training them to cook and serve in an events space, but I had no idea of all the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) rules.

They knocked on the door and said, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m trying to get these people back on their feet. What are you doing?’” 

The DWP ended up changing its approach to better support people in training, strengthening Simon’s belief that people and corporations really do want to overcome limitations and make a difference.   

Onward and up

Which brings us to today. Simon’s Plan B for Beyond Food is two-fold. 
Firstly, it will run the cafe in West Ham Foundation’s new multi-million-pound community hub. On the same basis as Brigade, it will be a live training centre for local people in need. It will also run a day programme for children that will teach cooking skills and, crucially, provide free meals. 

Secondly, he has plans for a new training and events space at Old Union Yard Arches, a stone’s throw from The Shard, with live music and food at its heart. 

He hopes to continue Brigade’s successful team-building days, where corporate teams spend the day with Beyond Food’s beneficiaries, learning how to make dishes like beef-dripping focaccia or crackling Cornish mackerel with manuka honey dressing.  

“Our beneficiaries aren’t only teaching them how to make bread, they’re teaching them what it’s like to be a young person grabbing an opportunity,” he says, “It starts with getting people around the table.” 

Explore the neighbourhood, Simon’s guide

Amazing Grace, St Thomas’ Church, SE1

A bar event space set in a Grade II-listed church. I love the fact it’s not designed for any one type of individual. I had an amazing experience there with my son, watching the indie band The Amazons. 

Extract Coffee Roasters,  Morocco Street, SE1

They supply our coffee and provide us with barista training in their test kitchen. After mentoring sessions, which can be challenging for our beneficiaries, we take them to Extract, where they learn about artisanal production and coffee making. They come back even more engaged. 

Trethowen Brothers, Borough Market, SE1

Borough Market is obviously an inspiration for us. Trethowen Brothers are our cheese suppliers. They sell British cheese made by small-batch makers. My favourite is Stichelton, a raw milk blue cheese, and they also do some amazing cheddar.