I want to give you some hidden treasures this christmas, little gems that we are hoping will make a huge difference in peoples lives.
I have had an incredible few weeks. Firstly getting Brigade Bar + Kitchen into the Christmas spirit. The team have been working so hard making sure our guests eat amazing food over the Christmas period. The new look Brigade is being received well both in-house by the customers and by the press. We have received many articles, blogs and social media thumbs up. Vogue, GQ + Evening Standard to name a few. All mentioning our food as well as our social impact.
Here are 4 Hidden Treasures for you to have a think about this Christmas.
Hidden Treasure No1
On the 29th November we were supported by Creme Conferences a truly authentic and amazing company lead by the incredible Katie Allen. Katie brought her clients Cisco, Cohesity, Intel, Scality, Commvault, Veeam, Tech Data . This multi alliance partnership wanted to not only work together differently but also do good at the same time. So they jumped into our Beyond Food ‘Changing Roles Changing Lives’ team building activity where they took over the whole of the Brigade Bar + Kitchen. Each company invited clients, friends and family to eat dinner whilst they cooked, served drinks and all the food. An amazing night that contributed £10,750 to the Beyond Food Foundation as well as given Brigade a great nights takings to support the charity. If you are interested in this concept, we will be working with Katie and the Creme team for all 2019 Take Overs.
As you may know I recently published my new cookery book. This one was written for people that can not cook for themselves. It is called ‘How to cook and keep on cooking". We decided as it was Christmas through the Beyond Food Foundation to give 5000 books away to young disadvantaged people. Mostly struggling with life on their own after leaving the care system. We gave the books free to lots of charities on one single day and we even got on London Live.
Charities included Princes Trust, Springboard, The Passage, Foyer Federation and School Food Matters to name just a few. I am thrilled with the book and I really hope it helps with our referral process for our own training and employment programmes starting in January.
Hidden Treasure No 3
I was asked to do my first TEDx talk. Ted Talks use the slogan ‘Ideas Worth Sharing’ as check them out online. I flew to Heildsberg in Germany last week and spoke for 15 minutes sharing my adventure into social business and the world of homelessness. The title is ‘Inspiring Futures Beyond Homelessness’. It was a truly inspiring process and the amazing speakers, organisers and volunteers all work for free. It should be out mid January so watch for the next blog.
Hidden Treasure No4
Giving back is one of life best gifts. There is no better time to give back than at Christmas. If you know someone vulnerable you could have a think about how you might be able to help them over the festive period?
If you know someone in particular in the London area, they might be homeless or at risk of homelessness. So you could refer them to Beyond Food’s Freshlife programme. The programme application form can be downloaded here and sent back to vicky@beyondfood.org.uk Our programmes start on 14th January and we aim to help over 150 vulnerable people over 6 weeks. Each will have the opportunity to be in full time employment at Brigade by the beginning of March. Not bad hey?
I wish you the best Christmas and a very happy and successful New Year. Remember happiness is not at the end of the road. It is the road!
Much love
Simon xx
I’m continuing to feel frustrated that people not only become homeless but stay homeless. I’ve been relooking at why we started Beyond Food and realise the need for us to continue on our mission to support the homeless community. Part of this is the nee look Brigade, which has recently opened.
Read More
From the new chef’s table being installed at Brigade, to Beyond Food’s supper clubs, being able to interact with people in cosier settings is something I really enjoy. It brings new connections too, and I love to see where that leads.
Read More
Recently I’ve been sharing some of the ideas from our Freshlife programme to other organisations working with vulnerable people, so we can help more people turn their lives around.
Read More
Getting out there, applying skills and using food in a positive way to help people are all particularly important to me. Giving back to the community and spreading social innovation in new ways really can drive change.
Read More
As the holiday season comes to an end, I’ve been reminded just how amazing simple and local flavours are.
Read More
Spending some time cooking with my daughter this week inspired me to think of more hands-on and practical ways to help people who haven’t had the love and support systems we have.
Read More
Supper clubs have been a trend for a number of years now, but for me, they’re about more than following a foodie trend. As well as giving our guests a one-of-a-kind opportunity to taste the food of well-known chefs, supper clubs are inspiring for our apprentices, help fund our charitable work and create connections among like-minded people.
Read More
Going on Dragon’s Den in 2008 was a turning point for me – and I didn’t even get any funding from the dragons! It made me realise the value of partnerships and collaborating with the right people to push an idea forward, so a concept can be the very best it can be.
Read More
Chefs reach their profession in many different ways, from people who have been passionate cooks from a young age, to those who have pushed to improve their lives by gaining skills in hospitality. We should celebrate the diversity of ways people get into their careers and support everyone who has an idea. We don’t know what difference people can make within themselves and to others until we give them a chance.
Read More
Many of my experiences recently have shown me how mainstream education needs an overhaul. Using experiential learning and developing education around communities rather than classrooms, we should be inspiring people in multiple ways.
Read More
Recently I’ve spent a fair bit of time judging other people’s work at awards and competitions. After turning 46 last week, I’m starting to realise I do have some experience to share, but it’s still a strange position to be in. What it has made me realise is the myriad ways chefs contribute to society through their craft.
Read More
I believe we should inspire young people to take their futures into their own hands, whatever their starting point in life. There are so many ways this can be done and often it’s the smallest and simplest interventions that have the furthest reaching impact.
Read More
The work we do is so much more powerful when we connect, collaborate and share our knowledge with others. This is something I feel strongly about, so I get out and about as much as I can to make new connections.
Read More
Challenging yourself and doing something you wouldn’t normally do can be a revelation. It creates inspiration and gives a breath of fresh air – I’ve witnessed how getting outside your comfort zone can change lives.
Read More
Social enterprises and charities are spending too much time fighting over funds instead of fighting for people. The House of Commons All Party Parliamentary Group invited me to share my experiences about this last week, and it struck me just how much they rely on our sector to solve the big social problems of our times.
Read More
Innovation in the hospitality sector is about more than Michelin starred restaurant food. It’s about developing interesting ingredients and creating entirely new products across the whole industry, as well as the industry being more open-minded when it comes to career opportunities and encouraging young people to enter this exciting and fast moving world of hospitality.
Read More
Food is more than a means to an end. Yes, we all have to feed our bodies. But food should connect people together too.
Read More
It's hard to escape all the apps and services delivering takeaways and food from almost any brand these days. But I can't help thinking this trend is taking us away from fresh produce and the social rituals that come from cooking.
Read More
I didn't really excel at school, so I never imagined I'd become a social entrepreneur who helped homeless people get back into work. In itself, that's an important lesson for people I come across through the Beyond Food Foundation and Brigade restaurant.
Read More
