FOOD
Simon Boyle, Chef and Owner of‘ Brigade’ restaurant in London, tells‘ FireStyle’ how London’ s Oldest Fire Station was transformed into a restaurant whilst helping the local community. Simon also gives some culinary tips for you to try!.....
On Boxing day 2004, I watched the TV and the destruction of the worst Tsunami in living history unfold. As everyone on that day, I wanted to help, in fact, I was desperate to help. But because I had travelled extensively in many of the areas hit, I decided rather than just provide a financial donation, I would rather give my skills to a relief team in Sri Lanka. It was doing this that I realised that I was capable of helping people in my day-to-day work. This started a lifelong passion and commitment to help and support vulnerable people and the Beyond Food Foundation was born.
The first few years were spent in Soho London, a former homeless hostel The House of St Barnabas, I turned it into a bespoke hospitality venue. Homelessness was something we understood in part and in others it was frustrating that so many homeless stay homeless for so long. This frustration soon turned into a burning ambition to conquer.
Then we moved into the city, next to a church on Byward street. We started to polish our vision of what we wanted to offer the homeless and public sectors. We created two concepts‘ Freshlife’ a primary engagement programme that focuses on the homeless well-being, purpose and commitment to move forward and become employable. And the‘ United Kitchen Apprenticeship’ a 13-month professional chef apprenticeship programme, fully accredited. We campaigned in hostels and jobcentres to recruit vulnerable people onto our programmes. Over time we started to build a name for the result we were getting.
In 2010, we started to understand our impact and set to work on a new growth vision. We needed to find a more suitable building in which to bring the vision into a reality.
Right about the same time, PwC were building their new head office at More London near London Bridge. An amazing organisation that needed a brand new building to house five thousand people for its UK head office. In front of PwC on Tooley street sat a small and unused Fire Station. It was the last site to be redeveloped by More London Estates.
Together the PwC Executive Board and I started to hatch out a plan to bring a fresh approach to the oldest Fire Station in the city of London.
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