London's Brigade Bar & Kitchen, a social enterprise restaurant specialising in live-fire cuisine, will be marking its 10th anniversary year with a series of high-profile events celebrating its launch in 2011.
Located in a Grade II-listed fire station in Tooley Street, the restaurant, working alongside the Beyond Food Foundation (BFF), will kick-off the celebrations with a live-fire dinner, hosted by founder Simon Boyle and celebrity chef Brian Turner.
Turner and Boyle will spend the day with apprentices and work with them to cook a special supper for guests, who will also be able to listen to stories from past graduates, team members, and chefs from the restaurant’s current and former brigades.
The dinner will be followed by a host of other activities throughout the year, including an alumni event for all apprentices that have come through the Brigade programmes over the last decade; and a special lunch for sponsors and supporters of the restaurant and charity – all cooked for by the Trustees of the BFF.
Situated on the edge of the city, next to London Bridge station, Brigade uses live fire and smoking, using some of the country’s best ingredients, to cook creative and classical dishes.
It is a social enterprise restaurant set up by chef founder Simon Boyle. The restaurant helps people who have either been homeless, or have experienced homelessness, to build the confidence and self-esteem to take on the training required to find meaningful full-time employment within the hospitality industry.
Since its inception, 6,075 vulnerable people impacted by trauma, poverty, the effects of addiction, criminality and social exclusion have all been supported through the programmes held at the restaurant. It has also helped 1,000 people into employment.
Simon Boyle said, “I’m so proud of what we have achieved Brigade and Beyond Food over the last ten years. When we set up, the vision was to create an inspiring place that helps poor people from the brink of homelessness.
“We wanted to support people that had lost the thread of life, and helped them to grab hold of the opportunity that we provide with both hands to pull themselves up, stand on their own two feet and start to contribute to society in a meaningful way.
“We also wanted to create a high-quality restaurant and event space to provide the perfect training platform for our beneficiaries and an amazing, fantastic place to eat, dine and be inspired for our guests.
“We truly believe that we have some of the best live fire dishes in London, and can’t wait to share these with more and more people over the course of the next 12 months.'
Boyle concluded, “After a decade, our plans to continue to succeed and scale our methodology to other parts of the country. This will be the vision for the next ten years.
Head chef Marcilio da Silva said, “We are very excited to be hosting these events over the course of the next 12 months. As a restaurant, our food has evolved so much over the years are we’re really proud to be able share our latest live-fire dishes to mark our 10th birthday.”