John VincentMBE(born 28 September 1971[1]) is a British entrepreneur who is the chief executive and co-founder of fast food chainLeon Restaurants.Vincent is also known for his work in developing the 2013School Food Plan,for which he was appointed anMBE;for chairing the Council for Sustainable Business; and for co-authoring seven LEON cookbooks.
John Vincent | |
|---|---|
 John Vincent (left) with hisLeon Restaurantsco-founder,Henry Dimbleby | |
| Born | 28 September 1971 London Borough of Enfield,England, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation(s) | Chief Executive and co-founder of Leon Restaurants |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editVincent was born inEnfield, Londonand grew up in North London. He attendedHaberdashers' Aske's Boys' School,[1]aprivate schoolin North London, and went on to read History atSt John's College, Cambridge,where he obtained afirst class degree.While at university, Vincent had his own entertainment production company, setting up and hosting dance and music events.[2]
Career
editIn 1993, following his graduation, Vincent went on to work atProcter & Gamble(P&G) in sales & marketing.[2]In 1997, after four years at P&G, he moved to management consultancy firmBain & Co.where he remained for the next seven years.[2]
From 2004 until 2007, Vincent was part of a team of three that worked on the whisky and spirits businessWhyte & Mackayduring its rebranding and business transition under the ownership ofVivian Imerman.[3]
Leon Restaurants
editIt was while working at Bain & Co. that the idea for LEON was first developed:[4]
I sat down with a colleague of mine at the time,Henry Dimbleby,and we decided to write down five business ideas each. Good fast food was common on both lists. Henry had a vision of doing it in bowls. I had a vision of doing it more like McDonald's. Eventually we decided to go down the McDonald's route. The idea was simple: "If God did fast food." – John Vincent.[2]
In 2004, joined by chefAllegra McEvedyas third co-founder,[5]the firstLEON restaurantwas opened, atCarnaby Street,central London.[6]A year after opening, LEON was named "Best New Restaurant in the UK" byThe Observer.[7]In 2013 it became a founding member of theSustainable Restaurant Association(SRA),[8]and in 2018 was awarded the Association's top ranking of three stars; in 2017 it won Raymond Blanc's Sustainability Hero award at the Association's "Food Made Good" awards.[9]Leon Restaurants was also named in the 2017Sunday TimesFast Track 100.[10]
In 2014 Vincent took over day-to-day running of LEON, moving into the role of Chief Executive Officer.[11]Dimbleby left Leon Restaurants' board in 2017. LEON has since expanded internationally[12]and launched its own cookware and tableware ranges.[13]
The School Food Plan
editIn 2013 Vincent and Dimbleby were asked to lead an independent review, commissioned by theUK Government,of theschool foodprogramme.[14]As part of that work they went on to produce an actionable plan called "The School Food Plan".[15]The plan formed the basis of revised rules on school dinners for pupils throughout the UK.[16]
The plan has overseen, among other changes, the introduction of cookery lessons for all children up to the age of 14, universal free school meals for infants, and new standards for the food served to children in schools.[17]
The School Food Plan has improved the diet of five million students and served daily across 22,000 schools.[18]Vincent and Dimbleby were both appointed MBE in 2015 for services to school food.[19]In 2017, Vincent received theSustainable Restaurant Association'sRaymond Blanc Sustainability Heroaward along with Dimbleby for their work on the plan.[20]
Council for Sustainable Business
editIn 2018 Vincent was invited to help create and then chair the Council for Sustainable Business. The council was established to "inspire British business to protect and improve the environment", and to advise on how businesses can help achieve the aims of the 25 Year Environment Plan.[21]
Books and newspaper column
editVincent wrote a column forMetroin 2014 and 2015, and has co-authored and published seven LEON cookbooks; they include:
- Book 2,Naturally Fast Food
- Book 4,Family & Friends
- Book 6,Fast & Free
- Book 7,Fast Vegan
- Happy Salads
- Happy Soups
- Happy One-Pot Cooking
He is co-author of a book,Winning Not Fighting,withWing Tsunmartial arts masterJulian Hitch,published in 2019.[22]
Personal life
editVincent married broadcasterKatie Derhamin 1999; he proposed on the night they met.[23]They have two daughters and live nearHaywards Heath,Sussex.[24]He was appointedMBEin the2015 Birthday Honours.[25]
References
edit- ^abEvans, Peter (15 January 2017)."Enter the quinoa, served up by the Bruce Lee of fast food".The Sunday Times.
- ^abcdIsaac, Anna (3 October 2016)."Leon co-founder: 'Lots of people come into business for money. It's a huge mistake'".The Daily Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^"Strictly star Katie Derham's husband to open healthy fast food store in Glasgow".The Herald (Glasgow).19 May 2016.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^"Top 100: John Vincent, Leon".The Caterer.19 April 2018.Retrieved6 October2021.
- ^"Food Chefs: Allegra McEvedy".BBC.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^Quinn, James (3 October 2013)."School meals adviser serves up near-£1m profit at Leon".The Daily Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^Sukhadwala, Sejal (14 May 2005)."Leon, London W1".The Observer.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved15 August2019.
- ^"Leon".Sustainable Restaurant Association.13 June 2019.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^"Previous Years".Food Made Good Awards.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^TWK."Fast Track".Fast Track.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^"Home".Retail Focus.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^Witts, Sophie (12 February 2018)."Leon to launch Asian concept ahead of overseas expansion".Big Hospitality.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^"LEON | John Lewis & Partners".John Lewis.Retrieved15 October2019.
- ^"Improving school food".GOV.UK(Press release). 4 July 2012.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^Salisbury, Clare (19 July 2016)."Free school meals report 'not published'".BBC News.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^Dimbleby, Henry;Vincent, John (2016)."The Plan – School Food Plan".Retrieved15 September2024.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^Burns, Judith (12 June 2015)."MBEs for School Food Plan authors".BBC News.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^"Restaurant Icon John Vincent to Bring LEON Restaurants to the US, Challenging the Fast Food Status Quo".Business Wire.25 June 2018.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^"Restaurant Icon John Vincent to Bring LEON Restaurants to the US, Challenging the Fast Food Status Quo".Business Wire.25 June 2018.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^"The winners of the SRA Food Made Good Awards 2017".Foodism.5 October 2017.Retrieved9 August2020.
- ^"Council for Sustainable Business Terms of Reference"(PDF).Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.25 June 2018.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^Vincent, John; Hitch, Julian.Winning Not Fighting.www.penguin.co.uk.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^Rudd, Matt (10 November 2019)."How Leon founder John Vincent learnt to live more sustainably".The Sunday Times.Retrieved6 October2021.
- ^Myskow, Nina (8 September 2018)."Katie Derham interview: I'm definitely not a goody two-shoes".The Times.ISSN0140-0460.Retrieved16 August2019.
- ^United Kingdom:"No. 61256".The London Gazette(Supplement). 12 June 2015. p. B25.