Chef Simone Byron started her career in high school, at the age of 17. She began her work career as an intern with Disney at the ESPN Zone in Atlanta. Chef Byron went on to work as a Chef Manager with Compass Group and quickly excelled to multi-unit management. After 5 years with Compass, Chef Byron transitioned into education with Gwinnett County Public Schools. As a teacher, Chef Simone found her true passion for teaching and coaching children and young adults. During her 10 year experience with Gwinnett County, Chef Simone achieved 7 state titles and 2 national titles in competitive cooking, started a student ran catering company and bistro, founded a community garden and developed a corporate foodservice internship program with Compass Group and Thompson Hospitality. Furthermore, Chef Byron was named Teacher of the Year for Georgia by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation, and then went on to win the National Educator of Excellence Award for 2018. Currently, Chef Simone has began an exciting new position as Executive Director with HEFG (Hospitality Education Foundation of Georgia). Chef Simone was also inducted into the prestigious women’s organization Les Dames Escoffier in 2019. Chef Byron continues to leverage her passion for the hospitality industry and education to provide a foundation for young adults to learn and thrive.