əpˌɑːn ɡɹˌædʒuːˈeɪʃən, sˈaɪmən wˈɜːkt æt ɹˈɛstɹɑːnts sˈʌtʃ ɐz lˌæ kˈoʊt bˈæsk ænd lˈuːɾɛs bᵻfˌoːɹ bᵻkˈʌmɪŋ ðə pˈɜːsənəl ʃˈɛf fɔːɹ nˈoʊɾəbəl pˈɜːsənz sˈʌtʃ ɐz dʒˈɑːn ˈædi ænd sˈɔːl stˈaɪnbɜːɡ.
Upon graduation, Simon worked at restaurants such as La Côte Basque and Lutece before becoming the personal chef for notable persons such as John Addey and Saul Steinberg.