A native of Arlington, Virginia, Lyon earned an undergraduate degree at James Madison University.
[1] He began working in the food industry at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington as a soldier, and then as a cafe manager.
He attended the California School of Culinary Arts and then worked in several restaurants in Los Angeles.
Lyon launched a personal chef business and worked four days a week at a farmers' market.
"[3] Lyon began shooting a show on PBS called Growing a Greener World and was filming season 3.