Oliver, Jamie

▪ 2006

      In a display of his passion for good food, British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver turned up the heat on government officials in 2005 with his overwhelmingly successful “Feed Me Better” campaign to improve the quality of meals served in Britain's schools. In an effort to replace unhealthy, processed food in school cafeterias with nutritious yet tasty cuisine using freshly prepared ingredients, Oliver launched a five-week petition campaign to persuade the government to increase funding for school meals. Among the critical factors in the success of his initiative was his television series Jamie's School Dinners, which documented the challenges Oliver faced while training a group of school “dinner ladies” to prepare the new menu items, as well as his ability to encourage the students to try the new menu. The tremendous response to his campaign resulted in the collection of 271,677 signatures that Oliver personally delivered to Prime Minister Tony Blair and Education Secretary Ruth Kelly. Consequently, the British government agreed to increase the amount spent on each school meal from 37 pence (1 pence = about 1.8¢) per student to 60 pence in some cases, with total funding raised to £280 million over a three-year period.

      Oliver was born on May 27, 1975, to the owners of the Cricketers, a pub-restaurant in Clavering, Essex. After persistently begging the chefs to let him assist in the kitchen, Oliver was peeling potatoes and shelling peas at age eight, and within three years he was able to julienne vegetables with the skill of a seasoned professional. At age 16 Oliver entered the Westminster Catering College before traveling to France for additional training and experience. He landed his first job in London at the Neal Street Restaurant as head pastry chef and soon began working as sous-chef at the River Café, where his talent in front of the camera was discovered during the filming of a documentary on the restaurant. He was quickly contracted by Optomen Television to host his first series, The Naked Chef, in which he demonstrated how to simplify food preparation by using basic ingredients and cooking techniques. The enthusiastic young chef was often shown exiting the kitchen by sliding down a banister or zipping around town on his motor scooter from market to market collecting fresh ingredients for his menus.

      In addition to starring in numerous television series, including Oliver's Twist and Pukka Tukka, Oliver authored five best-selling cookbooks, appeared in endorsements for the Sainsbury's grocery store chain, and launched his own line of cookware. In 2002 he established the Fifteen Foundation, a London-based program that gave underprivileged youths the opportunity to experience careers in the culinary industry at Oliver's Fifteen restaurant. The success of the project, chronicled in the TV series Jamie's Kitchen, spurred Oliver's plans to expand the program throughout the U.K. and overseas. Oliver was made an MBE in 2003.

Barbara A. Schreiber

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▪ British chef

born May 27, 1975, Clavering, Essex, Eng.

      British chef, who achieved worldwide fame with his hit television show The Naked Chef (1999) and as author of a number of cookbooks with a variety of culinary themes.

      Oliver's parents were owners of a pub-restaurant in Clavering, Essex. After persistently begging the chefs to let him assist, he was allowed to work in the kitchen. At age 16 Oliver entered the Westminster Catering College before traveling to France for additional training and experience. He landed his first job in London at the Neal Street Restaurant as head pastry chef and soon began working as sous-chef at the River Café, where his talent in front of the camera was discovered during the filming of a documentary on the restaurant. He was quickly contracted by Optomen Television to host his first series, The Naked Chef, in which he demonstrated how to simplify food preparation by using basic ingredients and cooking techniques.

      In addition to starring in numerous television programs—including Oliver's Twist (2002) and several other Naked Chef series—Oliver authored a number of best-selling cookbooks and launched his own line of cookware. In 2002 he established the Fifteen Foundation, a London-based program that gave underprivileged youths the opportunity to experience careers in the culinary industry at Oliver's Fifteen restaurant. The success of the project, chronicled in the television series Jamie's Kitchen, spurred Oliver's plans to expand the program throughout the United Kingdom and overseas.

      The five-week television series Jamie's School Dinners, which aired in 2005, documented the challenges Oliver faced while training a group of school cafeteria workers to prepare new, healthier items, as well as his ability to encourage students to try the new menu. The show helped Oliver launch his overwhelmingly successful “Feed Me Better” campaign to improve the quality of meals served in Britain's schools. Largely through his efforts, the British government agreed to increase the amount spent on each school meal. In 2007 Oliver began hosting Jamie at Home, a show that focused on urban gardening and the preparation of homegrown produce.

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