Jamie Oliver(II)
- Writer
- Composer
- Producer
Jamie Oliver's cheeky manner, constant use of the word 'pukka', and
down to earth personality have won him legions of fans around the
world. He has sold millions of cookery books, opened a restaurant,
starred in several TV shows and revolutionised UK school dinners.
He was born May 27th, 1975 and brought up in Clavering, Essex, where
his parents, Trevor and Sally, ran a pub called 'The Cricketers'. It
was there that the young Jamie began to cut his teeth as a chef and
would practice daily in the kitchen and by the time he was 11, the
young protégé could cut vegetables as well as any of the kitchen staff.
He later attended Newport Free Grammar School and left at age sixteen
with two GCSE qualifications going on to attend Westminster Kingsway
College, formerly Westminster College. He then earned a City & Guilds
NVQ in home economics.
His first foray into the cheffing industry was as a pastry chef at
Antonio Carluccio's Neal's Yard restaurant, where he first gained
experience with preparing Italian cuisine, and developed a relationship
with his 'mentor' Gennaro Contaldo. Oliver then moved to The River
Café, Fulham, as a sous chef.
Also around this time he began attending the Westminster Catering
College at the age of 16. Later, he worked in France, immersing himself
in the culture and learning as much as he could before returning to
London. His first job back was working for Antonio Carluccio as Head
Pastry Chef at The Neal Street Restaurant.
Here Jamie worked alongside Gennaro Contaldo (of 'Two Greedy Italians'
fame), who Jamie considers one of his mentors. After The Neal Street
Restaurant, Jamie worked 3 1/2 years at the famous River Cafe in
London, a position that would change his life forever. It was here,
Jamie says, where he learned "all about the time and effort that goes
into creating the freshest, most honest, totally delicious food." Not
only that, it was also during his time at the River Cafe that he was
noticed by the BBC in 1997 after making an unscripted appearance in a
documentary about the restaurant, "Christmas at the River Cafe". That
year, his show The Naked Chef debuted and his cookbook became a number
one best-seller in the UK. That same year, Oliver was invited to
prepare lunch for then Prime Minister Tony Blair at No. 10 Downing
Street!
In July 2000, Oliver married former model Juliette Norton. The couple
met in 1993 and have four children: Poppy Honey Rosie Oliver (born 18
March 2002), Daisy Boo Pamela Oliver (born on 10 April 2003), Petal
Blossom Rainbow Oliver (born on 3 April 2009) and Buddy Bear Maurice
Oliver (born on 15 September 2010).
In 2000, Oliver became the face of the UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's
through an endorsement deal worth $2 million a year. After 11 years the
partnership between Oliver & Sainsbury's ended. The final television
advertisement was for Christmas 2011.
Oliver created Fifteen in 2002. Each year, fifteen young adults who
have a disadvantaged background, criminal record or history of drug
abuse, are trained in the restaurant business. Oliver conceived and
established the Fifteen charity restaurant where he trained fifteen
disadvantaged young people to work in the hospitality industry.
Following the success of the original restaurant in London, more
Fifteens have opened around the globe: Fifteen Amsterdam opened in
December 2004, Fifteen Cornwall in Newquay opened in May 2006 and
Fifteen Melbourne opened in September 2006 with Australian friend and
fellow chef Tobie Puttock.
In 2005, he initiated a campaign called "Feed Me Better" in order to
move British schoolchildren towards eating healthy foods and cutting
out junk food. As a result, the British government also pledged to
address the issue. Delving into politics to push for changes in
nutrition resulted in people voting him as the "Most Inspiring
Political Figure of 2005," according to a Channel 4 News annual viewer
poll.
Oliver then began a formal campaign to ban unhealthy food in British
schools and to get children eating nutritious food instead. Oliver's
efforts to bring radical change to the school meals system, chronicled
in the series Jamie's School Dinners, challenged the junk-food culture
by showing schools they could serve healthy, cost-efficient meals that
kids enjoyed eating.
Jamie is represented in London, England by Useful Talent.
down to earth personality have won him legions of fans around the
world. He has sold millions of cookery books, opened a restaurant,
starred in several TV shows and revolutionised UK school dinners.
He was born May 27th, 1975 and brought up in Clavering, Essex, where
his parents, Trevor and Sally, ran a pub called 'The Cricketers'. It
was there that the young Jamie began to cut his teeth as a chef and
would practice daily in the kitchen and by the time he was 11, the
young protégé could cut vegetables as well as any of the kitchen staff.
He later attended Newport Free Grammar School and left at age sixteen
with two GCSE qualifications going on to attend Westminster Kingsway
College, formerly Westminster College. He then earned a City & Guilds
NVQ in home economics.
His first foray into the cheffing industry was as a pastry chef at
Antonio Carluccio's Neal's Yard restaurant, where he first gained
experience with preparing Italian cuisine, and developed a relationship
with his 'mentor' Gennaro Contaldo. Oliver then moved to The River
Café, Fulham, as a sous chef.
Also around this time he began attending the Westminster Catering
College at the age of 16. Later, he worked in France, immersing himself
in the culture and learning as much as he could before returning to
London. His first job back was working for Antonio Carluccio as Head
Pastry Chef at The Neal Street Restaurant.
Here Jamie worked alongside Gennaro Contaldo (of 'Two Greedy Italians'
fame), who Jamie considers one of his mentors. After The Neal Street
Restaurant, Jamie worked 3 1/2 years at the famous River Cafe in
London, a position that would change his life forever. It was here,
Jamie says, where he learned "all about the time and effort that goes
into creating the freshest, most honest, totally delicious food." Not
only that, it was also during his time at the River Cafe that he was
noticed by the BBC in 1997 after making an unscripted appearance in a
documentary about the restaurant, "Christmas at the River Cafe". That
year, his show The Naked Chef debuted and his cookbook became a number
one best-seller in the UK. That same year, Oliver was invited to
prepare lunch for then Prime Minister Tony Blair at No. 10 Downing
Street!
In July 2000, Oliver married former model Juliette Norton. The couple
met in 1993 and have four children: Poppy Honey Rosie Oliver (born 18
March 2002), Daisy Boo Pamela Oliver (born on 10 April 2003), Petal
Blossom Rainbow Oliver (born on 3 April 2009) and Buddy Bear Maurice
Oliver (born on 15 September 2010).
In 2000, Oliver became the face of the UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's
through an endorsement deal worth $2 million a year. After 11 years the
partnership between Oliver & Sainsbury's ended. The final television
advertisement was for Christmas 2011.
Oliver created Fifteen in 2002. Each year, fifteen young adults who
have a disadvantaged background, criminal record or history of drug
abuse, are trained in the restaurant business. Oliver conceived and
established the Fifteen charity restaurant where he trained fifteen
disadvantaged young people to work in the hospitality industry.
Following the success of the original restaurant in London, more
Fifteens have opened around the globe: Fifteen Amsterdam opened in
December 2004, Fifteen Cornwall in Newquay opened in May 2006 and
Fifteen Melbourne opened in September 2006 with Australian friend and
fellow chef Tobie Puttock.
In 2005, he initiated a campaign called "Feed Me Better" in order to
move British schoolchildren towards eating healthy foods and cutting
out junk food. As a result, the British government also pledged to
address the issue. Delving into politics to push for changes in
nutrition resulted in people voting him as the "Most Inspiring
Political Figure of 2005," according to a Channel 4 News annual viewer
poll.
Oliver then began a formal campaign to ban unhealthy food in British
schools and to get children eating nutritious food instead. Oliver's
efforts to bring radical change to the school meals system, chronicled
in the series Jamie's School Dinners, challenged the junk-food culture
by showing schools they could serve healthy, cost-efficient meals that
kids enjoyed eating.
Jamie is represented in London, England by Useful Talent.