Jamie Oliver

Celebrity chef, author and television personality, Jamie Oliver is a household name around the world. He is accredited with having revolutionised school dinners and creating a new wave of interest in cooking, with his recipe books having sold millions of copies.

In fact, he’s rated as Britain’s second top-selling author of all time, with more than 10 million cookery books sold – totalling £126 million. Only Harry Potter author JK Rowling surpasses his book sales, according to a list compiled by The Bookseller.

Early life and career

Born on 27th May, 1975, Jamie grew up in his parents’ pub and restaurant, The Cricketers in Essex. He began helping out in the kitchen at the age of eight and by the age of 11, he was already an expert at chopping vegetables, having spent almost all his spare time in the kitchen.

Leaving school at 15 with two GCSEs, Jamie then studied at Westminster Catering College, where he attained a City and Guilds Home Economics NVQ. He joined Antonio Carluccio’s Neal’s Yard restaurant as pastry chef learning how to prepare Italian cuisine, before becoming sous chef at The River Café in Fulham.

TV debut

Jamie’s potential was spotted by the BBC in 1997 after he appeared in a documentary, Christmas at the River Cafe. He was snapped up to make his debut TV show, The Naked Chef, in 1999, which catapulted him to stardom. His first cookbook became the UK’s number one best seller and he was also invited to prepare a meal for Prime Minister Tony Blair at Downing Street.

Between 2000 and 2011, he became the face of supermarket Sainsbury’s in a deal reputedly worth £1.2 million a year. He also launched Pukka Tukka on Channel 4 in 2000, followed by Jamie’s Kitchen in 2002. The documentary followed his efforts to train 15 disadvantaged young people to work in his Fifteen charity restaurant in London – he wanted to change their lives. Five contestants went on to secure a job at the restaurant.

The concept was so successful that more Fifteen restaurants opened worldwide including Amsterdam in 2004, Cornwall in May 2006 and Melbourne in September 2006.

Television shows

A succession of TV shows helped to secure his position as one of the best-known chefs in the world. These included Return to Jamie’s Kitchen in 2003; Jamie’s Great Italian Escape in 2005; Jamie’s Italian and Jamie’s Fowl Dinners in 2008; Jamie Saves Our Bacon, Jamie’s American Road Trip and Jamie’s Family Christmas in 2009; Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals in 2010; Jamie’s Fish Supper, Jamie’s Dream School, Jamie’s Britain and Jamie Cooks Summer in 2011; and MasterChef Australia, Jamie and Jimmy’s Food Fight Club and Jamie’s 15-Minute Meals in 2012.

Healthy school meals

Jamie launched his Feed Me Better national campaign in 2005, in an effort to persuade schoolchildren to eat more healthily. This resulted in the government pledging to address the junk food issue and Jamie was voted the Most Inspiring Political Figure of 2005 in a viewers’ poll conducted by Channel 4 News. His series, Jamie’s School Dinners, charted his progress as he challenged the junk-food culture, providing examples of healthy, enjoyable and affordable school meals.

Fifteen, Cornwall

Today, Jamie’s Fifteen restaurant in Newquay, Cornwall, continues to make a difference to disadvantaged youths’ lives, helping them to achieve a career in the hospitality industry. The profits are donated to registered charity Cornwall Food to support its award-winning apprentice programme.

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