Jamie Oliver

James (Jamie) Trevor Oliver (born on May 27, 1975), also known as the Naked Chef, is a British celebrity chef.

Biography

Jamie grew up in a small Essex village called Clavering. His parents own a pub called 'The Cricketers'. He formed the band Scarlet Division with Leigh Haggerwood in 1989. He attended Westminster Catering College when he was 16. He spent several years working alongside the London chef, Gennaro Contaldo, who he regards as one of his culinary 'mentors'. His first TV break came in 1996 when he was "discovered" by television producer Pat Llewellyn while working at the River Café in London. She saw him on a documentary called Christmas at the River Café and recognised his star potential immediately.

Related Topics:
Essex - Clavering - Leigh Haggerwood - London

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Two highly successful series of The Naked Chef were filmed in 1998 and 1999. And on June 24, 2000 he married Juliette Norton, also known as Jools. The couple met in 1993 and currently have two daughters, Poppy Honey (born in March 2002) and Daisy Boo (born in April 2003).

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He has been part of a financially successful advertising campaign by the Sainsburys supermarket chain in the UK, featuring him on his scooter, promoting their healthy food. The BBC were unhappy with the adverts and in February 2002, dropped ideas for a future series called Oliver's Army, where he would train 16 unemployed young people to learn how to cook. Channel 4 quickly seized the moment and produced the series, known as Jamie's Kitchen. In New Zealand Jamie Oliver starred in a series of television adverts for the Pam's brand belonging to Foodstuffs. These adverts featured Jamie as the cheeky next door neighbour able to produce the finest food from Pam's ingredients.

Related Topics:
Sainsburys - UK - Scooter - Channel 4 - New Zealand - Foodstuffs

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In June 2003 he was appointed an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. He set up the Fifteen charity restaurant where he trains 15 disadvantaged young people to work in the hospitality industry. Plans for similar restaurants are underway around the globe: Fifteen Amsterdam was opened in December 2004, and Fifteen Cornwall and Fifteen Melbourne are scheduled for opening in Summer 2006. He has also written columns for The Times.

Related Topics:
MBE - Queen's Birthday Honours List - Fifteen - Amsterdam - December 2004 - Cornwall - Melbourne - 2006 - The Times

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