Cooking mouth-watering dishes is Jamie Oliver’s forte. He not only makes food fresh and delectable but is famous for making recipes simple as well as delicious. James Trevor Oliver was born on 27 May, 1975, in Clavering, Essex. His parents owned a restaurant called The Cricketers where Oliver had his initial training as well, since he used to help his parents with the cooking. By age 11, he could “chop like a demon”. By age 16, he realised that he wanted to be a chef and joined the Westminster Catering School. He later went to France to further hone his skills.
He returned to London and worked with Antonio Carluccio at The Neal Street Restaurant as the head pastry chef. But it was at the River Café under the guidance of Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers that he learned to cook simple and fresh food. Oliver got his first television job when producer Patricia Llewellyn, who was documenting a film, saw his cooking skills and decided to start a cookery show. She named the show The Naked Chef, which referred to his simple cooking style. This show was a huge success and Jamie went on to do more TV shows. He has written various cookery books as well, which are easy to follow in accordance with his style of simple cooking.
The most controversial period in Jamie’s career was when he decided to speak up against the processed food served to children in schools. He raised public awareness and Prime Minister Tony Blair promised to spend more money on improving the quality of food. Though some people criticised Oliver for preaching, the campaign was hugely successful.
Though Oliver is the face of the Sainsbury’s supermarket, he admitted preferring to buy ingredients from the local growers or farmers instead and liking organic products. He has also promoted the Tefal line of cookware which needs very little oil for cooking.
Jamie Oliver is married to former model Jools and they have two daughters. His only complaint these days is that he doesn’t get enough time to spend with them, and is glad when the weekend arrives and he can spend time at home.
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