Jamie Oliver has been named as the most influential person in Britain’s food and drink industry. Since he found fame in 1999 the chef has filmed 30 TV series, published 20 cookbooks and has launched a grand total of five restaurant brands. The 46-year-old has campaigned to improve school dinners and poultry welfare. In March 2016 he celebrated the announcement of a sugar levy on soft drinks.
Oliver was born on 27 May 1975 in Clavering, Essex, England. He is a British chef who achieved worldwide fame with his TV shows The Naked Chef (1999), Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (2010–11) as well as author of a variety of cookbooks with a number of different culinary themes.
His Early Life
Jamie’s parents were owners of a pub-restaurant in Clavering, Essex. After determinedly begging the chefs to allow him to assist, he was permitted to work in the kitchen.
At the age of 16 Oliver entered the Westminster Catering College prior to traveling to France for extra training and experience. Jamie landed his first job in London at the Neal Street Restaurant as the head pastry chef and soon started working as sous-chef at the River Café, where his talents in front of the camera was revealed during the filming of a documentary about the restaurant.
He was very quickly contracted by Optomen Television to host his very first series, The Naked Chef, in which he showed how to simplify food preparation by utilising basic ingredients as well as cooking techniques.
In addition to starring in numerous television programmes — including Oliver’s Twist (2002) and several other Naked Chef series — Jamie authored a number of best-selling cookbooks and established his own line of cookware, making him as popular as a mobile casino Canada has to offer in the entertainment world.
In 2002 Oliver established the Fifteen Foundation, which is a London-based programme that gave underprivileged youths the opportunity to experience careers in the culinary industry at Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant. The success of the project, documented in the TV series Jamie’s Kitchen, spurred Oliver’s plans to expand the programme all over the United Kingdom and overseas.
His Personal Life
Jamie and his wife Jools recently commemorated their 22nd wedding anniversary and their union could not be more joyful. The popular couple got married on 24 June 2000. Since then they have become doting parents to Poppy Honey (who is 20), Daisy Boo (who is 19), Petal Blossom (13), Buddy Bear (who is 11) as well as five-year-old River Rocket.
Jamie and Jools have been together from the time that they were both 17, with Jamie proposing as Jools placed a wreath on her father’s grave on Christmas Eve in 1999. In July 2022, Jools posted a snapshot showing her four eldest children together during what looked like their summer family holiday by the coast. Poppy, Daisy, Petal and Buddy visibly share a close bond as they snuggled up together for a touching family snapshot.
Every single birthday is celebrated in style in the Oliver household. Not only are they treated to an amazing birthday cake however also a special paper-made crown!
