Chef Spotlight: Jamie Oliver
by Kelly Richardson, M.Ed.
kelly.richardson@chefschoolreview.com
Chef School Review Columnist
Jamie Oliver and the Culinary Art of In-Your-Face Cooking
Highly respected, multi-talented, and oft-ridiculed master of the culinary arts, Jamie Oliver has fast become the cooking darling of the BBC. A lightening rod of public opinion, Oliver has parlayed his incredible cooking talent into a media mega frenzy. He scorns. He sings. He sautés. And he’s single-handedly revolutionized the way people think about the unhealthy eating habits of school kids in the U.K. Here’s the incredible story of his remarkable rise to food fame and gourmet glory.
Hard Rocker Turned Commercial Chef
British-born James Trevor Oliver, also known as the Naked Chef, began his culinary career at Westminster Catering College after a failed attempt as a drummer in a would-be rock band. The son of an Essex pub owner, Jamie garnered a great deal of cooking experience under the watchful eye of his mentor, the London chef Gennaro Contaldo. During this period of development, Oliver mastered the art of organic cooking in a position at the River Café in London. It was here that he was discovered by a television producer who immediately recognized his star potential. His show, The Naked Chef, is currently running in over 40 countries.
Getting Back to Basics
Oliver’s culinary career has been marked with an undisguised disdain for the conventional eating habits that contribute to obesity and other fat-induced health disorders. The problem? Check the ingredients, Oliver insists, and “a product like a sausage or a burger…should have four or five.” Unfortunately, in the age of additives, consumers look at the ingredients on the package, and “it’s got 49 and you’re like, ‘Wow!’”
Consequently, Jamie Oliver’s signature culinary style involves a committed opposition to the mainstream preference for high fat, high sodium fares that emphasize tantalizing taste over healthful sustenance. That’s not to say his culinary creations lack either savor or flavor. Rather, Oliver makes use of organic fruits and vegetables, discriminately spiced with natural seasonings, to create alluring dishes that are as healthy as they are delicious. He routinely uses lean meats as a main course, preferring baking over frying.
Revolutionizing School Menus
Perhaps Jamie Oliver’s most notable achievement in his culinary career is the changes he’s brought to the eating habits of school children in his home country. Shocked by the unhealthy offerings of school lunch programs, Oliver started a bold initiative to exchange current menu items for healthier choices. He received the nod of approval from Britain’s Education Secretary Ruth Kelly, who said Oliver’s new program would “transform what is offered to children and teenagers in our schools so that high-quality healthy food is on every child’s plate.” Oliver wears the mantle of chef-activist with gusto.
Jamie’s Culinary Arts Education Reform
If the present trend continues, the culinary concepts of this world-renowned chef will change the course of culinary arts education programs as well as reinvent the culinary career industry as a whole. If Oliver’s ideas continue to catch on, he will no doubt make his mark on large-scale institutional and educational menus here in the States, too. If you’re a health-oriented aspiring chef who wants to confront the soaring rates of obesity and heart disease, sign on for a culinary education and join Chef Jamie Oliver’s bold stance on cooking. You won’t have to go Naked to do it!
Sources:
Jamie Oliver - Chef, School Dinners, Campaigner, Founder of Fifteen
Jamie’s School Dinners
Person of the Week: Jamie Oliver
Prince backs Jamie Oliver on school food
TV chef welcomes £280m meals plan
About the Author
Kelly Richardson covers the hottest culinary scenes in major cities across the country. His articles appear in career journals, periodicals, and e-zines.
Posted on May 7, 2007 at 10:56 AM
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