Jamie Oliver Biography

Jamie Oliver, The Naked Chef, was born on May 27, 1975. He is an English chef well-known for his television shows in the UK and, lately, in the United States. He is now known worldwide for his campaign against processed foods in government-owned high schools. More than that, he wants to change the unhealthy diet of most children and teenagers in Western countries. He also advocates family cooking as a means of encouraging families to eat healthier meals.

Jamie Oliver was born and brought up in Essex, England. His parents ran a pub called The Cricketers. He was dyslexic, which was probably one of the reasons why he left school at age 16. He went to the Newport Free Grammar School. After leaving school without qualifications, he attended Westminster Catering College. He then went to work at the Neal Yard Restaurant as a pastry chef. He says that he enjoyed his time there but then he had to move to the River Café as a sous chef. He was noticed by the BBC in that restaurant because he was very young. He also continued learning to cook Italian food.

In 1999, Jamie Oliver’s career took a new turn with the launch of his The Naked Chef show. Because of his TV show, his cookbooks became best seller in the United Kingdom. For that reason, then Prime Minister Tony Blair invited him to prepare lunch. The year after the launch of the Naked Chef, he became the endorser of Sainsbury’s, a supermarket chain in the UK. That was a big endorsement contract, which netted him $2 million a year.

His popularity continued to increase and in 2003, he became a Member of the Order of the British Empire, an order of Chivalry in Britain. Here’s some funny trivia in his biography. He put up his house as collateral without telling his wife about it! The proceeds of that went to the Fifteen Foundation in 2002. The Fifteen Foundation trained 15 young adults who came from disadvantaged background in the restaurant business.

After establishing this foundation, he started another movement called the “Feed Me Better” campaign, which encouraged British kids to do away with junk foods and towards healthy eating habits. He also delved into politics to push for the changes in the eating habits of people. As a result, he became one of the “Most Inspiring Political Figure of 2005″ in a UK Channel 4 News Annual Viewer Poll.