Jamie Oliver is a global phenomenon in food and food activism. Over a sixteen-year television and publishing career, Jamie has inspired millions of people to enjoy cooking from scratch and eating fresh, delicious food. His charity, the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, and annual Food Revolution Day aim to improve the lives of people all over the world through better food education.Jamie started cooking at his parents' pub, the Cricketers, in Clavering, Essex, England, at the age of eight. After leaving school he began a career as a chef that took him to the River Café, where he was famously spotted by a television production company and the Naked Chef was born.In 2001, Jamie left the Naked Chef behind when he set up Fifteen, a restaurant in London, which continues to train disengaged young people for careers in the food service industry. A few years later, he led the call for a change in the quality of school lunches in the United Kingdom, resulting in huge changes to the school food system. His foundation operates Fifteen restaurant and its apprentice program in London, with sister restaurants in Cornwall and Amsterdam, and teaches practical cooking skills through Jamie's Ministry of Food centers both in the UK and in Australia. He has also created Jamie's Home Cooking Skills, a high-school-level practical course, and the Kitchen Garden Project for elementary-school students, which brings the magic of growing and cooking food to life. The foundation also works across the United States to bring better food education to schools, businesses, and communities, using partnerships to reach more people with its programs.Jamie's successful restaurants include Barbecoa and the group of Jamie's Italian restaurants both across the UK and internationally. His wide range of food and nonfood products are popular throughout the world.He writes regularly for his own Jamie Magazine, appears on his YouTube channels Jamie Oliver's Food Tube and Drinks Tube, has five award-winning apps, and has now published sixteen bestselling cookbooks, all with accompanying television shows. Jamie lives in London and Essex with his wife, Jools, and their children, Poppy, Daisy, Petal, and Buddy.
