Oliver reached the public eye when his series The Naked Chef premiered in In , he started a campaign, Feed Me Better , to introduce schoolchildren to healthier foods, which was later backed by the government. He was the owner of a restaurant chain, Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, which opened its first restaurant, Jamie's Italian, in Oxford in The chain went into administration in May Oliver is the second-best-selling British author, behind J.
Rowling , and the best-selling British non-fiction author since records began. As of February [update] , Oliver had sold more than Jamie Trevor Oliver [ 5 ] was born and raised in Clavering, Essex. Oliver's first job was a pastry chef at Antonio Carluccio 's Neal Street restaurant, where he first gained experience at preparing Italian cuisine , and developed a relationship with his mentor Gennaro Contaldo ; later in his career Oliver employed Contaldo to help run his collection of high street restaurants, Jamie's Italian.
He was noticed there by the BBC in , after making an unscripted appearance in the documentary Christmas at the River Cafe. The restaurant, in Westland Place, London continued to train young adults who have a disadvantaged background for careers in the restaurant business until its closure on 21 May In , Oliver initiated a campaign originally called "Feed Me Better" to move British schoolchildren towards eating healthy foods and cutting out junk food.
As a result, the British government also pledged to address the issue. His public campaign for changes in nutrition resulted in people voting him as the "Most Inspiring Political Figure of ", according to a Channel 4 News annual viewer poll.
Another television series is Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution —11 , where he travelled first to Huntington, West Virginia and then to Los Angeles to change the way Americans eat, and address their dependence on fast food. Oliver's holding company , Jamie Oliver Holdings Ltd. In June , Oliver launched a restaurant, Jamie's Italian, his first high street business venture, in Oxford , England.
