Jamie Oliver and Snow Days!
Feb 18th, 2003, 05:40 AM
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Jamie Oliver and Snow Days!
<BR>Hi. <BR>As you might have heard, New York City got some snow Monday. <BR>After playing Scrabble, reading a book,drying the dog off a thousand times, doing this and that, I started watching the Food Network on television. <BR>Some of you might have heard of the young chef/cook Jamie Oliver. What do you think of him? Is he a "real" chef or what? <BR>His dishes seemed to be something a kid in college would have invented for dorm cooking. Is that typical British young peoples cooking? What shows do the British like to watch about cooking? Any American cooks?<BR>Thanks for satisfying my curiosity, where else could I get good answers but here
Feb 18th, 2003, 05:46 AM
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Jaime is a very good chef although he does not do nouvelle cuisine or whatever. His food is real food. I don't know what episode you watched but possibly one where he was doing basics? I have all of his cookbooks and have found many good items in all. I think it is his approach to food, he doesn't try to fancy something up to make himself look good, instead he lets the food be the star. He preaches starting with good ingredients, keep your pantry well stocked with the basics etc. <BR><BR>He is now running his own restaurant called 15. It was a charity project where he selected 15 unemployed young people (I think they had to be between 16 and 26 or something), he trained them (sending them to cooking school, having them intern at important restaurants, etc.) and then gave them jobs in the restaurant. <BR><BR>He is a trained chef. He has a website somewhere, I think http://wwwjamieoliver.com or something like that.
Feb 18th, 2003, 06:11 AM
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I've been watching Jamie Oliver for awhile on Food Network, I get a real kick out of his "down to earth" approach to cooking. He also frequently starts the show off tooling around on his motorbike picking up food items in a variety of small shops in London. He's also mentioned that his parents had a restuarant and he learned to cook there. As the other poster said Jamie also has a restuarant of his own (15). He is married and has two children (I think that is what he said), one for sure because I've seen a show with the baby on it.
Feb 18th, 2003, 06:38 AM
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NYGirl - I'm snowed in too and have a day off! Yoohoo!<BR><BR>I got a Jamie Oliver recipe off Food and Wine magazine for pork chops marinated in garlic, rosemary, olive oil and lemon, then roasted with potatoes and pears that is super easy, with easy ingredients and delicious. I'm also curious as to whether he is perceived to be a 'real' chef...
Feb 18th, 2003, 07:50 AM
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Dear NYGirl:<BR><BR>I DID see your Jamie Oliver note! How funny! He's very down to earth, has had that show on Food Network for some time, and seems very energetic, to say the least!<BR><BR>If I can get into his new restaurant, 15, I'll let you know how it is. The concept is cool, as I expected!<BR><BR>Kathryn
Feb 18th, 2003, 10:15 AM
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Mathieu, yes! Nigella, I know! I saw an interview with her recently about her husband dying and how they were filmed the entire time. She seems to be a very strong lady and talented.<BR>I think Jamie Oliver is cute in a pub- boy-ish kind of way but I can't say that his style of cooking made me want to eat any of the dishes he made. <BR>But then, I used to watch the Two Fat Cooks? and enjoyed listening to them but would never eat their cooking either
but I can't say that his style of cooking made me want to eat any of the dishes he made. <BR>But then, I used to watch the Two Fat Cooks? and enjoyed listening to them but would never eat their cooking either
Feb 18th, 2003, 10:33 AM
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Jaime is indeed a "real" chef. He used to work at a high end London restaurant. Then came the Naked Chef (his first TV series) followed by the two current series. 15 is near Old street so it is a good place to go (if you can get in - it is very busy) after visiting the geffrye museum.<BR><BR>He is one of several "celebrity" chefs in the UK, well known all over. Except for Wolfgang Puck there isn't really a comaparble "famous chef cult" in the US. There are two camps re JO - love him and his down to earth style of cooking, or hate him because of over-saturation.
Feb 18th, 2003, 12:23 PM
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Agree with Janis that Jamie got up a lot of peoples' noses, due to endless mugging on TV advertisements, etc. Myself included.<BR><BR>However he went up in a lot of peoples' estimation in UK after they showed the documentary about putting his restaurant together. He was incredibly patient and understanding with his trainees, some of whom behaved awfully - skiving off work, complaining, giving him attitude, etc. After the first week or two, most viewers were shouting at the TV "Sack them Jamie!" Anyway, he stuck with it and made it a success so all credit to him, in my view.<BR>
Feb 18th, 2003, 02:04 PM
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NYGirl, not sure if you liked Jamie Oliver for the cooking or the British-ness of it. But I have gotten totally hooked on BBC America. I love Changing Rooms, Home Invaiders and Ground Force. I think the dynamic between the regulars is so interesting and specifically British. Some of the things they say and do to eachother would never fly in the US. Wish I could get Alan Titchmarsh to come over and "work in my garden" ;-)
Feb 18th, 2003, 04:56 PM
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you can read his bio on www.foodtv.com - I personally LOVE HIM!
