Jamie Oliver: The Message of Food for the G20

By JULIETTE ROSSANT The saying goes: the way to a man's heart might be through his stomach - the way to a politician's brain just might take the same path. Last weekSuper Chef reported (see Obama's Pukka Lunch at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen) that the UK's Gordon Brown would be dining with Barack and Michelle Obama at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant in London. That turned out to be a hoax, but not far from the truth. It turns out that Jamie will be cooking for all the G20 leaders, including the US president, in London next week at the prime minister's residence at 10 Downing Street. He's been asked to make a "credit crunch lunch" with his cook apprentices from Fifteen with ingredients available on any British"High Street". The idea is to avoid the egg-on-the-face situation that the Ministers encountered last year when they were caught dining on a lavish feast while discussing the world food shortage. Jamie is known for cooking healthy meals using locally-sourced ingredients - which is sure to appeal to the Obamas: I'm hoping that the menu I'm working on will show that British food and produce is some of the best in the world but also show that we have pioneered a high quality apprentice scheme at Fifteen. Fifteen is also a model for what the Ministers will be talking about - creating jobs. Apprentices at Fifteen are young people from broken homes, or who have been in trouble with the law or involved with drugs. The restaurant, supported by a charity, turns them into cooks and chefs. Newspapers quoted Jamie as saying: "Many of these young chefs were unemployed a couple of years ago. But in a few days they will be cooking for the Prime Minister and the President of America." Let's hope Jamie also has a chance to highlight his work transforming British school food, and tackling the poor quality of the nation's food supply. Eat well and pay attention to the message and the messenger who cooks your meal. Previous articles: Obama's Pukka Lunch at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Jamie Oliver: Recipease American Road Trip What's Cooking? with Jamie Oliver Branding: Jamie Oliver - Watching the Salt Jamie Oliver & Paul McCartney: - Anti-Landmine Campaign Jamie Oliver Label: Sainsburys v. Tesco Jamie Oliver: Chicken Out! Jamie Oliver: Jamie At Home Jamie Oliver: Cook with Jamie Jamie Oliver Cartoon By Aardman Jamie Oliver Betters British School Food FOOD PIX: Jamie Oliver Fat Suit Nora Sands: Nora's Dinners Jamie Oliver Signs Sainsbury's Jamie Oliver New Year: School Lunch Jamie Oliver on Vodafone Live! Jamie Oliver: Real Guts Fat Lady Sings Jamie Oliver Jamie Oliver: School Lunch [Chefs & Branding - complete] [Chefs & Politics - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, cookbooks, cookbook reviews, Jamie Oliver --> back to Super Chef