Oliver's Twist

There are many ways to trade your fame as a celebrity chef. You can brand your own cookware line, endorse frozen entrees/canned soups/salad dressings, become a spokesperson for Applebee’s, launch an eponymous magazine or rule your own multimedia empire – once you have established your toehold, the payoffs are huge and the responsibilities seem to be limited to extracting as much as you can from your audience as possible before fading from the limelight.

Fame is fleeting and it is hard to disapprove, as only a slacker/ne’er do well can moralize about other's choices. I would not be outraged to see Alton Brown’s iodized salt – even though he makes such a big to do over kosher (Alton is most likely anti-goiter). As much as I (distantly) admire financial security, I am more impressed when people put there hard won public notoriety towards causes greater than themselves (or their personal brand).

Julia Child rolled her energy back into promoting PBS, Alice Waters has traded her name to improve school lunches and promote small scale farmers and growers. Last week, Jamie Oliver, aged 34, won a 2010 TED (technology, entertainment and design) award for his work he done on behalf of improving school lunches in the UK and more recently combating childhood obesity both in his native Britain and here in the States.

His presentation can be seen above. In it Mr. Oliver talks about choices, food literacy and how to everyone should know how to cook 10 things. In his upcoming network show Mr. Oliver will help the town of Huntington, West Virginia (The US’ fattest state) fight obesity one meal at a time. Before departing Huntington, Mr. Oliver found local resources to fund better school lunches and a cooking program at a community center. 

Echoing Michael Pollan’s recent observation that people really don’t know how to cook anymore, Mr. Oliver seeks to encourage people to eat better through home cooking as opposed to radical changes in their diet - the dude doesn’t hate carbs or fat, instead opting to promote a love & knowledge of food - this fall ‘Jamie’s Food Revolution’  – a collection of meal ideas that purportedly will call for bacon just as often as green veg.

Congratulations to Mr. Oliver on his award and recognition from TED- $100,000 is not the biggest prize in the world but TED does have a little more cache for being interesting, forward-looking and cutting edge. Congratulations on taking the road less traveled by endorsing an idea and activity rather than cookware or attitude or garlic presses. Pride, ability, ownership, sharing meals may not have the same sponsorship opportunities but who needs another famous chef hawking non-stick pans. 


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