Jamie Oliver Puts Restaurant Plans On Hold

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Feb 24th 2009 at 6:01AM

Jamie Oliver becomes the latest British chef to succumb to economic pressure. The television host and cookbook author known as the Naked Chef, has postponed plans to open a fifth branch of the restaurant chain Fifteen at Holbeck Urban Village in Leeds in June. The Fifteen Foundation inspires disadvantaged young people to create careers in the restaurant industry and runs restaurants in Amsterdam, Cornwall, London and Melbourne, Australia.

The charity has said it may revisit its plans in the future when the economy is in better shape. Oliver joins other British television chefs Gordon Ramsay and Antony Worrall Thompson in having to adjust his restaurant empire desires to the whims of the economy.

Gallery: Celebrity Restaurants

Tags: celebrity chef, CelebrityChef, chef, fifteen foundation, FifteenFoundation, jamie oliver, JamieOliver, naked chef, NakedChef

Filed under: Dining

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Myr Feb 25th 2009 9:18AM

Celebrities are not cooks or chefs! I would not eat somewhere just because a rap artist or movie star owned it. I eat where the cooks/chefs are talented and the food is good. Why does Gloria Estafan have a resturant??? Because its money in her pocket, not because she is one of the worlds greats chefs!! And Justin Timberlake?? Give me a break! Call it what it is...celebrities are banks!

Kayisha Feb 25th 2009 9:57AM

I hear you! I went to the Motown Cafe long time ago and the food stunk! Now, Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill I heard that's a restaurant!

JerseyGirl71 Feb 25th 2009 10:19AM

Wasn't Oliver a chef FIRST before his first tv appearance? Seems I remember it that way.. I always found him interesting to watch and applaud him for trying to help the younger generation!

WJR Feb 25th 2009 9:57AM

Jamie had one of those programs where the camera moves and shakes all over the place. So for fun, I would watch the last five minutes only and try and figure out what he was making while the camera was in constant motion. More than five minutes required an air sickness bag.

Don Feb 25th 2009 8:05PM

I do not like chefs--I would prefer a "good cook" to a chef any day. Chefs always want to mix weird indreients togther to show their creativity--but the mixture does not always result in good tasting food. An example might be a chef poring cocolate sause and coconut over green beans --whereas a good cook would simply season the green beans with oil or butter and some salt and pepper and that's it. No ostrich with blueberry sauce for me--instead give me a nice simple steak.

Dottie654 Feb 25th 2009 5:16PM

Jamie Oliver is an excellent chef who cooks reasonably
healthy, and as the article says his Fifteen Foundation offers opportunities to disadvantaged youth to experience the culinary field under Jamie's tutelage. A couple of years ago Food Network did a series on the first Fifteen restaurant he opened and the kids selected to train there. It was very interesting. I am not a fan of British food, but I would not hesitate to give one of his restaurants a chance.

Steve Wright Feb 25th 2009 11:54AM

Here is all that is wrong with the economy: the people that got all the money when things were booming not only give nothing back when things are bad, they batten down the hatches. With the money that Oliver, Ramsay, etc., have now isn't the time to put off opening a restaurant; now's the time to do it. The poor make the rich but the rich break the poor. Helping kids is great, but when you gain fame and fortune (and more so) off of helping kids, it's better described as "using", not "helping." This world lives on greed and selfishness...

Val Feb 26th 2009 4:11PM

I used to like Jamie until he gassed those baby chicks on his show and fed them to a snake or something - I can't remember because it was too upsetting to watch. His food was always prepared with natural ingredients although here in the US we couldn't always find the products they have in England. At least he still has other restaurants and income - some people aren't as lucky so I'm not shedding any tears for him.

KATIE B Feb 25th 2009 12:06PM

SELFISH? Why is he selfish? He is a Chef, that invested HIS money and perhaps that of investors, into his vision...why should he open a new place in a bad economy? He should work on ones that are already open, and hopefully doing well. You freaks amaze me...let the ones that worked hard and made something of themselves take care of poor lil old u...lazy lazy lazy....
let me guess....a Democrat right?

Peter Scott Feb 25th 2009 12:12PM

In honor of the mother of the octuplet's, Denny's is offering a new breakfast meal called the Suleman:

You get fourteen eggs, no sausage, and the guy next to you has to pay the bill.

Steve Wright Feb 25th 2009 12:14PM

Katie wrote: "SELFISH? Why is he selfish? He is a Chef, that invested HIS money and perhaps that of investors, into his vision...why should he open a new place in a bad economy?"

Because the restaurant is supposed to help disadvantaged kids, tard. If it's to help kids, and if the other restaurants were really to "help" kids and not just gain fame and fortune then the restaurant should be open. BTW: not a "Democrat," it's called "being human," beast.

He's only a cook.... Feb 25th 2009 12:59PM

For Christ's sake, he's a cook. That's it. He cooks. Food. For hire. There. Why deify someone because they know how to cook? Oooh....he's a Chef! Let me bow down and salaam. Anyone who can read can cook, folks - and usually a damn sight better than the minimalist crap Jamie Oliver serves up. Try it.

Larry Feb 25th 2009 1:12PM

All these restaurants owned by these (Ahem) chefs and celebrities are just places to go to get ripped off. They are like buying designer jeans, your paying through the nose for a name on your arse. The old saying still holds. There's a sucker born every minute.

greg Feb 25th 2009 1:59PM

Steve, Let me get this straight, the guy owns 5 restaurants that are successful and helping disadvantaged kids and you want him to risk everything in a bad economy and possibly put 50 or so people out of work, you are such an ass. and by the way, most business owners dont get rich off of the poor, alot of people (not rich) took risks to start a business and employ those who are not willing to take those risks. It's not their responsibility to support those who will not support themselves.

david Feb 25th 2009 4:16PM

supply and demand, nothing new.

JR Feb 25th 2009 2:27PM

Jamie Oliver was definitely a chef (very young and very famous in his home country) before he was ever on US TV. I just wish someone on his production staff or at the Food Network would get him to wash his hands and clean his nails before he goes on-camera and works with the food. They're so dirty that I have to wonder if people get sick when they eat at his restaurant - not from the food, but the germs under those nails!

Heather Feb 25th 2009 2:39PM

To Katie B......walk a mile in the shoes of someone who REALLY works for a living and tell me you have any clue what it's like to HAVE to scrimp and save to put food on the table for your family, works hard and still struggle to make ends meet. Democrats obviously won in November because people like yourself are so out of touch with reality your pathedic, unitelligible, ignorance got us into this mess in the first place. Stop being such a sore loser and deal with the fact that we now have a president that can put a sentence together without embarssing the entire country. No one expect's to be taken care of by you idiots because you've never taken care of anyone in the world but your own kind. Stop complaining because you won't be getting tax breaks because you don't deserve them. You can pay your mortgages, go to the spa, take luxurious vacations flying first class and don't have a clue as to what is going on in the economy because it doesn't effect anything but your stock portfolio. We don't complain about having to pay taxes, and neither should you, even if it is an extra 3%, you certainly can afford it if you make over $250,000 a year. You don't deserve tax breaks just because your rich; I don't care how hard you worked to get into your corner offices or your live in your mansions and how many political contributions you make, you wipe your a*ses the same way as the rest of us and don't deserve any more than the single mother who lives in the projects with 3 jobs and takes the bus. How dare you call democrats lazy when you have never had to work hard labor a day in your life! Don't blame the MOJORITY of the country because you were raised so poorly you have no idea what empathy, compassion or tollerance are. Wake up from the fantasy world of so called privelage you so shamelessly take advantage of and smell the reality. How dare you call us lazy....you should be as ashamed of yourself, but your kind knows no shame, only how to be selfish and intollerant....thats why your party no longer has any power......

Cliff Feb 25th 2009 11:20PM

Damn, chill out, girl. There's nothing wrong with being successful and becoming wealthy from your vision. The anger comes from the Government taking a larger portion of your income when you ARE succesful and redistributing it to reward other "less fortunate" people for their bad behavior and poor life choices.