Chef Jamie Oliver won't call himself a legend — but that isn't stopping us from saying it. Good Housekeeping sat down with the English TV personality, restaurateur and cookbook author in New York City timed to the premiere of his Chef's Table: Legends episode on Netflix.
Filming the documentary allowed Jamie to "stop for a bit and think" about everything he's accomplished over the course of his career so far. "I haven't really had a chance to be retrospective at all and look back. I've always been dealing with the now, in a beautifully chaotic way," he told us. "It's been a very emotionally charged 25 years and also a little bit like an onion. There are lots of layers. There's a few different Jamies."
The 49-year-old said his personality "can be very romantic, very daft, very nerdy — I could talk about a method of cooking for hours. But also a little bit naughty, a little bit sassy. That's probably the default, Jamie."
Whether it's a documentary or a "chop and chat show," the celebrity chef knows how to cater to an audience. But when it comes to what he calls his "life's work," Jamie's ultimate goal is to help educate communities about food, starting as early as possible.
"If you empower kids to understand food, where it comes from and how it affects their body, and if they can leave school knowing how to cook 10 recipes to save their lives, it's better for the country's productivity, happiness, mental health and health," he emphasized. Jamie added that cooking should be thought of as a necessity, not a luxury.
"I've spent years traveling the world, and I've spent a couple of years traveling all the Blue Zones, where people live the happiest, most productive, longest lives. The most interesting recipes have always come from [underserved] communities. So the idea that knowledge is a luxury ... I think the point of school is to prepare you for the real world."
In Jamie's opinion, the best way to teach kids about food isn't simply to talk to them about nutrition, but instead to make it part of their daily lives. He pointed to schools in Japan as an example, where classes take turns making lunch for the whole school. "They'll be weighing and making and baking, which is chemistry and science. They'll be learning about food and where it comes from and how it affects their body. They understand the idea of love and care and service. And they're just making lunch!"
This is the thinking behind the 10 Skills Food Education Platform Jamie is bringing to the U.S. It's a free curriculum available for schools and other organizations, with lesson plans, recipes, videos and detailed instructions to help educators teach kids essential cooking skills.
Jamie, who started cooking at age 8, believes the earlier kids can start, the better. "They must have confidence around it and joy — and absolutely it can start with less healthy things like baking and cakes just to get them in, then get into delicious things with meat and veggies," he said. "The institution of education needs to help make them not scared of real food and the variety in color, taste, even things like bitter and sour," he added.
Outside of working with communities around the world and piloting his 10 Skills Platform at Bellflower High School in Los Angeles, Jamie has firsthand experience raising his five kids around food. "When they were little, I made them help me wash all the veggies from the garden and wash salads. And I'd get them using the salad spinner, which was really fun and making dressings. Then as they got a bit older, it would go into tacos and pizzas and doing their own toppings, giving them a sense of control. And of course, baking sweet treats. It's about giving them that confidence," Jamie shared.
"My main advice is, don't judge yourself on the minute or the hour or the day. Just be consistent. You're going to have days when they're ungrateful and not empathetic, but you're going to blink, and five years will pass, and they'll smash a whole bowl of stir-fried veg or a chopped salad."
He also recommends parents take their children to farmer's markets or street markets once a week. "Going into those places is such an adventure, it's so exciting. You don't even have to buy anything, just go there for a walk like a museum. And kids start becoming more comfortable."
Jamie's family still goes shopping and grows food together, but now that his oldest is 23, things look a little different in the kitchen. "We'll just hang and have a glass of wine and put some music on and chat as we're making stuff." And while Jamie laughed that his kids still have him do all the work, he said it's because his love language is cooking for others.
"I love people through creating little moments. It doesn't have to be posh or flashy, it's just thought and care. And my way of doing it is always having a plan."
As far as Jamie's plan for what's next, the legend has plenty more up his sleeve. "Let's see what happens in the next 25 years," he teased. "Hopefully I can still be useful to the world."
Jamie (she/her) is the news and SEO editor at Good Housekeeping. She oversees GH's digital news strategy, assigning and editing celebrity and entertainment news content. Before joining Good Housekeeping in 2024, she was the digital editor at Woman's Day. She has over 7 years of professional experience writing and editing lifestyle content for the Rachael Ray Show, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Insider, Elite Daily and more. She holds a BFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College and lives in Brooklyn with her cats Lumos, Linus and Milo.
