Arson at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen

Food is often thought of as a token of love, friendship and sustenance.  However, the industry is probably as cut throat as any other.  The food industry turns over huge sums of money and involves all kinds of personalities.  There are also those in the television side of food, the writers, researchers and stylists.  TV chefs have become hot commodities and  there is an inordinate amount of interest in finding unusual ways to cook.

Poker fan Jamie Oliver aka the Naked Chef became very well known for his straight-talking style.  School dinners are rubbish because they are unhealthy.  Unhealthy food is making the UK’s children fat.  So he went about educating schools about basic nutrition.  The fact that he was young and good looking and a TV personality made people listen.  There can be no doubt that Jamie Oliver is hugely successful and has used his influence to get children to eat quality food.  He has also used his influence to do more than tell all us how to cook chickpeas one hundred and fifty ways.  Oliver does a great deal of good in helping under privileged young adults get training as chefs.

Jamie Oliver set up a scheme to train disadvantaged youth and it was turned into a television series called Fifteen.  It was a kind of reality show that followed the progress of fifteen young adults chosen by Oliver.  The series was popular enough for Oliver to set up a number of training programs at restaurants in London, Cornwall, Amsterdam and Melbourne.  It is the Fifteen Foundation’s Melbourne establishment that is in the headlines.  The headquarters of the chef’s restaurant caught fire and there is suspicion of arson.

Almost half a million pounds worth of damage is thought to be the result.  It has been confirmed that a man of thirty two was taken into custody, an external ‘senior manager’.  The police searched this individual’s home.  He is not one of Jamie Oliver’s trainees. 

The next program is scheduled to begin in a week’s time.  The trainees and staff are said to be ‘saddened’ and ‘distressed’ by the fire and the damage.  Oliver has not yet made any comment regarding the alleged arson.  But with reality TV any misfortune can be turned into peak time viewing.  Jamie Oliver already has a huge following and arson in the kitchen should keep viewers tuned in.