One of our favorite phrases here at TCM is proved inspiringly true by this month’s Guest Editor, Jamie Oliver: ‘Everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn’. Jamie is proof that no matter what your passions and talents may be, you can use them to make a difference! Jamie – The Naked Chef, as he was called in his very first hit TV show – has been revolutionizing the way people look at their plates 3 times a day, thanks to his fresh and energetic take on the joys of cooking real, healthy and whole foods. Jamie is responsible for a string of whole food-based cooking shows and cookbooks that began in the UK, but were much celebrated by foodies here in the States too. But it wasn’t until the more recent ABC hit “Jamie’s Food Revolution” that we all really began to pay attention to what Jamie is all about. In his practical, hard-not-to-love style Jamie is taking on the issue of nutrition in children’s school lunches head on – and this month is helping folks everywhere to celebrate what he calls Food Revolution Day. Here’s Jamie…
Dear Chalkboard readers,
May is a significant month for all of us who believe in the importance of changing our food system for the better, as it’s the month we celebrate Food Revolution Day – I’ll tell you all about that in a moment. The lovely guys here at Chalkboard have let me come on board as guest editor for the month, so I’ll be popping up on the site each week in May with a few insights, recipes and ideas from me and the team to help you all cook and live better.
When I left school for catering college at the age of 16, I never dreamed that my life would head down such an exciting and rewarding path. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to work in some of the world’s best restaurants, written some best-selling cookbooks (the response to which I’m always massively humbled by), and made accompanying TV shows that show you how to cook decent food from scratch. As a chef, I believe in using the power of food and cooking to educate people. Ultimately, I don’t believe there’s a single other skill you can learn that will actively help you to live a happier, longer life, and reward you in as many ways.
There’s no doubt that our culture is in the midst of a food crisis. Diet-related disease is the biggest killer in the US, and childhood obesity is at levels higher than we’ve ever seen before. The cost of this – financially, emotionally, and to key systems like health care, is massive. There’s a huge lack of education about food, where it comes from and how it affects our bodies, and too many people simply don’t know how to cook from scratch. My goal is to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people all over the world to fight obesity.
This month, on May 17, it’s Food Revolution Day. This is our second annual global day of action for people everywhere to come together and make a stand within their homes, schools, workplaces and communities, and shout about the need for better food education. It’s an opportunity to share food knowledge and improve cooking skills, and to get all that focus on one day of action. I want everyone to care about food culture in their neighbourhood, and come together as one voice to make a difference. It’s not about me telling you what to do, it’s about recognizing what’s lacking within your community – does school food need to be improved? Is there limited access to fresh produce? Is the issue of hunger being overlooked? Use this day to create a presence and focus in your area, and highlight any issues – use local press, online resources, whatever it takes. Last year we had over 1000 events in 664 cities around the world, and I want this year to be bigger, louder and better. Have a look around you and see what you can do to help.
Happy Food Revolution Day!
Big love,
Jamie Oliver
To get involved, join in on Jamie’s cause through social media here and visit the Food Revolution Day activity page to get inspirations on how to celebrate FRD this month!
