Has celebrity chef Jamie Oliver been banned from the kitchens of Los Angeles schools?
Jamie is attempting to shoot the second season of his Emmy Award-winning show, “Food Revolution,” in Los Angeles – home to 700 schools serving 700,000 students. However, officials at Los Angeles Unified School District have denied his permit request to bring his camera crew on campus.
“Obviously there is an appetite from the American people. They want to know what’s going on. They want the truth, so here we are, in the second season and the LAUSD sees me as a threat,” Jamie told Access Hollywood in a new interview.
“For me, I just feel like they’re trying to cover something up,” he added.
On Jamie’s show, he brings a crew into the school kitchens to examine what food is being served to America’s students, and suggests healthier alternatives, without trying to drive up the cost.
Although the chef did obtain a permit to shoot at an affiliated school, that school suspended filming this week.
“I’ve got thousands of parents that are not happy,” Jamie continued. “They feel that they’re not being listened to. They want changes in the kids’ menus.”
However, officials at LAUSD tell a slightly different story.
“We would love to have Jamie Oliver come in and help our menu committee. We would love to have him, but we just don’t want to play to a reality show,” a spokesperson for LAUSD said in a statement to Access Hollywood on Friday. “The school food situation is a big challenge. You need to show us how you are going to create 120 meals over the year, deliver them to the schools and also they have to be at 77cents a serving. Jaime is welcome to come in and do a good thing and join our menu committee but we are not playing to a reality show.
“We are not blocking the media… we have legitimate news media all the time. We are not interested in reality cameras. We don’t have something to hide. We have the legitimate news media here all the time,” the school system spokesperson added.
In the end, all Jaime says he wants is a chance to improve the menus within the school systems – not only in LA, but nationwide.
“At the end of the day, I’m not a spy. I’m not a communist. I’m not a threat. I’m just a dude trying to cook some fresh food for kids,” Jamie told Access.
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.