“Jamie Oliver ‘s Food Revolution” returns to ABC tonight for its second season and a second attempt at changing how Americans – and especially children – eat.
The British chef relocated to Los Angeles for his second season – this time bringing his beautiful family – wife Jools, and their four children, including baby Buddy Bear (who was born in September 2010).
Like last season, which was set in Huntington, West Virginia, Jamie was met with a host of resistance. This time, though, the refusal was very public, making national news as the Los Angeles School District (LAUSD) threw up a host of roadblocks for Jamie’s “Food Revolution,” including refusing to allow him to film at their schools.
Still, the Brit persisted, and he told Access Hollywood about what television watchers will get to see this season, which premieres tonight at 8 PM on ABC. But first, an update on his last city…
Access Hollywood: Can you give us an update on Huntington, West Virginia – have they stuck to the plan?
Jamie Oliver: Huntington is doing better than ever and has really made the “Food Revolution” their own. The downtown square near the Huntington Kitchen now has two restaurants serving local food and a store that sells kitchen products. Our old friend, Doug Shiels from the Cabell Huntington Hospital, has expanded the program of community awareness for healthy eating and behaviors… The schools continue to serve fresh food, and two moms in the neighboring county have been fundraising so they could convert their school district to serving fresh food. Pastor Steve continues his work and his kitchen serves a low-cost community meal each week. They are an amazing bunch.
Access: You got really emotional last season – breaking down in tears at various points – are there more tears this time around?
Jamie: I wish I could say there weren’t.
Access: How deeply does doing this series affect you?
Jamie: Change is hard for everyone and this is a funny old job really. I’m used to accomplishing things. In my country, I get a lot of things done in a day. Working in LA, many days felt like I was stuck in the mud and not accomplishing anything. It’s completely exhausting.
Access: What was it like filming this time with Jools and your children around?
Jamie: I loved having them there and they really enjoyed Los Angeles. Our older girls were in a fantastic school and when the girls are happy, Jools is happy.
Access: You have a new baby too — that probably cut into your sleep time. Did that make it harder or easier?
Jamie: Even though my days were completely crazy and we were never more than about six hours ahead in planning, knowing that I could go home and kiss my wife and kids and have a normal family dinner made it so much easier. Even though I worked a lot of hours, I still had quality family time at nights and on Sundays. We visited Farmer’s Markets and even went to Disneyland.
Access: What is the latest with LA Unified – and the roadblocks you are facing?
Jamie: We are still in production and LAUSD has just gotten a new superintendent. We’re hoping to meet and have a productive conversation. We’ve had an on-going dialogue throughout the filming off camera.
Access: In California, we’ve got a big budget crisis — how much harder does that make it to get things changed? Good food is expensive!
Jamie: Good food is absolutely not expensive. Some of the best food I have ever eaten has been from the poor neighborhoods in Italy. The difference is that they have food knowledge and know how to cook, budget and make a tasty meal. I want your country and my country to have this same access to information. That’s the heart of the “Food Revolution.”
Access: How important is it that people follow your example and affect change in the schools their children go to?
Jamie: I think the crisis in school food and lack of food knowledge is one of the defining issues of both of our countries. If change doesn’t happen soon, our kids will be the first generation to live shorter lives than their parents. Change is hard, but I am hoping the second season will make parents angry. And angry parents make change.
Access: There seemed to be a lot of blame from the parents in Episode 1 on the schools, but there are plenty of parents who give their children prepackaged foods for lunch. How do we train the parents?
Jamie: The key is education. If we get the kids involved and excited, they take the lessons home and teach their parents the lessons that have been lost in cooking skills and food knowledge. Once kids start demanding something different for their lunches, their parents will make it happen. I don’t blame them at all–they haven’t been taught what kind of foods to put in their bodies.
Access: What’s your recommendation for what constitutes a good school lunch?
Jamie: Fresh food cooked from scratch by a cook who cares. You can check out some great examples and even download recipes at www.jamiesfoodrevolution.com.
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.