What You Really Want to Know About the Naked Chef

By Erin Cullum
Getty | George Pimentel
Getty | George Pimentel

You know Jamie Oliver as a world-renowned chef who's just as likable for his good looks as he is for his good citizenship. He's dedicated to educating people about the importance of food and health, which is why he launched the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. He's also a husband, father, and . . . fan of The Hunger Games? Keep reading to learn more about the ultrasuccessful British chef.

  1. He and his wife Juliette ("Jools") have been married for 16 years.
  2. They have four kids together, and they're expecting a fifth child this August. The couple is a fan of nontraditional names: Poppy Honey Rosie, Daisy Boo Pamela, Petal Blossom Rainbow, and Buddy Bear Maurice are the names of their three daughters and son.
  3. His parents have their own restaurant in Jamie's birthplace of Essex, England, called The Cricketers.
  4. That's where Jamie first started cooking — at the age of 8.
  5. He owns five restaurants that are all in the UK: Barbecoa, Jamie's Italian, Fifteen, Union Jacks, and Jamie Oliver's Diner.
  6. He has 20 cookbooks, the most recent being Everyday Super Food.
  7. Even though he has written so many cookbooks, he didn't finish reading a book until he was 38. "I'm dyslexic and until recently I'd never got through a book," he told The Telegraph UK. "But I read Catching Fire. I loved disappearing into a story."
  8. He is Britain's second bestselling author, just behind J.K. Rowling.
  9. In 2000, People named him the sexiest chef alive (no surprise there).
  10. In 2005, he started an initiative called Feed Me Better, a campaign that aimed to better school lunches.
  11. He's worth more than Gordon Ramsay, Wolfgang Puck, and Mario Batali combined.
  12. His first show, Naked Chef, was named for his stripped-down, simple method of cooking, but he admitted he has indeed cooked naked, and one time it backfired. "It was on Valentine's Day. I was naked in the kitchen and burnt my penis. I really ruined my evening — and my night," he told Glamour UK.
  13. His favorite cooking technique is roasting. "I like to cook the meat, vegetables, and potatoes in one pan. You just put it in the oven — it cooks, and you know it's just getting better and better," he told Food & Wine.
  14. He likes to listen to Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The White Stripes while he cooks.
  15. His favorite comfort food is a bacon sandwich.