Jamie Oliver Wins TED Prize for 2010

Years ago, when my daughter was still a teenager, she received her first adult cookbook. It was The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver and it was perfect for her, written in a style that was breezy, a little cheeky and fast moving, pretty much like Mr. Oliver himself. I remember thinking at the time that he was a bit of a light-weight, but when I look at the book now, I see how straight forward and uncomplicated it is, and why he took the cooking world by storm when he first came on the scene. At a time when cookbooks were filled with complicated recipes with hard to find ingredients that you had to be an expert to make, he showed up with simple recipes using good, local ingredients.

And of course, over the years Mr. Oliver has become something of a proselytizer for the cause of eating well and learning to cook simple, honest food. I saw a couple of his television shows from his series about English school dinners was impressed by his deep commitment to improving the diet and health of school children. The hurdles must have seemed insurmountable. Not only did he have to convince the kids to give up their fried foods, but he had to convince the dinner ladies who prepared the food, and the parents who went to the local chip shop so that they could pass burgers and chips through the fence so that their darlings didn't have to eat Oliver's "muck".

Mr. Oliver has also done amazing work with Fifteen, a number of restaurants employing young homeless people, people with drug or alcohol problems, young people on a edge of society. They are trained in all areas of restaurant work, providing them with real skills to go out into the world.

On the heels of this work, it was announced yesterday that Mr. Oliver is the TED Prize winner for 2010. In the past TED has had 3 prize winners per year, and 2010 marks the first time they have awarded the prize to a single winner. The prize is $100,000 and "a wish to change the world". Mr. Oliver unveils his wish on February 10 during the TED conference. I for once, can't wait to see what he wishes for.