Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver visits Parramatta restaurant after nationwide buyback
CELEBRITY chef Jamie Oliver dropped into his newly reclaimed Parramatta restaurant, Jamie’s Italian, and lucky staff were treated to a special meeting with the Naked Chef.
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BRITISH celebrity chef Jamie Oliver paid a special visit to his Jamie’s Italian Parramatta restaurant this morning, giving staff some one-on-one time.
The visit comes after Oliver announced the buyback of all six of his Jamie’s Italian restaurants in Australia, after Keystone Hospitality Group went into receivership late 2016.
“We’ve always been a big family with our restaurants,” Oliver said.
“Before we were a family through a cousin, but now we’re really family.”
Staff members Megha Patel and Amy Mitchell said they were “beyond excited” for the visit.
“Hello ... it’s Jamie Oliver, of course I’m excited,” Ms Mitchell said.
“I’ve been getting calls from my mum she wants me to tell him he’s lovely jubbly.”
Ms Patel was also excited to hear the changes that will be made with new ownership.
“I feel like he has really made an effort to include good nutritious stuff on the menu,” Ms Patel said.
“We had some of that before, but I think he’s heard that we want more variety and he’s included so much more healthy things.”
The new ownership will see the Parramatta restaurant change the name to Jamie’s Italian from Jamie’s Italian Trattoria but will retain all previous staff.
“It’s been quite an emotional thing for me,” Oliver said.
“I’ve just bought back all my businesses and we’ve kept the staff ... they’ve been amazing.
“We won’t be dumbing it down here, if anything we’re upping it up, it’s going to be bigger, and I think, that’s going to be possible here because Australia seems to be the place that gets me more than anywhere else.”
Jamie’s Italian Parramatta is one of six Australian restaurants, along with Sydney city, Perth, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane, and among 80 restaurants globally with the chef’s name attached, which he says is still something that surprises him.
“I have to step back all the time,” Oliver said.
“I never thought, when I was just the Naked Chef, that I’d ever get to Australia, that was years ago, but wasn’t something I thought would happen.
“I’ve always been most proud of my Australian restaurants. In the UK we run our own restaurants and here we are doing the same.”
New menu highlights:
Spicy Sausage Fusilli
Truffle Tagliatelle
Rib eye steak
Super food salad
Julietta pizza
Salumi bruschetta
For more new menu items visit: jamieoliver.com
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