Jamie Oliver’s chef Kevin Stralow stole thousands of dollars from his Melbourne restauraunt — then set the place on fire, causing nearly a million dollars in damage. Police now have him in custody.

A lot of celebrity chefs come out with cookbooks…but how many of the recipes can actually be done by real people (i.e., those among us who don’t have a big kitchen, 150 different kinds of spices, and a set of expensive kitchen knives?)

Jamie Oliver says that anyone can cook the recipes in “Jamie’s Dinners” and even proves it by
posting stories of readers on his website. Check it out. It may just be the perfect Father’s Day gift…and a subtle hint to the man in the house to take over kitchen duty once in a while.

Jamie Oliver guested on Oprah’s reality show, The Big Give. He will be part of the panel of judges that gives away money to contestants who must then use those funds to help others.
Oprah’s staff loves him, saying he is “funny and adorable”. This is the second time for him to appear on an Oprah show. He guested in 2003, where he made a very memorable entrance. He was supposed to come in a motorcycle, but the polished wooden floor made him skid. “I flew into the air, landed on my chest and then slid along the floor with my arms out in some kind of Superman pose, using my chin as a brake…I felt a complete idiot, but the audience loved it (and) thought I did it on purpose and gave me a huge cheer.”

Read about Jamie’s Big Give appearance in his blog.

Which chefs are most respected by members of their industry? The site Chef2Chef invites culinary students and professionals to vote for their favorite chefs. The top 5 are:

1. Jamie Oliver
2. Christian J. Fischer
3. Bobby Flay
4. John E. Clark
5. Bobo Bergstrom

Strange list. Where is Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay? Do you agree with the list?

Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s TV documentary on the differences between standard and free-range chickens have caused a crisis in the chicken industry, reports the Times.

Supermarket sales of “regular” birds have dipped. Some big supermarkets like Sainsbury’s are even thinking of phasing them out completely and selling only those raised by the standard RSPCA’s Freedom Food rules by 2010. Morrisons will also be increasing it’s “Freedom Food” range, following the steps of chains like Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.

Poultry farmers have called a meeting at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) headquarters and will be launching an ad campaign. Many of them can’t afford to follow the conditions set by the Freedom Food rules — and definitely not without increasing their prices.

Jamie Oliver had to apologize to British supermarket chain Sainsbury (and all its 150,000 staff) for supposedly ignoring his invite to appear on his documentary, Jamie’s Fowl Dinners.

The show released findings that 95% of chickens and about two thirds of eggs are bred in conditions that affect their welfare and the quality of the produce.

Olivers had invited 3 supermarkets to take part of the documentary, and was “really upset” when they didn’t show up for the filming. “Why didn’t they come? What is there to hide? It is shocking that the people I work for did not turn up on the day. I do not know why. How dare they not?”

Not a nice way to treat a company he endorses (to the fine tune of 1.2 million pounds or$2.35 million).

That got the president of the chain to call Oliver, who later wrote an open letter to the employees, praising them for their stance. “Indeed I would not have continued working with Sainsbury’s for so many years if I did not believe that you were showing real leadership,” his letter said.

Uhm, what happened?

Nobody’s talking, but the president has said that the letter was Oliver’s idea. “When he says things about Sainsbury’s people believe it is what he really thinks.” At the same time, the chain released several ads that reiterated its pro-animal welfare stance.

Jamie Oliver and Mario Batali go into culinary kung fu in the January 6 episode of Iron Chef America Find out what time it’s showing in your region .

If your New Year’s resolutions include “learn how to cook” then invest in Jamie Oliver’s book,
“Cook with Jamie: My guide to Making You a Better Cook.”

One of the few chefs who have a real desire to mentor other people (his Fifteen program teaches underpriveleged children important restaurant skills) Jamie has a friendly, conversational approach that steers clear from the snobby, condescending tone sometimes adapted by other greats like Gordon Ramsey.

For starters — literally — Jamie’s first chapter discusses the different dressings and ingredients you can use for salads, with little-known tidbits on mayonnaise and delicious recipes, like the perfect Fifteen Salad.

Askmen.com has made its list of the 6 most influential celebrity chefs. They’ve shaped public opinion, and even changed the culinary community.

1. Jamie Oliver
2. Anthony Bourdain
3. Mario Batali
4. Bobby Flay
5. Gordon Ramsay
6. Paul Bocuse

Read the reason for their selection — and post here why you agree or disagree with their list. Who would you have included?

Jamie Oliver shares his best holiday tips in his personal blog. An excerpt:

1. For 2 or 3 days over the festive period, lose the clutter from the kitchen – that means moving the kettle, condiments, old serving urn your Gran gave you, out of the kitchen to give you space.

2. Order your turkey at least 3 weeks before Christmas day – to ensure you get the best available.

3. Next time you do a bucks fizz, try using clementine juice with champagne or Prosecco (Italian bubbly). Delicious!

4. Indigestion tablets – don’t forget them!

5. To give you some more space in the fridge, take out all the water, alcohol, juices and prepared veg and put them outside….well it is cold outside!

6. Count up all your crockery and cutlery before you start, just in case you are a few short.

7. A week before Christmas, get all the heavy stuff bought and packed away – things like water, beers, fruit, veg, more beers – this means you are not lugging heavy things around at the last minute.

We have a tip for you too, Jamie: most of all: don’t make fun of the names of your friends’ kids!