Want to learn more about Jamie Oliver’s famous Fifteen restaurant?
We sat down with Jonathan Woodhouse, Reservations & Events Manager at Fifteen to learn all about the wonderful restaurant. We discussed what it’s like to work for Jamie Oliver’s flagship restaurant, Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, and how they help disadvantaged young people to become chefs.
1. Where is Fifteen?
Jamie Oliver Fifteen is located in Old Street in Islington, London. We’re located right in between the bustling city and the lively, trend-setting neighbourhood of Shoreditch.
2. What’s the story behind Fifteen?
Fifteen opened in 2002, shortly after Jamie established himself with his hit Channel 4 programme The Naked Chef.
The main idea was to offer young, unemployed people the chance to learn to work in the restaurant industry. We do this through our fantastic apprentice programme and of course, great food.
Fifteen’s purpose is to train and rehabilitate the vulnerable young people in our society. Through our love and passion for great food, we’re able to give the apprentices a second chance at life, giving them the skills they need to build a successful career.
3. What is different about Jamie Oliver Fifteen?
The very foundations of Fifteen – to help unemployed and disadvantaged young people to become chefs – is still as revolutionary an idea as it was 15 years ago.
A restaurant not built for profit, but founded to help others really sets Fifteen apart. The fact that we are also a seasonal restaurant means that our menu is constantly evolving. There really is something to suit every taste and I’m constantly excited to see what our chefs come up with next.
When you combine this fantastic, locally sourced food with the Fifteen story you really are creating a unique dining experience where every dish is made with love!
4. What inspired Fifteen’s mission?
Jamie wanted to make sure that young people living on the edge of society would not be forgotten. He was only 26 at the time he opened Fifteen and had already had a lot of success – yet this was a big passion of his and there was a lot of sacrifices to make it happen.
We know that the skills that you learn and the friendships that you make in this industry stay with you for life. The fact that we’re able to use food help people in this way is very exciting. We’re seeing the birth of the next generation of chefs right before our very eyes.
5. What’s the most unique thing about Fifteen?
We ran the Fifteen Apprentice Programme from 2002 – 2016 and have seen many lives completely transformed as a result. It’s the spirit of what we do and will always be at the heart and soul of Fifteen.
6. What brilliant things have happened within Jamie Oliver Fifteen?
Most recently we collaborated with legendary game developers Square Enix on their press event celebrating the launch of Final Fantasty XV.
Food is a very big part of the game and we learned that their lead art director was directly inspired by Jamie – so we worked on creating a bespoke menu featuring dishes that you can see in-game.
We also had previews of the game and never-before-seen concept artwork on display throughout the restaurant, transforming the space into a video game art gallery. We even had the orchestral score from the game playing throughout and – in breaking with Fifteen’s cuisine – Japanese desserts!
Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen is a great venue and a great restaurant to hire for your next corporate event, whether you want to hire out the whole restaurant or you need just the private dining room this Space offers a beautiful backdrop to your event. Take a look at their listing here and hire Fifteen for your corporate events.
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