UK celebrity chef and entrepreneur Jamie Oliver will be adding another Jamie’s Italian to his Australian portfolio later this year.
Jamie’s Italian in Adelaide, following his restaurants in Perth, Sydney and Canberra, will create 100 new jobs in the flourishing food and wine industry and Jamie has already nabbed some home-grown talent to head up operations. Oliver has announced that chief in charge will be Chef Nick Filsell, formerly of the ultra-Australian experience dispenser, Red Ochre Grill.
Chef Filsell, currently undergoing training in the UK and Sydney commented on his placement as, “an amazing experience”.
In an interview with adelaidenow.com Filsell said; “The team at Jamie’s has emphasised the fun element of the process, which has been refreshing,” he said. “It has been intense, but when you are applying to lead the kitchen for an iconic global brand, that goes with the territory,” he told AdelaideNow.com.
Former bank worker but now graduate from Regency TAFE is Seda Caglar. Born in Turkey Caglar is another local Adelaide talent snatched up by Oliver and attributes her success to landing the commis chef post to her TAFE training.”
The talented team will be led by general manager Kylie Hole of Naracoorte’s. Hole expressed her excitement at the opportunity of training in London which will see her “learning how to cook all of Jamie’s dishes” at the chain’s Piccadilly location. “Being able to train in the UK at a Jamie’s Italian restaurant is a fantastic opportunity,” she told the Adelaide website.
Chef Filsell said he supported the recruitment of locals, “but I’m not allergic to looking further afield to fill specific roles if needed”.
“What’s more important to me is that every member of the team wants to be there to have fun, work hard, and enjoy what they do. Where they come from is not as important to me as what they can bring to the party.
“In many ways, having front of house and kitchen staff from around the country and around the world will directly reflect our diner base. Jamie’s Italian Adelaide will have a very local feel, but in my mind, staff who can speak to the restaurant’s international roots will add even more colour to the experience.”
The menu is set to be local too and ingredients and wine will as far as is possible be locally sourced. “The menu will always have an element of Italian produce, but we would like to use as much local produce as possible, particularly for the specials.”
