Jamie Oliver to Work with LAUSD

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has agreed to propose three weeks of menus meeting government regulations and school lunch cost constraints for the Los Angeles USD at the request of LAUSD Foodservice Director Dennis Barrett. The district had previously turned Oliver down on participating in his Food Revolution reality TV show.

Barrett's proposal asks Oliver to formulate dishes that meet all federal school lunch program requirements as well as local requirements, plus cost no more than 77 cents per serving. There is no commitment from LAUSD to put his creations on the menu in the district.

Last year, Oliver had filmed a popular series of Food Revolution episodes that focused on attempts to improve the nutrition and food quality of the food served in the school cafeteria in Huntington, WV.

Food Revolution had planned to film in Los Angeles for its second season and had approached the school district about doing some episodes focusing on the school meals program. The district replied with a “thanks but no thanks” note, citing time constraints forced on the district dining program from “budgetary challenges.”