Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

Healthy eating on the menu

ASIDE from his boyish good looks, Jamie Oliver is known for changing the diets of people around the world for the better - and his mobile van could soon be coming to a kitchen near you.

Warwick is set to transform into a hub for healthy eating, pending a decision reached at this week's Community Services Committee Meeting.

Tomorrow, councillors will discuss the opportunity to participate in Jamie's Ministry of Food within the next two years.

The program, designed by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver along with the Good Food Foundation, teaches people simple, healthy and affordable meals through a travelling group of chefs and mobile kitchen.

It aims to give as many people as possible the tools and information needed to make better food choices, to ensure healthier and happier communities and has been backed by the Queensland Government to ensure "geographic location does not impede access to the program".

Mr Oliver has said his Ministry of Food was "without doubt" the most important project he had worked on.

"I wanted to see if I could get people cooking again, to give them the tools to help themselves by learning some basic food skills, feel confident in the kitchen and enjoy eating their own meals," he said.

"We need to get people back in the kitchen and give them a basic food knowledge which has been lost over the last two generations.

"I believe you can teach someone to cook in 24 hours."

If given the tick of approval, Jamie's Ministry of Food Truck would visit Warwick for 11 weeks and deliver two cycles of five-week hands-on cooking courses.

It is not yet clear whether Mr Oliver himself will visit the Rose City.

Up to 240 people could participate in the program, which would cost $50 per participant per course or $25 for concessions.

To participate in the program council would need to provide $12,000 to cover course participation costs, as well as access to utilities.

The Ministry of Food would be held in a mobile kitchen, which has a fully-equipped kitchen classroom to deliver the cooking classes.

If able to visit, the program would sit in line with council's vision to reduce obesity, smoking and alcohol abuse in the region by between 5.2-30% by 2040.

In the recommendation, councillors were told this would be "an opportunity to provide a sound program that has high visibility and potential attraction to local people".

"Particularly because of the connection with such a high profile media chef as Jamie Oliver," the statement read.

"This is likely to attract interest from those who might not otherwise attend programs no matter how worthy."

Councillors were recommended to submit an expression of interest to bring the program to the Southern Downs in 2012 or 2013.

Their discussions will begin today.

Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food was successfully opened in Ipswich this April, where thousands of locals signed up to learn how to cook healthier meals.

The permanent centre has the capacity to teach 10-12 people a session with four and six classes a day, six days a week, 48 weeks a year for 2073 Ipswich residents.



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