Fri, Mar 26, 2010
Jamie Oliver takes one step forward and two steps back as his efforts to transform the school lunch program of Huntington, West Virginia's Central City Elementary School are met with harsh criticism and resistance from the school cook, Alice Gue, plus city administrators, DJ Rod and even the school's first graders. But despite the opposition, he does successfully raise the ire of school parents with a shocking, no-nonsense display of the fat that's being fed to their children, and he's encouraged by the initiative of a few caring teachers. The Edwards family get a wake-up call when youngest son, Justin, gets a frank warning from a doctor about the long term health effects of his poor eating habits, but then Justin is encouraged by a one-on-one cooking lesson in Jamie's kitchen. After a week of ups and downs at Central City Elementary, the fate of Jamie's mission to stay on at the school lies in the hands of a few district administrators.
Sun, Mar 21, 2010
Oliver heads to Huntington, West Virginia - which has been called the unhealthiest city in America -- to start his new cooking initiative. He hopes to start a chain reaction of positive change across the country. Jamie says that nearly half of the adults in Huntington are considered obese, and incidents of heart disease and diabetes lead the nation. This nation's children are the first generation expected to live a shorter life than their parents do. Jamie initially meets naysayers and resistance. Battling ingrained unhealthy habits, bureaucracy, limited financial resources, and apathy, his early efforts are threatened when a news article overseas misquotes him badmouthing the local populace and their diet. Bloodied but unbowed, Jamie is more determined than ever to transform one community as a template for the entire country. The stakes? Simply the health of our country's citizens and the legacy for its children.
Fri, Apr 16, 2010
Jamie places the burden of change squarely on the shoulders of Huntington High School students by asking them to choose between a lunch menu of processed junk food or fresh fare. He is shocked by their response. His faith is shaken when he is forced to rely on the testimony of his biggest adversary, Central Elementary's head cook, Alice Gue, to help convince Cabell County Hospital administrators to fund training for school cooks and provide sustainable resources to roll out the food revolution in Huntington.
Tue, Apr 12, 2011
Jamie is raising the stakes for his Food Revolution by bringing it to one of America's biggest cities, Los Angeles, but almost immediately has to rethink his approach when the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the nation's second largest school district, slams the door in his face. Jamie's first order of business... to win the support of the parents and teachers in hopes of appealing the LAUSD decision to lock him out of the school lunch program. He opens a kitchen in Westwood, where he hopes to provide educational tools to combat the obesity epidemic, and attends a school lunch convention, where he discovers a seminar advocating flavored milk in schools. Jamie stages a dramatic demonstration, but it falls short with the community, then attempts to create a healthy fast food menu in a local drive thru restaurant.