Jamie Oliver restaurant to create 100 new jobs

ABOUT 100 new jobs are to be created in York when a restaurant owned by top TV chef Jamie Oliver opens later this year. The Jamie’s Italian branch will be next to Guildhall, over two floors in an unused part of the building that houses the Lendal Cellars pub. The pub will remain as part of the development. Construction work is currently taking place on the Grade II-listed building and the restaurant is scheduled to open in July. Jamie’s Italian Ltd has now begun the search for chefs and front-of-house staff ahead of its unveiling, and hopes to create 100 posts. Oliver, who made his name on his show The Naked Chef and as a campaigner for healthier school dinners, said he had been looking to open a branch in York for some time. He said: “York is such a beautiful city – I used to go there on holiday as a kid and I’ve wanted to find the right site there for a while. “We’re in a fantastic location and it’s really going to be a wonderful place to eat, one of the jewels of the Jamie’s Italian collection. “We’re now recruiting and starting to train the very best local waiting staff, chefs and front-of-house staff, so we hope people will come and join us.” A spokeswoman for the firm said the transformation of the building would ensure original features, including Tudor roof trusses and exposed brick walls, would be preserved, with the restaurant having an open kitchen allowing diners to watch the chefs at work. It will also boast an external dining area. The building dates back to the 17th century on the site of an earlier friary, and it became a wine cellar for the Lord Mayors of York. York restaurateur Michael Hjort, who is secretary of York Hospitality Association and who organises the annual York Food And Drink Festival, said: “York has a large number of chain operations, of which the Jamie’s Italian restaurant will be another one. “There is certainly no harm in competition and I think it will be a welcome addition to the offer York gives to its visitors.” The sections of the building where the restaurant is taking shape have previously been out of use for several years. The Jamie’s Italian chain currently has 26 restaurants across the UK, as well as branches in Sydney and Dubai. Its only other Yorkshire restaurant is in Leeds.