Food Revolution's Jamie Oliver Locked Out of Los Angeles Schools

Since when has Tinseltown turned down a reality T.V. opportunity?  Since famed chef  Jamie Oliver decided to bring his Emmy Award-winning Food Revolution to Los Angeles school cafeterias, that's when.

Season two of the show is set to begin filming and Oliver — foodie activist, author, and celebrity chef (some may remember him as The Naked Chef from way back when) — is hitting an immediate snag. After moving both show and family to Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has refused to take part in the season's first show, which focuses on school lunches. In Oliver's own words, he can't get his foot into a single school.

Oliver's show, Food Revolution, aims to shift American eaters from processed and fast food (two cornerstones of the American diet) to fresh foods and cooking at home. Oliver saw success in his first season helping residents in West Virginia. In Huntington, W.V., he opened The Huntington Kitchen downtown, and on Wednesday, he opened the Los Angeles version, Jamie's Kitchen. The community kitchen plans to give cooking classes and will serve as headquarters for the filming of season two.

His efforts to teach Los Angeles how to cook is laudable, but the kitchen is located in Westwood, an affluent suburb and home to UCLA. It's not in an area where it can meet the needs of many underserved L.A. school district kids. All the same, the school district says that its decision on the matter is final: Food Revolution can't visit L.A. schools or work with L.A. students.

In a Grub Street article, Los Angeles students called the district selfish for not considering the opportunity to turn school lunches into something less greasy and frozen. They also recommended that the district should have spoken with students and parents prior to making its decision.

According to an Eater L.A. article, Jamie remains undeterred by the decision and still plans to work with Angelinos in their homes, with local grocery stores, and with fast food joints. Additionally, the kitchen in Westwood will function as a place to offer information and teach residents how to cook at home in an affordable and healthy way.

The West Virginia school district highlighted in season one of Food Revolution now makes most of its meals from scratch. So, LAUSD, what exactly are you afraid of? I'd like to see the district prove that it isn't earning a failing grade when it comes to lunch. If you would, too, sign our petition urging the Los Angeles school district to open its cafeteria doors to Jamie Oliver and let everyone check in on what school kids have to eat in the second largest city in the nation.

LAUSD's own Network for a Healthy California claims its mission is to increase healthy eating in school kids. Show us that you really mean that, L.A.

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Photo credit: really short via Flickr