Recap: Jamie Oliver brings cooking competition to the streets

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What do high school students, Jamie Oliver, celebrity chefs and Green Giant have in common? On Saturday, all came together to launch a cooking competition on the 3rd Street Promenade to inspire the youth to get cooking.

With more than 32 students from eight high schools, the event had all the makings of an ‘Iron Chef’ episode, including a surprise secret ingredient (avocados), a short time limit of 30 minutes, and celebrity chefs judges Jonathan Waxman (‘Top Chef’) and Michael Symon (‘Iron Chef’) assessing the dishes.

Jamie’s squad West Adams High School ended up winning first place, awarded $1,000 scholarships and a trip to visit the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.

Oliver admitted that ‘nothing in L.A. has gone according to plan,’ but he has adapted to his reality show being barred from L.A. public schools with a strategy of creative spontaneity. ‘The campaign is like a big bowl of spaghetti, with many strands to it. Right now I’m just going with it, and so far, so good.’

-- Max Diamond