First ‘Jamie’s Italian’ to open in Nicosia in 2016

Jamie Oliver and the island’s premier food franchise company, PHC Group, will be opening the first Jamie’s Italian restaurant in Nicosia in spring.

The signature restaurant, developed by the celebrity chef and entrepreneur who has had his share of controversies, is expected to open adjacent to the Caffe Nero in Engomi, inspired by a passion for the Italian way of life and the menu is all about creating rustic dishes using tried and tested recipes and fresh ingredients. Friend and mentor Gennaro Contaldo has added authenticity to the essence of Jamie’s Italian – tradition combined with current, innovative ideas and a Jamie ‘twist’. The restaurants offer a casual dining experience that’s designed to be affordable and accessible.

Already popular with 35 restaurant in the UK and in Sydney, Moscow, Singapore, Sao Paulo and Dubai, plans for the continued international expansion of Jamie’s Italian are in full swing.

“I’m super-excited to be bringing Jamie’s Italian to Cyprus and I just know that Nicosia is going to be a brilliant addition to the Jamie’s Italian family. We’ll be sourcing lots of beautiful, top-quality local produce, and cooking up some incredibly tasty food, and all at a reasonable price,” said Oliver.

“We’re currently on the lookout for amazing local people with a real passion for food to come and join our team as chefs and front of house staff. I can’t wait for it to open!”

Jamie’s Italian Cyprus will be operated by Avantage B&R Italian Restaurants Ltd, part of the Lysandros Ioannou / PHC Franchised Restaurants Group.

Jamie Oliver, now 40, is best known as a restaurateur and media personality with his food-focused television shows (“The Naked Chef”), cookbooks and more recently his global campaign for better food education. The “Jamie’s Kitchen” project evolved from a vocational enterprise to provide training in the food and leisure industry for underprivileged young people, to an empire, Jamie Oliver Holdings Ltd., that is now worth GBP 240 mln.

Jamie remains true to his roots, having started as a pastry chef at Antonio Carluccio’s Neal Street restaurant, where he developed a relationship with his mentor Gennaro Contaldo.

Some schools in Cyprus have also followed Jamie’s campaign to promote eating healthy foods and cutting out junk food in schools, that gained popularity in most of Britain and helped launch a public awareness campaign to improve school dinners.