Where are the other Jamie’s Kitchen alumni? As one graduate tells wild tales of cooking for Beyoncé on tour, FEMAIL reveals where the other unemployed trainees working at Fifteen ended up

• The Channel 4 show which aired in 2002 launched several people’s careers
• READ MORE: Jamie Oliver’s wife Jools celebrates the graduation of their eldest child Poppy, 21, from university 

When Jamie’s Kitchen brought 15 unemployed young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into a professional kitchen to show them the ropes, it marked the beginning of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s many philanthropic missions.

The contestants, who geared up for a career in hospitality, were intended to work in Oliver’s new launch, the Fifteen restaurant in London – the construction of which was also being documented by the series.

Viewers were gripped by the hit show when it aired on Channel 4 as the contestants were thrust into a highly pressurised environment – including scenes that would now horrify viewers in which top chefs called trainees ‘c****’.

But one former contestant this week credited the show for his meteoric rise in the world of professional cookery – which led him to become a star baker in Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, cooking sweet treats for her 400-strong crew.

Speaking to The Times Grant Bird, 37, from Peckham, described Jamie Oliver as a ‘god’ for the initiative which kickstarted his career.

More than 20 years on from the first airing of Jamie’s Kitchen on Channel 4 which saw unemployed youths taking to the Fifteen kitchen, where are the contestants now? FEMAIL takes a look back

He also revealed the multi-millionaire chef clashed with producers of the reality TV show over its format, which was initially intended to follow an X Factor-style voting-off of contestants. 

According to Bird, Oliver refused to follow the format because he didn’t want to lose any of the young aspiring chefs – many of whom had come from low-income backgrounds.

Despite the fact Fifteen closed its doors in 2019, the show which launched the restaurant allowed its trainees to begin their careers in the hospitality industry.  

Here, FEMAIL revisits some of the other graduates of Jamie’s Kitchen, and where the TV show took them…

Kerryann Dunlop

Kerryann Dunlop, who was told during her appearance on Jamie’s Kitchen that she was preoccupied with fame over success

After a stint in Sainsbury’s, Kerryann returned to cooking and now has a YouTube channel

Kerryann Dunlop has previously criticised Jamie’s Kitchen producers for their portrayal of her in the documentary series.

During the show, she was criticised by established chefs for being more interested in the camera than making a name for herself in the culinary world.  

Speaking to the Guardian in 2003, she said: ‘[The producers] edited it really well to show all the bad points, but they didn’t show any of the good things we were doing.’

At the time, she was still working in Fifteen and said the job was touch but she loved it, adding that it was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. 

Kerryann described Oliver as ‘a big brother and a dad all rolled into one’, working with him again in 2004 on his Jamie’s School Dinners series.

However in 2007, MailOnline reported that Kerryann had abandoned her place among the culinary elite to take on a role in Sainsbury’s.

Speaking at the time, she said: ‘All I ever wanted to be was a cook and Jamie gave me an opportunity which changed my life.

‘It was a very tough decision to turn my back on it but I really had no choice. The shift work and the hours demanded by a cooking career meant I was not there for the children and they always have to come first.’

According to Kerryann’s Instagram bio, she still ‘cooks for a living’, and she has a YouTube channel where she has shared video recipes in the past.

Elisa Roche 

Elisa Roche (right) was 23 when she joined Jamie’s Kitchen and has described her state of mind at the time as ‘vulnerable and depressed’

Nowadays, Elisa Roche is a food writer and has tackled subjects including bullying and sexual harassment in the hospitality industry

Speaking about her time on Jamie’s Kitchen and learning from the celebrity chef, Elisa Roche said she ‘won’t hear a bad word’ about Oliver.

She claimed that, while on the show, the trainees were all in regular contact with the multi-millionaire – and he even chipped in to help them pay rent.

At the time Elisa was recruited onto the team, she was 23 years old and living in a hostel, and described herself as ‘vulnerable and depressed’.

As a food journalist and copywriter, Elisa has tackled subjects including bullying in professional kitchens, as well as sexual harassment.

Her Twitter bio name-checks Jamie Oliver for training her and she has previously described the Jamie’s Kitchen trainees as ‘little siblings’ to him.

Kevin Boyle

Kevin Boyle (pictured with Jamie Oliver) went on to work at Vinoteca in Clerkenwell after several years in Jamie Oliver’s restaurants

Kevin Boyle went missing in 2012 with his family and Oliver issuing appeals to find him. Tragically, Kevin’s body was found three months later

After graduating from Jamie’s Kitchen as a last-minute recruit, Kevin Boyle went on to work at various top restaurants including Fifteen and Vinocteca in Clerkenwell, London.

During his successful career, he cooked for Oprah Winfrey, Tony Blair and King Charles. 

However in 2012, Kevin’s family and Jamie Oliver himself raised the alarm when the young chef went missing.

Three months after he vanished, and just as Oliver was due to make a public appeal for information into his disappearance on ITV’s This Morning, Kevin’s body was found.

After the discovery, Oliver said: ‘I’m deeply saddened by this tragic news. I am proud to have been able to call Kevin a friend for 10 years and he was also a constant supporter of Fifteen and all the apprentices and graduates who came after him through the course. 

‘I last saw him in September 2011 at the graduation ceremony for the ninth group of apprentices and he was on good form which makes this news even harder to take.

‘My thoughts are with his family at this incredibly difficult time.’

Tim Siadatan

After graduating from the Fifteen kitchen, Tim Siadatan went on to open hugely successful restaurants Padella and Trullo

Tim Siadatan had just finished school when he joined the Fifteen crew on Jamie’s Kitchen. 

He is now one of the most successful graduates from the TV show, as the founder of hugely popular London pasta restaurants Trullo and Padella.

While Padella is known for its low-cost, delicious pasta dishes that often have people queueing out the door, Trullo is a chic bistro in the heart of The City.

Speaking about his time on Jamie’s Kitchen and a member of the team at Fifteen, Tim said the training he received was unrivalled and differed from the ‘dated’, French-dominated style of cookery taught at culinary schools at the time.

He added: ‘I wouldn’t have had the success I did without having Fifteen as a badge of mine.’ 

Ben Arthur

Ben Arthur (centre) was a school dropout with no qualifications to his name when he entered the Fifteen kitchen

Ben now owns Rockjam Spice, a company making jerk spiced chilli jam which began after he made the products for his own wedding

When Ben Arthur joined the Fifteen restaurant team on Jamie’s Kitchen, he was a school dropout with no GCSEs to his name.

However after months of hard work, he eventually graduated from the training course with a merit and a distinction.

The show, and his experience in the Fifteen kitchen launched a career which saw him cook inside No. 10 Downing Street and meet Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

Ben now runs Rockjam Spice, a company which produces chilli jerk jam. 

He started the company after making the jams as part of the catering at his own wedding – and the success of the condiments among the guests gave him inspiration to start the business. 

Anna Jones

When Anna Jones joined the Fifteen kitchen, she was one of the older trainees and had a degree, making her unlike her peers

Anna Jones has moved on to become a food writer specialising in no-waste, environmentally friendly cooking

Anna Jones is a cookbook writer who specialises in no-waste, vegetarian recipes.

The East London-based cook was one of the oldest trainees in Jamie’s Kitchen, and was one month away from her 25th birthday (the cut-off age) when she applied.

Unlike her fellow trainees, Anna had completed a degree and was working in PR at the time she applied for the programme.

After going on to work in the Fifteen kitchen, Anna moved on to work in the media side of the business, where she remained for seven years and wrote about food.

She has since released a cookbook, One: Pot, Pan, Planet, which teaches people how to make the most of ingredients while considering climate conservation.

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