In 1999, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver made his television debut with The Naked Chef, which continued to air for several seasons before Oliver left the BBC show for bigger and better things. But during its short stay on television, the British cooking show starring Oliver managed to hook a lot of viewers including the Seven star Brad Pitt.
As a result, in order to surprise him on his 40th birthday, Pitt’s then-wife, Jennifer Aniston, approached the celebrity cook, and he was eventually on board with her plan.
Jennifer Aniston Was Persistent in Getting Jamie Oliver To Cook for Brad Pitt
Following Brad Pitt‘s interest in The Naked Chef, which shot Jamie Oliver to prominence, for the actor’s 40th birthday, Jennifer Aniston cooked a delicious surprise with the help of Oliver. Speaking on the radio show Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie (via US Weekly) the celebrity chef recalled the Friends star calling them three times, but they refused to believe it was Aniston.
But this didn’t shake her, as Aniston eventually got to Oliver through her agent, and asked him if he could cook for Pitt.
I actually was Brad Pitt’s 40th birthday present from Jen. She phoned up, and we put the phone down on her three times because we didn’t believe it was her. We thought it was someone trying it on. So she had to go through her agent to my agent, but I didn’t really have an agent, so it took a bit of a while. But basically, we got flown. I just did it.
She said, ‘Would you cook for Brad?’ He’s well into The Naked Chef and all that business, like he watches it on TV and all that
While Oliver doesn’t usually cook for celebrities unless they’re in a restaurant he is working in, he did make an exception for Pitt and Aniston for one reason.
Jamie Oliver Elaborates Why He Cooked for Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston
Although, in most circumstances, the celebrity chef would be less than thrilled by such offers, he was instantly on board with the Friends star’s proposal to make Pitt’s 40th birthday special.
Oliver elaborated that he only makes exceptions if asked by someone he “love or admire”, and fortunately for the couple, the chef loved them.
I don’t purposefully cook for celebrities though, [I] only do it if I’m working in the restaurant and they’re in, or if I’m asked by someone I love or admire which was the case with Jen and Brad. It was Brad’s 40th, so I’ve known him for 20 years now. They’re both beautiful people. I saw Jen a couple of weeks ago, and she’s everything you would want her to be, and more.
Although two years after the birthday surprise, the duo parted ways in the wake of Pitt’s romance with Angelina Jolie, it seems they have rekindled their friendship.
Watch The Naked Chef on Apple TV.
