Move over Gordon Ramsay

3 reasons we love the Naked Chef:

Foodie fandom is all the rage—what? you're not watching Top Chef Season 6 in Vegas?!?—but if you're not a follower, take it from us: "Naked Chef" Jamie Oliver isn't merely another pretty face. The UK chef and media sensation is becoming well known 'round the world not only for his food-focused TV shows but also his green initiatives. Yup, we're smitten. Here's why:

1. Oliver supports healthier school lunches for kids. His efforts to bring radical change to the school meals system threw down the gauntlet to challenge junk food culture and show schools they could serve healthy, cost-efficient meals that kids would actually eat. Starting this fall, Oliver will work with local officials to bring
   healthy food to America’s fattest city: Huntington, W. Va.
2. In July, the Jamie Oliver Ministry of Food announced it would set up a program in Bradford, England, to help people learn to cook with seasonal and local
   produce.
3. Now, the Naked Chef is reducing his carbon footprint through CO2 offsets. To offset the CO2 emissions of his busy international lifestyle, Oliver is working with ClimateCare to donate to projects including solar power installations in India, wind power projects in China and providing energy-efficient stoves in Cambodia.  “My company is serious about helping to prevent the dangers of climate change and we recognize that, with everything we do, but especially with TV programs like this one, we create a carbon footprint,” he confessed.

The Naked Chef's work is clearly not a case of naked ambition. Oliver has made it clear that he values teaching real people, creating real recipes, implementing real programs (and not merely talking about the ideas on camera). He's the real thing: see more at JamieOliver.com.

(Photo credit:Jamie Oliver)

Three cheers Jamie - though I still enjoy Gordon's TV shows.