Fifteen Cornwall to 'keep the light burning' as Jamie Oliver's restaurants close
The social enterprise — a business that seeks to do good — and operates under a franchise, is not part of the chain now in administration
By Sarah Shearman London — The head of a restaurant in southwest England set up by Jamie Oliver to train unemployed young people as chefs has vowed to “keep the light burning” after the celebrity chef’s restaurant chain went into administration. Fifteen Cornwall is a social enterprise — a business that seeks to do good — and operates under a franchise, meaning it is not part of the chain now in administration. Its CEO Matthew Thomson described the closure of several restaurants with the loss of 1,000 jobs as a “tragedy” and said it was a “very, very challenging time” for the industry. “Jamie is still doing some fantastic work and it is a real tragedy to hear about his restaurants today. We are committed to his vision still operating the same model he gave us 13 years ago,” Thomson said.. The venture was set up in 2006, four years after Oliver founded his first restaurant, Fifteen London, with a high-profile TV documentary charting the highs and lows of the endeavour. Fifteen Lo...
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