Now he's set up shop in New York City, preparing to launch a similar reality-TV show aimed at shaking things up in the U.S.

The chef looks cuddly in pictures, but speaks with an admirable bluntness. He recently told New York Magazine that:

America's kids have some of the worst health issues because of eating junk and not exercising...I thought maybe we could help here. Help them eat real food instead of packaged lies. You know, turkey which is real turkey and not donkey bollocks.

Strong stuff; and hard to contradict, with studies like this one appearing regularly.

Before his school-lunch efforts, I never thought much of Oliver. From the one cookbook of his I'd seen, he seemed to be doing a sort of Emeril-as-London-lad act, clowning around in public to kick up his net worth a notch or ten.

But I heard him interviewed on BBC several months ago, and he was articulate, thoughtful, and angry that the political system had allowed multinational food giants to take over school lunches. And his agenda went beyond serving kids fresher and healthier food. He also wanted to link schools with local farms, as well as promote school gardens. Essentially, in other words, the Alice Waters/Edible Schoolyard approach.

Let's hope that message gets out on Oliver's TV show. And also that U.S. chefs of similar cultural stature -- for example, Mario Batali -- join the battle.