Nosh: Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver

Yes, these are indeed blurry photos of me talking with Jamie Oliver.

Unbelievable as it is, he chatted with me for about 5 minutes but it felt like an hour. I was an incredible dork and could barely make eye contact. There you have it.

Here is a somewhat better picture of my friend Susan and Jamie. She bravely went before me.

I was so nervous, but Jamie was gracious and chatty. He truly is as nice and down-to-earth as he seems. His book, Jamie's Italy, is wonderful. And I'm not just saying that. The recipes are authentic Italian -- you can tell that he really listened to and spent time with regular Italian people. The photos alone are worth the mere 19 euros I spent on the book he signed.

Know what I did? I printed up some of my mom's recipes and put them in an envelope for him. He said, "You did not! You are such a sweetheart!" and said he'd read it on the plane. It wasn't necessary for him to spend so much time with me, especially with the hundreds of people waiting behind me. I hope I can meet him again one day and thank him for his kindness.

Finally, here is a picture of the three boys behind us in line with whom we talked and joked for the better part of two hours. How cute is it that they wore their chef uniforms!? They are only about 17, but already chefs in training at a few very prestigious places in Munich. All in all, I had a great time. Except for the memory of my stage fright once I was face to face with the man himself.