The worlds are colliding in Manchester, England, and the results are potentially delicious.
Jamie Oliver has signed a five-year deal to feed Manchester City. The celebrity chef will head a new venture that will control food service at City’s Etihad Stadium, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Oliver’s catering company, Fabulous Feasts, will team up with Legends Hospitality (owned by the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Yankees) to serve up to 48,000 fans on gameday. The joint venture will also provide catering services for conferences and events at Etihad Stadium.
“Fabulous Feasts has proven over the last couple of years that we can deliver world-class food on a grand scale,” Fabulous Feasts managing director Nigel Harris. “Our passion for providing tasty food to the public is second to none and so we’re enormously excited to be working with Manchester City and Legends to offer what we believe will be the best stadium catering in the Premier League.
The partnership with Oliver and City will be the most high-profile of Legends’ overseas ventures.
“We have long sought out to expand our footprint internationally and think Manchester City and Etihad Stadium are the perfect start and fit quite well with our stable of iconic venues,” Legends president and CEO Dave Checketts said.
“Our experience providing exceptional food and beverage to millions of fans and passion for delivering premium customer service at these venues combined with Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts’ credibility, brand recognition and market knowledge provides an offering that we feel Manchester City supporters will truly enjoy.”
The deal starts in July 2013, when foodies should start descending on the Etihad in record numbers. Whether fans who support other clubs will continue to dine at Oliver’s other restaurants or not is anyone’s guess. This is among the first examples of the worlds of sports, celebrity and cuisine intersecting. Time will tell what results it will bear.
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Photo via Facebook/Jamie Oliver
