Toronto

Jamie Oliver bringing his restaurant chain to Toronto

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver will be opening the first North American location of his restaurant chain Jamie's Italian in Toronto.

Celebrity chef partnering with Toronto company in new restaurant at Yorkdale Shopping Centre

Jamie Oliver is partnering with a Toronto company to open a restaurant at Yorkdale Shopping Centre. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver will be opening the first North American location of his restaurant chain Jamie's Italian in Toronto.

Oliver has partnered with Toronto's King Street Food Company, owners of Buca and Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse, to bring his brand of cuisine to Yorkdale Shopping Centre in spring 2015.

Buca has been rated the best restaurant in Toronto by Post City Magazine critic Joanne Kates and was also treated to praise by Oliver himself, who took to Twitter to call his experience there in 2011 his "favourite meal of the year."

Oliver opened the first location of Jamie's Italian in 2008 and has since expanded to 35 outlets across the United Kingdom and eight internationally. The menu includes classics such as pastas and pizzas and Oliver's own twists on Italian such as lamb lollipops.

Oliver has become a household name in promoting sustainable and healthy foods since starring in BBC's The Naked Chef, later becoming familiar to North American audiences with Food Network shows like Jamie at Home.

He partnered with Canadian grocer Sobey's last year to offer a line of products aimed at getting Canadians to eat high quality foods.