Celebrity chef pushes for cooking lessons

Celebrity chef pushes for cooking lessons

LONDON — Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver says he’s worried about what the credit crunch will do to people’s waistlines.

Oliver says the U.K. faces a health crisis because millions of Britons can’t cook basic meals. He wants the British government to offer cookery classes to low-income families to show them how to prepare cheap and healthy dishes during the credit crunch.

He told a British parliamentary committee Wednesday that those with tight budgets are likely to chose reliable but unhealthy foods — rather than experiment with recipes.

He said for the first time in history, many families live on takeaways because they can’t cook.

The chef is campaigning to raise the standard of school meals.

Deftones bassist injured

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The bass player for the Deftones is in a San Jose hospital following a serious car crash.

The rock band’s singer, Chino Moreno, says 38-year-old Chi Cheng was injured in the crash Monday in Santa Clara. Moreno told the Sacramento Bee that he didn’t have many details but that it’s “very serious.”

The Deftones came together in Sacramento in 1988 and released their first album in 1995 on Madonna’s Maverick Records label.

A song on their 2000 album, “White Pony,” earned the band a Grammy Award for best metal performance. The Deftones have been working on their sixth album for release next spring.

Today’s birthdays

Country singer Guy Clark is 67. Actress Sally Field is 62. Singer Glenn Frey is 60. Singer Corey Glover (Living Colour) is 44. Actor Ethan Hawke is 38. Actress Thandie Newton is 36. Model-actress Rebecca Romijn is 36. Actress Nicole Dubuc (“Major Dad”) is 30.