Jamie Oliver and me

Almost too busy to talk, the clothed one let JONNY CORTIZO drive him when he popped into Auckland.

His face seems to be in every magazine, his books continue to be bestsellers, he is on video, he has even released a CD, but Jamie Oliver snuck in and out of town last month without most people even knowing.

Here to do a series of commercials for a food brand, Oliver arrived with little fanfare save for a lone photographer at the airport, and left with even less. You may want to know how I have this information.

For three days I had the job a lot of people would kill for, being Oliver's personal liaison during his not-so-secret visit to our city.

It was my job to accompany him from the moment he left the hotel to his return later in the day, to make sure that every need was anticipated and catered for, and to protect him from the prying eyes of the outside world.

Although I was hired for my extensive knowledge of all things Auck, it was my famous discretion and tact that secured my role. And may I say, Jamie, it was an absolute pleasure.

Despite the obvious restrictions created by my personal omerta, it would be a waste to let this opportunity go without revealing the real man behind the global media commodity. To tell what only friends and those who have worked closely with him are aware of.

Wanna know the fascinating truth about the Naked Chef? What you see on television is what you get in real life. He really is a bloody charming, talented guy who you would love to be able to call your friend.

He just happens to be a driven, professional television megastar with huge amounts of clout, self-awareness and a winning way with a sprig of rosemary and a drizzle of olive oil.

Oliver arrived here with his wife Jules after a frantic two weeks in Australia. This was the home stretch before going back to Old Blighty for some well-deserved R&R. Watching from the side I was able to enjoy the view, as a privileged spectator observing a young master at work.

My conclusion is that at the age of just 26, and after three sets of Naked Chef shows, Oliver is a phenomenon, a truly magnetic presence. Off-camera one can see exactly the charisma that brought him from behind the kitchen hotline of the River Cafe into the living rooms of so many. And it is genuine.

A lone autograph-hunter was waiting outside the house in which we were shooting, hoping for a glimpse and a word, a neighbour who had woken to find a tribe of film-makers on her doorstep and someone she recognised from the telly going to and from his trailer. Would he sign the only cookery book she had?

"Not a problem darlin'," says Jamie, as he signs the inside page of The Two Fat Ladies cookbook and gives her a hug. No disdain, no hesitation, just charm.

The technicians and chefs on the shoot are a hardened bunch of pros, each having worked with names that light up Times Square, so not the types to be impressed by celebrity.

After each take, though, they hover around the wunderkind, not so much wanting to have a piece of him as to share a moment, whether about the kind of helmet he wears on his scooter or the relative advantages of certain camera lenses.

Just a little chat, nothing more, with perhaps the hope he would leave you with the feeling that he liked you. That is the special talent of Jamie Oliver. He makes you feel like he is your friend.

But don't underestimate him as just a guffawing, easygoing geezer with a penchant for snappy phrases, buzzing around London on a scooter to a slick soundtrack.

In front of the camera Oliver knows exactly what works and what doesn't. He is mature, professional and totally focused.

The food has to be his food, done his way, without compromise. No big deal, just get a few fennel bulbs here, some flaked parmesan there. Perfect. Then back to the trailer to wait for the next setup.

On the last day of shooting, the paparazzi arrive. The photos have already appeared in a domestic women's magazine and may well have gone around the globe.

Wow! Pictures of Jamie Oliver standing outside a house in a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. How fascinating!

Then he was gone, promising to return later in the year with his Happy Days touring cooking show.

Bet you always wanted to know ...

What magazine do you keep in the lav?

Volks World. I've got a 1958 camper van that I'm doing up. I bought it off the manager of Prodigy.

I'm going to do the European thing in a campervan. Maybe that's series four.

What's your favourite food film?

Trading Places ... the way he ate the salmon out of his pocket.

Who's on your speed dial?

I haven't set it up yet. Usually you get really boring people like accountants.

What is your worst shopping weakness?

Trainers. I've got 30 pairs, most are adidas.

I've got gold ones, I've got some real retro ones. Down the Camden Market they fetch about 300 quid.

I've had probably every (cooking) gadget in the world and most are a load of cobblers apart from my pestle and mortar and my Magimix. Barb Rogers

* Jamie Oliver's Happy Days Tour will be at the Civic Theatre on November 8, 9 and 10. Tickets for the evening shows will cost $45, $55 and $65; matinees, $45 and $55. Tickets go on sale next month through Ticketek.