It wasn't until after he left university that London-born Ollie turned his passion for cooking into a career. He worked in restaurants in Italy and Greece, before coming back to London to train under Sam and Sam Clarke at Moro. He climbed up the ranks to become deputy-head chef at the Mediterranean and North African restaurant. He then turned to French cuisine, cooking in an Anglo-French restaurant in Hammersmith and for a period in France.

In 2004 he set up a cafe serving European food. When a former pub came up for sale across the road he set himself a new challenge by setting up a restaurant, sourcing all of his ingredients direct from local producers in the city itself. The BBC 2 programme 'The Urban Chef' charts his mission.