It seems that Jamie Oliver liked what he saw on his various trips to the U.S. in the last few years.

The Telegraph reports that he is planning to open locations of his chain restaurant, Jamie’s Italian, in America and Canada.

According to The Telegraph:

Jamie’s Italian – which is based on offering traditional Italian food at high street prices – is by far the most successful of Mr Oliver’s restaurant businesses to date, with 24 sites already opened across the UK in cities from Glasgow in the north to Brighton in the south. Further openings in St Albans and Manchester are scheduled for this Spring. But the US openings would not mark the first international foray for Jamie’s Italian, as the chef already has eateries in operation in Sydney and Dubai. The plans were crystallised with the formation of a new company, Jamie’s Italian North America, documents for which were recently filed with Companies House.

Does that mean that Jamie will be spending more time on this side of the pond? Perhaps, but we are more likely to see managing director Simon Blagden than Jamie: “He’s not particularly involved in the day-to-day running of the restaurants but he has a very big part in how the restaurants are run. I speak to him every week and he is at the restaurants as often as he can be, and every idea and decision we make is bounced off him first.” The fact that a British chain is considering investing in an expansion in the US, is another indication that the economy is starting to recover.