Chris Bianco Collaborates With Jamie Oliver On Union Jacks

Celebrated cheese and sauce maestro Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix — already a household name amongst pizza obsessives and celebrities like Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray — is hedging his bets on upping his cobblestone street cred in London by partnering with celebrity chef and altruist Jamie Oliver.

Bianco joins Oliver's successful mini-chain of Union Jacks restaurants, which features the pizza man's doughy rounds topped with bold, U.K.-inspired toppings like oxtail, smoked haddock, Stilton, and pork shoulder. The two chefs met through a friend and quickly realized there was an opportunity for collaboration thanks to a love of wood-fired ovens and careful sourcing of ingredients. While the concept is less than a year old, it's already spawned three locations in the London metropolitan area.

While he may not have landed with an overseas reputation, Chris Bianco is clearly making his mark on The Swinging City.