Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver finds treasure trove in cellar of new restaurant
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Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s new restaurant is a gold mine, and it hasn't even opened.
Hundreds of safety deposit boxes containing $1.7 million were found in the cellar at an old bank in Manchester, England, which has been converted into the TV chef’s new eatery, Jamie’s Italian, the UK Sun reported on Tuesday.
The original owners of the boxes' contents could not be located so officials from the Bank of England broke them open and found jewelry, gold, and even master recordings by bands Joy Division and New Order.
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One box even held a gun, a source told the newspaper. The conversion began in March of last year. The restaurant is spread over three levels, including the basement vault, and opens to the public today.
The basement vault room has wall-to-wall original safety deposit boxes where "the people of Manchester stored their heirlooms, mementos and collectibles since the building's completion in 1935,” reads a description of the new restaurant in Oliver’s website.
Oliver won't be able to keep the loot. The haul was sent to Britain's Treasury department.