Levi Roots
Levi Roots was brought up in Jamaica by his grandparents before joining his parents in Brixton, London, when he was 11 years old. He was taught to cook by his grandmother as a child and has enjoyed preparing Jamaican food for his family and friends ever sinceLevi first came to public attention when he conquered the Dragons on the BBC television series Dragons’ Den, winning backing for his Reggae Reggae Sauce business. The Reggae Reggae brand has since gone from strength to strength, with many new sauces and other foods being added to the range.
Levi’s first cookbook, The Reggae Reggae Cookbook, published by Collins, was a great success. Next came Caribbean Food Made Easy published by Mitchell Beazley, a bestselling TV tie-in for his popular primetime BBC2 series of the same name. Food for Friends was published in July 2010 (Mitchell Beazley), followed by his first business book, You Can Get It If You Really Want (Mitchell Beazley, March 2011). In his most recent book, Levi returns to food once again with Spice It Up (July 2011, Mitchell Beazley). Many of his delicious recipes are served at the Papine Jerk Centre, his popular restaurant in south London.
He has had a long career as a musician, receiving a nomination for a prestigious MOBO award in 1998. Every summer runs his popular Rasta’raunt - a stall selling Caribbean food and his famous sauce at the Notting Hill Carnival.
