Levi Roots turns TV chef

It’s impossible to dislike Levi Roots. With his gentle Caribbean charm and laid back patter, he instantly puts everyone at their ease.

On last night’s Caribbean Cooking Made Easy, the Jamaican entrepreneur returned to his roots, cooking up a storm in his native town of Comfort. From the moment he "de-blinged" (five rings, no less) and set about marinading his "homecoming lamb", Real Business was hooked.

Between cooking up sumptuous dishes on homemade coconut "hot coals", Levi Roots revisited the haunts of his youth. "This was my grandfather’s farm," he says. "I can still feel his presence here. I’m sure he’s still keeping the birds off his mangoes." There was also a memorable visit to the sugarcane fields for the pre-harvest burning (while he russled up a delicious red snapper) and a yam feast with Usain Bolt’s mum. "I’ll run for miles after this," Roots joked.

It was a fascinating look into the life of the entrepreneur, who rose to fame after pitching his Reggae Reggae Sauce business to Dragons’ Den back in 2007. He raised £50,000 of investment from Dragons Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh and has since taken the brand from strength to strength, launching two complimentary sauces: Love Apple Tomato Sauce and Fiery Guava Dipping Sauce, and doing a deal with BirdsEye that saw the launch of Reggae Reggae chicken earlier this year.

There was no sign of his signature hot sauce last night, however. This is Levi Roots the proud Caribbean cook, not Levi Roots the businessman. We’ll be tuning in next week for sure. And, in the spirit of supporting British entrepreneurs, we reckon we might have to buy the Caribbean Cooking Made Easy cookbook at the end of the series.

"Lord ‘ave mercy!"

Related articles Reggae Reggae Sauce entrepreneur on slaying Dragons Dragons’ Den: Where are they now? Levi Roots, founder, Reggae Reggae Sauce

Share this story