Levi Roots Q&A

Levi Roots has gone from budding entrepreneur and musician to the established face of Caribbean food in the UK in just 10 months.

With a successful sauce, restaurant and now cookbook behind him, 4Food caught up with the father of five (real name: Keith Graham) to talk food and Father's Day.

You convinced the Dragons to give you a chance – what was it that won them over?

Well, I slayed them with my guitar and song! I thought to myself 'I’m going to meet some dragons so I'll need a weapon', which was my guitar! Like Jason and the Argonauts.

Are you still in regular contact with one or all of the Dragons?

Yes, all of them. When I slayed three of them there was blood all over the place – but I kept two of them as pets. One of them is Peter Jones and the other one is Richard Farleigh – they follow me around all the time! Peter Jones has become a very close friend – he was at the launch of my book last week.

You have a new cookbook out – is it all traditional Caribbean recipes or are they done with a Reggae-Reggae twist?

It contains all the stuff we were cooking for years at the Notting Hill Carnival in London at my stall – the Rasta Ranch. It includes rice and peas, jerk chicken – all the usual Caribbean dishes – but I tried to incorporate all the influences of the Carnival; lots of fusion flavours.

What is your favourite recipe from your book?

My best pulling recipe!! It’s the Seriously Wicked Reggae Boat Fish. If ever there is someone you want to impress, this is what I recommend!

What are your favourite West Indian restaurants in the UK?

Caribbean Scene in the Docklands – it's fantastic, fabulous, right near the Dome. And in Brixton I like Babaloo in Acre Lane.

Have you opened your own restaurants? Tell us about them.

Ha – mine is the most fabulous restaurant of all! It’s not a restaurant – it’s a Rasta-rant! It’s called Papine Jerk Centre and it’s wonderful. What makes it different is because I’ve fused music and food together. There’s a wonderful vibe - it’s impossible to come in there with airs and graces [Levi breaks into song].

You’re pretty famous now - are you still very connected to your community?

I am indeed. That's why I opened my restaurant in the area I did – to stay where the people are, on the estate. Not on the high street. And I gave back 100% of the proceeds of my song to Comic Relief.

What has been your proudest moment since launching Reggae-Reggae sauce?

It was the launch of my book – and having my mother there. She was fabulous! I saw my mother on the morning before I went on the Dragons' Den – I asked her for some encouragement, and also £20 to get there! She didn’t give me the money, but she gave me a message to carry with me – it was Psalm 23. So on the way up the stairs on the show, people thought I was singing my song but I was actually going over that in my head.

Do you prefer your food spicy, extra spicy or blow-the-roof off your mouth spicy?

Blow the roof! You gotta mash the mouth up!

What is your favourite vegetable and why?

I don’t eat red meat, so I enjoy a lot of vegetables. But I’d have to say the Christophene. It’s also known as cho-cho – so good they named it twice! It’s a green, pear-shaped vegetable, fabulous in soups. You can get it in local markets and some of the bigger supermarkets that are more exotically inclined.

Do you stick to Caribbean food or tend to mix it up with other cuisines such as British, Thai, Indian etc…

I love local English food. My favourite meal of all time is fish and chips! Whenever I travel around that’s what I eat. My favourite dish at school was apple crumble.

You’re a Dad – what would be your ultimate special meal for Father’s Day?

I have 5 children and 7 grandchildren so it would have to be something sociable! It would have to be al fresco, with me doing my jerk chicken in the sunshine, getting all of the family together. Although they would all have to do the washing up!

Are your children very proud of you?

Oh yes – they now all say they knew I was going to win on the Dragons' Den. But at the time they all told me 'don’t do it!'. I think they thought the show was something like an 'I’m a Celebrity' and they were going to make me eat worms.

Are your children involved in your business?

Of course, we've always run the business together from when we had the Notting Hill Carnival stall in 1991. We run the restaurants together, some of them sing on my records, some do my MySpace page.

Do you find it’s hard to make time for the family now that you’re a busy working celebrity father?

No, because we do everything together as a family. My youngest is 22 and my eldest is 30 and we all work together – I’ve stopped collecting children and now have started collecting grandchildren!

What do you think of celebrity chefs Gordon and Jamie?

I don’t like swearing! I was brought up in a nice, Caribbean home with manners! Don’t like your swearing, Gordon Ramsey But Jamie Oliver is a nice guy and cook – I just want to cuddle him!

Who has been your biggest foodie influence?

My mother – I'm a typical Mummy's boy! I got the Reggae-Reggae sauce from my grandmother, but my mother is my biggest influence in everything, from the kitchen to life. When I first arrived in this country at the age of 13, I couldn’t read or write and I was made to sit at the back of the class. But within a year my mother had taught me to read and write, and I was up front in the class.

Do you feel that rising food prices are a serious issue for restaurateurs, food producers and the people on the street?

It's mad the way the prices have been rising. When you run a restaurant, you really see this – I got to market at 6:30am every morning so I’m the first to see when there have been rises. There's also an issue where high street stores are selling food that would ordinarily have been sold on the markets. The government has a lot of work to do to support small businesses.

What are your favourite local food places – a local green grocers, and stall, a local pub?

Brixton Market! It’s on Electric Avenue, you know from the song? It’s my favourite place. It’s where I get everything I need for my sauce. I don’t really drink so don’t like to spend days sitting in a dark pub – I like to be outside in the sunshine. Although I will have a rum punch if I’m offered one!

Date Published: 07/05/2008 Source: Channel 4