Chef Levi Roots engages students during a lively cooking demonstration at the University of Technology, Jamaica, as Culinary Arts students from the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management assist in the preparation of his signature spatchcock poussin dish. The interactive session held on Thursday, June 11, 2026 at the SHTM Hotel combined culinary instruction, storytelling and mentorship, while an audience of students, faculty and invited guests looked on.
Internationally acclaimed chef, entrepreneur, author and television personality Levi Roots brought his signature blend of food, storytelling and inspiration to the University of Technology, Jamaica on Thursday, June 11, 2026 during a special culinary demonstration hosted by the university in collaboration with the British High Commission, Kingston.
The event, held at the Demonstration Lab at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM) Hotel, formed part of Roots’ visit to Jamaica for the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference 2026 and provided students with a unique opportunity to engage with one of the Caribbean diaspora’s most successful culinary entrepreneurs.
Dr. Kevin Brown, President, University of Technology, Jamaica in his welcome thanked Her Excellency Alicia Herbert, OBE, British High Commissioner to Jamaica, for facilitating the engagement with Levi Roots at UTech and expressed appreciation for the longstanding partnership between the University and the British High Commission. Dr. Brown highlighted Roots’ remarkable achievements, “which are rooted in Jamaican cuisine. He has done exceptionally well in promoting the Jamaican culture in the UK,” said Dr. Brown.
“We hope that this is the beginning of a long relationship where every time you come to Jamaica you must come to UTech and see our students,” he added, noting that the University continues to produce top graduates in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Her Excellency Alicia Herbert, OBE, emphasized the power of food to connect people and cultures. “Food brings families together, it brings communities together, it brings nations together,” High Commissioner Hibbert said. “Levi has done exactly that. He’s brought two nations together through food and through that cuisine, the UK and Jamaica.”
She explained that bringing Roots to UTech, Jamaica was an opportunity to strengthen the relationship to connect the UK and Jamaica noting that Roots’ visit perfectly aligned to build the “people-to-people link” between both countries.
Taking the stage to enthusiastic applause, Roots opened his presentation with the now-famous “Reggae Reggae Sauce” jingle that helped launch his entrepreneurial journey. While preparing his signature “spatchcock poussin” chicken recipe with the assistance of UTech, Jamaica Hospitality and Tourism Management students under the guidance of faculty led by Chef Karen Harvey, Roots shared the personal story behind the sauce, tracing its origins to his grandmother, Miriam and his early childhood days growing up under her guidance in Clarendon.
Roots recounted how his grandmother taught him to make the sauce before he migrated to the United Kingdom at the age of 11 and even packed pimento seeds in his suitcase, which he now describes as the “most important” ingredient in his sauce.
“As we know, pimento is the key ingredient in jerk,” he explained. “If it’s not in your recipe for anything to do with jerk, then officially you cannot refer to it as jerk.”
The affable Chef kept the audience engaged with his expert storytelling skills, weaving lessons on entrepreneurship, branding and self-belief into the cooking process while taking questions from the capacity audience comprising members of faculty, high school students and specially invited guests.
He also shared the story of his appearance on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, revealing that despite advice from friends and colleagues not to sing during his pitch on the business programme, he chose to remain authentic.
“I want to be me. I want to be myself and when I’m the best of me then I have my music and my food and I want to merge these two, my best passions together to create a business,” Roots recalled telling them.
Before becoming a household name in the culinary world, Roots built a career in music as a reggae artiste and a touring musician in the United Kingdom performing alongside several Jamaican reggae stars.
Before appearing on the show, Roots sought encouragement from his mother, who advised him to embrace his Jamaican identity and read Psalms 23.
“Everybody is telling you not to be yourself. If you go on Dragon’s Den and you be you, the Claredonian, the Jamaican, the young boy who loves his grandmother and has this recipe for a great sauce… if you do that, you will come back as a dragon slayer,” he remembered her saying.
That advice proved transformative.
“I went as me on Dragons’ Den and now Reggae Reggae Sauce is the second biggest selling sauce in the UK,” Roots told students.
Addressing aspiring entrepreneurs in the audience, Roots urged students to focus on developing themselves before developing products. “Don’t create the product first. Create the brand first,” adding “The investment is never going to come in the product because the product cannot sell itself.”
As students posed questions about his success, Roots repeatedly returned to the theme of authenticity, “The only expert that I am at is the expert at being Levi Roots,” he said. “You have to be you.”
Beyond food and business, Roots reflected on his experiences growing up in Britain after leaving Clarendon at age 11. He spoke candidly about facing racism and the challenges encountered by members of the Windrush generation. Nevertheless, he credited his Jamaican upbringing and cultural identity for helping him persevere and succeed.
“The investment came because I was different. The investment came because I expressed my Jamaicanism to the world,” Roots said. “Be yourself. Be who you are. But be the best version of yourself because not any old version of you is going to do.”
Following the cooking demonstration, students and guests had the opportunity to sample the finished dish, earning enthusiastic reviews from the audience.
Photo Highlights
Chef Levi Roots (3rd left) and Chef Patrice Harris-Henry (4th right), Culinary Lecturer, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM), pose with the finished spatchcock chicken dish following the live culinary demonstration at the University of Technology, Jamaica on Thursday, June 12, 2026. Sharing in the photo from left are Mr. Aldrick McNab, Pro-Chancellor, OD, UTech, Jamaica; Dr. Kevin Brown, President, UTech, Jamaica; Dr. Norene Brown-Roomes, Head, SHTM; Ms. Paulette Simpson, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, JN Bank and Executive for Corporate Affairs and Public Policy at JN Group; and Miss Marion Brown, Vice President and University Registrar, UTech, Jamaica. Beaming from left (back row) are Professor Garfield Young, Vice President and Chief Operations and Projects Officer, UTech, Jamaica; Professor Shermaine Barrett, Deputy President and Provost, UTech, Jamaica; and British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Her Excellency Alicia Herbert, OBE.
Dr. Kevin Brown (centre), President, University of Technology, Jamaica, internationally acclaimed chef, entrepreneur, author and television personality Levi Roots (right), and British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Her Excellency Alicia Herbert OBE (left), pose for a photograph following Roots’ live culinary demonstration and interactive engagement with students at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Demonstration Lab on Thursday, June 11, 2026.
In the Prep Kitchen: Chef Levi Roots (right) explains a culinary technique to student Chef Anna Melissa Vernon (left), a first-year student pursuing the Culinary Arts and Management Programme at the University of Technology, Jamaica during preparation ahead of a live demonstration. Looking on is Dr. Norene Brown-Roomes, Head, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM).
Watch A Flavourful Experience with Levi Roots – Live at UTech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR8xej4IKpk
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Contact:
Michelle Beckford (Mrs.)
Corporate Communications Manager
University of Technology, Jamaica
Telephone: (876) 970-5299
Email: [email protected]
