North Hertfordshire College was thrilled to welcome celebrity chef and entrepreneur Levi Roots to our Hitchin Campus for a meal at The Meadows and an inspirational guest speaker session.
The Reggae Reggae Sauce founder enjoyed a Caribbean-themed menu that was planned, cooked, and served by our Hospitality & Catering students in the student-run restaurant as part of our Black History Month celebrations. The dishes included salt fish fritters, traditional curried goat, escovitch of fish, and sweet potato pudding. During his visit, Levi Roots sampled the students’ jerk chicken and Ital soup and was full of praise for both the quality of food and service.
Teona, one of our Level 3 Food & Beverage students, told us: “To have a celebrity-chef like Levi Roots compliment my service skills has really boosted my confidence. I will be able to look back on this experience and use the advice he gave us throughout my future career. My parents even sat next to Levi Roots during the lunch service! I was so excited to be able to celebrate my Caribbean heritage with such a memorable event.”
Following the lunch service, Levi Roots then delivered a presentation exploring his own journey to success. The entrepreneur explained how he went from selling bottles of sauce at Notting Hill Carnival to running a multi-million-pound business. He discussed the importance of authenticity and how his mother’s advice before his Dragon’s Den pitch, to ‘be you’, contributed to his success.
Levi Roots commented: “Visiting North Hertfordshire College this afternoon has been fantastic. I was so impressed with the young chefs’ technical skills – the Caribbean menu was like something you’d find in Jamaica.
“I was excited to share my own journey as a chef-entrepreneur, with a focus on the importance of being your authentic self. It’s so important for aspiring chefs to understand the challenges, the hustle, and the rewards that come from blending food with entrepreneurship. I can see the young chefs have started to find their passion and I am confident they will go on to become ‘dragon-slayers’ like myself.”
Donna Ryan, one of North Hertfordshire College’s Hospitality tutors, commented: “We were honoured to have Levi Roots join our students for the afternoon. They were able to gain real insight into Levi’s highly successful career journey and start to consider ways they could use their skillset for success. His presentation explored aspects of the hospitality and catering industry that fall beyond the curriculum. Having a super successful chef-entrepreneur outline the steps he took in his career journey has inspired our learners to consider their goals and the steps they can take to achieve them
“Having Levi Roots try our students’ Caribbean dishes was a fantastic chance to add some plates to their professional portfolios, especially considering the brilliant feedback they received from the celebrity-chef!
“On behalf of North Hertfordshire College, I’d like to say a huge thank you to Levi Roots for taking the time to inspire the future generation of chefs and waiting staff.”
