Reggae artist, dynamic chef and motivational speaker? All these talent are rolled into one, Jackie Butler discovers

TWIN passions of music and food make an irresistible concoction when hot sauce creator Levi Roots combines his talents as a chef, reggae artist and inspirational speaker for two Westcountry performances of his unique new live show. Levi kicks off tonight as the opening turn for this year's eclectic Vibraphonic Festival in Exeter, before whizzing over to Plymouth University on Monday for a students-only performance.

While the Reggae Reggae sauce man cooks up a tasty Caribbean feast on stage, he will also be singing and fronting a live band to air tracks from his latest album Red Hot.

"In Jamaica people make a song and dance out of everything – especially food," explains the reggae veteran who has been performing since the 1970s. In 1998 he was nominated for Best Reggae Performer at the MOBO awards. But has always been a keen cook, learning from his grandmother back in the West Indies.

Levi's career path took a lucrative and inspirational tangent in 2007 when he appeared on the BBC show Dragon's Den seeking financial backing to market his Reggae Reggae Sauce, an age-old recipe he had perfected and sold in bottles on his family's food stall at the Notting Hill Carnival since the early 1990s.

Since then business has been booming and as well as establishing the sauce as a British favourite, Levi has starred in his own BBC show, Caribbean Cooking Made Easy, and there's a book of the same title.

He says the live show is a way of getting back to his musical roots while celebrating his passion for simple, fresh, tasty food and engaging young people in both areas.

"If someone like me can succeed then anyone can, but they need some inspiration and focus," says the father of seven, who lives in London.

The show's emphasis will definitely be on fun; there will be a different gastronomic menu every night of the tour with audience members invited to give him a hand on stage. In Reading on the debut night the main course was Spicy Mackerel with Green Bananas; in Exeter, he reveals, he will be conjuring up Hot Hot Prawns and Potato Curry.

Laid-back Levi explains: "The show is a first of its kind and I'm going in with eyes wide shut. The whole thing is pretty loose, really. I'll do a song or two while the rice is cooking, then the band will take it right down low while I do some talking. I'll just give it lots of passion."

He promises that everyone in the audience will get a bite to eat – some jerk chicken perhaps, or one of the Reggae Reggae pasties just launched by the West Cornwall Pasty Company; it's a version of the traditional meat and vegetable affair, but with the addition of some of Levi's tasty hot sauce.

"When I was doing the BBC programme I did some investigations and found out that the Jamaican patty was actually a version of the Cornish pasty brought to the Caribbean by Lord Falmouth," says Levi. "So I went down to Cornwall to bring the patty back to its forefathers, and everyone really loved them."

Levi Roots appears at Exeter Phoenix tonight. Doors open at 8.30pm; box office 01392 667080. The Plymouth University show on Monday, March 8 is free but for students only.