MUSICIAN, entrepreneur and Caribbean cook Levi Roots shot to fame after clinching a deal for his Reggae, Reggae sauce on BBC2's Dragons' Den.

He talks to Laura Whitehead about cooking, the infamous Dragons and how to make it as an entrepreneur.

What tips can you give a novice cook?

Levi Roots: You need to have a theme, like in my new book Food for Friends.

Rather than having scattered ideas in your mind, think about who’s coming and what they are like. I treat cooking like I’m conducting. If a recipe says add a tablespoon of an ingredient, start off by adding less then add a bit more as you go along.

What made you decide to take your sauce from a stall at the Notting Hill Carnival to the dragons on Dragons’Den?

LV: I think it was preordained. I always dreamt of being fabulous. I was just a boy from Brixton, but I always knew I deserved more.

At school, while my friends were reading Enid Blyton, I was reading Shakespeare. I always looked at life differently to other people. I love a challenge.

My kids said I shouldn’t go on Dragons' Den, so I took the challenge to prove to them that I could slay the dragons.

If you were cooking a meal for all the dragons on Dragon’s Den, what would you cook?

LV: It would have to be something hot. I’d have to cook my hottest dish ever. They are dragons after all, so I’ll get them breathing fire. I’d do something special with my favourite Scotch bonnet peppers, to appease the dragons.

Now that you’re so successful, would you be tempted to buy the dragons out?

LV: I bought back the 20 per cent investment from Richard Farleigh after 18 months as he was just an investor, unlike Peter Jones.

Peter is more than an investor he’s now my friend and mentor. I want to keep Peter on board because he brings such a lot to the business. Now my only investor is my friend.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

LV: The advice that I always follow is Shakespeare: "We must take the current when it serves or lose the ventures before us."

It’s a perfect entrepreneurial statement - you must take a chance when it comes. The current can be dangerous, but taking that chance may be the only chance you get.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced?

LV: The biggest challenge I have is keeping my feet on the ground. It’s been 3 and a half years of being famous and being true to myself and the brand is always a challenge.

I’ve just turned down being on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. I had to consider if it was right for me and the brand. It’s great exposure and I had to think, I’m 52 now, I want to fulfil my dreams, is this really what I want?

I wouldn’t be comfortable eating kangaroo testicles. That’s the hardest thing, turning down opportunities like that.

You go into schools and speak to young people about entrepreneurship. What made you want to do this and what advice do you give them?

LV: I do it to find the next Levi. It doesn’t have to be someone who cooks.

People always think you have to be a certain type of person with a certain background or come from money but it’s really about focus, passion and hard work.

Dragons are all over the place, whether it’s the bank manager or adults who don’t support young people.

They are dragons which have to be slayed, so this is what I want to help them with.

The top three bits of advice I give them are, firstly have a good plan. All business and enterprise starts with a good plan. See it all from start to finish not just, I’ve got an idea and I want to make money, but all the bits in between.

Second, have long term focus. TV seems to create this real culture of getting everything now, now. A long term plan is crucial to being successful.

Finally and most importantly, you must have passion. Like me and my music. That’s why I sang on Dragons' Den. Then despite making a mistake with my figures, the Dragons could see my passion.

You have to believe in yourself and your idea. If you make a mistake, pick yourself up again. We all have a business idea in us. When you find it, that’s where your successful future will be.

As such a successful entrepreneur, what’s the best advice you can give to anyone who is struggling to make their interest or idea into a money-making business venture, especially in the current economic climate?

LV:Now is perfect timing in the current climate. I came through it. You just need to have your unique selling point.

Until you find it, your business is not ready. You have to be passionate about what you’re selling and believe in it. You have to know who you are and put your own identity into the product.

How do you get an idea off the ground?

LV:Life is like Dragons' Den. If you need to seek investment then you can go to the bank. Although, if you go on TV, you get your brand in front of five million people even if you don’t get an investment.

Regardless of whether you are pitching to the dragons or your local bank manager, prepare like you’re going to slay the dragons.

Bring your A-game. Young people sometimes come to my restaurant in Battersea with ideas and try to pitch to me. I want to inspire people. I try to be a role model.

My first role model was my mum. It wasn’t a superstar on TV or a millionaire like Peter Jones. She and my dad came over from Jamaica penniless in the 1960s.

They worked hard every year then sent for us kids, one at a time when they could afford for us to join them in UK.

They bought a house and put us all through education, doing the most menial jobs ever. You don’t need to look any further than your own home to be inspired.

My kids say to me, “Dad, we did it.” They don’t let me forget. I’d like to be able to inspire young people. If I can inspire just one person, then we can all do that.

Levi Roots' new book Food For Friends is out now in hardback by Mitchell Beazley. RRP: £18.99