Hi Everyone

Food and cooking have been a constant joy for as long as I can remember. In my later years, it's become my form of meditation.

I grew up in a significant mixed Caribbean and North African family that gifted me an immense cultural richness in the kitchen. We have always had exotic spices and mouth-watering hearty dishes that have influenced my cooking style. Yet I feel the most particular aspect of my younger years is that we followed an Italian diet. Ital was not just a diet; ital was and still is a way of life, a form of living and somewhat religious practice within the Rastafari movement.

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Rastafarians believe what one puts into their body should enhance life energy rather than reduce it. Food should be natural, pure, and from the ground, the earth that surrounds us. Ital is vital!

At seventeen, I was fortunate to get into modelling via a television program called Models Behaviour. I have continued to work as a model, amongst other things, to this day. "The model that eats" that's always been me.

Working in fashion was challenging in the early stages, as food had always been a part of my culture and identity. I watched as food sometimes became the enemy of many girls. Sometimes, money was tight, and the simplest ingredients made mouths water.

I spent many evenings cooking, sharing my way of cooking, and educating them that it doesn't have to be all or nothing; one can eat, but one must eat right.

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My love of travel has had a significant impact on my cooking.

I've been very fortunate to have been able to live and travel all over the world. In every trip I've taken, whether, for work or pleasure, I've been able to dig deep into the culture and experience the peculiarities of local cuisine. In some places, I've attended cooking lessons; in others, I've been invited into locals' kitchens to watch and learn firsthand. 

Over the years, I have worked to develop my craft further by studying at Leith's School of Food and Wine and catering dinners, events and parties for both friends and clients here in London and other places like Ibiza, Italy, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Zurich. Eating well at home is something that I feel strongly about, and I convey this feeling with dishes that feel like home-cooked Extravaganzas. 

Contestant chef on Gordon Ramsay ITV NEXT LEVEL CHEF 2023 

Yhangry 2023 Rising Star Award 

 

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I'm an active ambassador for the amazing charity Choose Love and try to combine cooking and food as a tool to help where and when I can, hosting pop-ups and supper clubs in central London restaurants. 

As you've already gathered, I love cooking here; I can accommodate, those with specific diets like Ital diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, carnivore, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free- and keto.

 I find nothing more exciting than sharing my passion for food. I specialise in celebrations, gatherings, intimate or group dinners, canape parties, picnics, barbecues, prep meals, food delivery, pop-ups, and supper clubs. 

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Choose Love always 

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Layla x

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