The Raw Chef: Russell James

Before I got into raw food, I felt rubbish and I most definitely looked rubbish. Even though I was eating “good” food (meat, chicken, veg and fruit), I had very little energy, I always looked a bit ill, and I couldn’t shake off an acne problem. I was up for trying anything to look and feel better, so back in 2004, I went to Koh Samui in Thailand for a 7-day fast – and discovered raw food.

I spent all my spare time reading up on raw food, finding the best places to buy ingredients, and experimenting with delicious, practical recipes – which I shared on my blog. I’d not been trained as a chef at all, but off the back of my blog I had people from all over the world flying in to take classes with me.

Now, after a year in the US writing and teaching at culinary academies, I’ve set up Raw Chef HQ in London, and I’m sharing my recipes and ideas with 57,701 people from over 50 countries in my Raw Chef community.