Rachel Ama

Rachel Ama was born in 1991 in Crouch End, North London, to a Saint Lucian father and a mother of Sierra Leonean and Welsh descent. Her journey into the culinary world began with personal health challenges in her teenage years. At her mother’s suggestion, she eliminated dairy from her diet, which led to significant improvements in her health. This experience made her realize the direct impact of food on overall well-being. Subsequently, she became aware of the environmental consequences of animal agriculture, prompting her transition to a vegan lifestyle.

Beginning in summer 2017, Rachel Ama started uploading YouTube videos, initially focusing on vegan interpretations of Caribbean dishes. Her channel quickly gained popularity, amassing over 250,000 subscribers by 2019 and exceeding 700,000 by 2024. In 2018, she presented a BBC Radio 4 program exploring vegan Caribbean cuisine. Her debut cookbook, “Rachel Ama’s Vegan Eats,” was published in 2019 by Ebury Publishing and received the Best Vegan Cookbook award from PETA UK. She extended her culinary influence by creating a temporary collaborative menu for By Chloe. Her second cookbook, “One Pot: Three Ways,” released in 2021 through Yellow Kite, further solidified her position as a prominent figure in plant-based cooking.

Rachel Ama has expanded her work beyond cookbooks and digital content, collaborating with various brands and appearing on television. In 2023, she developed a meal plan in partnership with allplants, a British ready-meal brand. Her commitment to making plant-based food accessible and enjoyable is reflected in her various projects, including running food trucks and teaching in schools. She has been featured in publications such as The Guardian, BBC Good Food, Vogue, and The Sunday Times, and has appeared on television programs including ITV’s This Morning, Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, ITV’s Bad Chefs, BBC’s The Apprentice, and BBC’s The Apprentice: You’re Fired. Rachel Ama continues to advocate for high-quality, real food rooted in her Caribbean heritage and London’s food culture.