Quick Facts
Biography
Chef Ra (October 10, 1950 – December 26, 2006), born Jim Wilson, Jr., was a long-time cannabis advocate and cannabis foods writer in the United States. After gaining notoriety as a ganja gourmet and appearing on the November 1987 cover of High Times, he began writing "Chef Ra's Psychedelic Kitchen" in 1988 at the request of magazine editor Steve Hager. Ra was a fixture of Ann Arbor's Hash Bash, speaking out about the benefits of cannabis for 19 consecutive years before his death.
Writings
"Chef Ra's Psychedelic Kitchen" column appeared in High Times off and on for 15 years. The articles would weave together Ra's insights on life together with a new ganja recipe. Ra would also report on travels to cannabis culture events.
Filmography
Chef Ra starred in a pair of videos produced by High Times, including Ganja Gourmet (2003) and Chef Ra Escapes Babylon (1980s). The latter features Ra’s visit to Jamaica, and had a rare public screening at the 1998 Freaky Film Festival in Champaign-Urbana. Ra was featured in the short film Bumbaclots in Negril (1999) alongside fellow High Times staffers.