Greg Sams

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Gregory Sams, born 1948 in Los Angeles, is a UK‑based artist, author and publisher who uses a wheelchair after a fall from a tree at UC Berkeley. He moved to London at 19 and, with his brother Craig Sams, opened SEED, a macrobiotic restaurant in Paddington, in 1968. SEED became a hub for London’s psychedelic scene and even drew attention from John Lennon, who sketched his SEED visit. The brothers also started Ceres Grain, a macrobiotic food shop, and Greg published Harmony to spread the word.

In the 1970s Greg, Craig and their father Ken edited Seed, the Journal of Organic Living, for seven years. In 1970 Harmony Foods became Whole Earth Foods. In 1982 Greg created the VegeBurger, the first commercially produced veggie burger, helping popularize the word “veggie.” He left Whole Earth Foods in 1982, while Craig later helped push ventures like Green & Black’s chocolate.

In 1990 Greg opened Strange Attractions in London, a shop devoted to chaos theory. He is known for fractal art used on postcards, T‑shirts and textiles around the world. A counterculture enthusiast, he supported non‑violent street actions and wrote books about chaos theory and living. Uncommon Sense: the State is Out of Date (1998) and Sun of gOd (2006) are among his works. He has long been involved with world music festivals, including catering at the first Glastonbury in 1971, and continues to attend festivals and related events. He was featured in the Liquid Crystal Vision film.