After a degree in political science in Rome, Raffaella Tolicetti joined Sea Shepherd as a vegan cook in July 2010. Since then she has participated in three Antarctica anti-whaling campaigns, one Faroe campaign against the grind of pilot whales and one bluefin tuna defense campaign in the Mediterranean. She has been chief cook on board three different ships, the Steve Irwin, the Bob Barker and now the Sam Simon. Raffa has been vegan for over three years and was vegetarian for another four before that, although she thinks she was born vegetarian and forced fed meat and fish and eggs and milk.