Chef amigurumi crochet pattern

Crochet this chef from my book ‘Crochet at Work’

When I was discussing with my publisher what ‘career’ dolls should be included in the book, the first on my list was a chef, despite my parents forever telling my brother and I to ‘never go into the hospitality business!’ You see, for my whole childhood it was all I knew, growing up above the restaurant my parents owned, until I left for university.  It was a fairly small restaurant (9 tables) called Qunicy’s in East Sussex in the UK. What seemed most ordinary to me at the time, upon reflection was a very unique upbringing, of which I absolutely loved, and look back on with fond memories. This was in the 1980’s and 90’s.

Quincy’s restaurant, Seaford, east Sussex

Growing up in a restaurant

As I said, we lived above the restaurant and as we didn’t have a separate kitchen, all of mine and my brothers meals came from the restaurant kitchen. Our dad rang the service bell when our dinner was ready, which I’m sure created some sort of Pavlov’s dog response!. He would make batches of curries, or spaghetti bolognese to feed us and the staff after service. But sometimes, when he was developing a new menu he would come upstairs with 8 different starters for us to try and get feedback on. These were always amazing, one of my favourites being an onion and roquefort tart with a pear salad. Pudding would be a choice of what was on the menu, if there was enough for the evening and if I asked very very nicely.

My dad and the assistant chef made absolutely everything from scratch – from the little ‘eats’ served with drinks at the start, the freshly baked bread while waiting for starters to the petit fours served after dessert.

Me with my parents and brother.

There were always staff around, the assistant chef, washer-uppers and waitresses to which my dad (rightly) insisted we must always greet and say hello to, and those that stayed with us a while became part of the family.

Kitchen tension

The kitchen was always a place to have a laugh and a joke and I often used to come and sit on the stool during busy evenings to ‘help’ place the parsley garnish on a main course before the plates went out. The back door to the kitchen would always be open, even if it was very cold, because the heat from the ovens could be intense. But when my dad was plating up the main courses the door was closed. He then set about bringing everything together to create several dishes all with multiple elements cooked and timed perfectly to all be ready at the same time. The heat of the kitchen slowly raised along with the tension of getting these plates out perfectly, Dad darting from oven, to hob, to cutting board while a waitress teetered behind ready to whisk the plates out with a perfected steady hand so as not to tilt the sauce up onto the side of the plate rim. Then meals were served, a sigh of relief, the door was opened, the heat and tension dissipate. Dad then wiped down his work surface ready for the next order.

My Dad is also the originator of the now famous Banoffi Pie which was developed at The Hungry Monk in 1971.

Make a Banoffi Pie with this free crochet pattern.

Crochet at Work Book

This chef pattern is included in my new book ‘Crochet at Work’ which is available to buy here. There are 20 dolls to crochet in total including: Lumberjack, Racing Driver, Doctor, Soldier, Police Officer, Singer, Farmer, Teacher, Vet, Dancer, Pilot, Firefighter, Builder, Athlete, Footballer, Scientist, Diver, Explorer and Astronaut.

The book has three different body shapes to choose from plus lots of hairstyles so you can customise your doll how you like. The other great thing about all the patterns in the book is that they are all crocheted in one piece from toe to head – so no sewing required in the main doll. The only sewing needed is for the accessories which is minimal.

The book is available to order here on my website (UK only). Or on Amazon.

Get everything you need to make all the dolls in this book with this handy list (contains affiliate links).

• Yarn: I have used Rico Ricorumi (DK, 100% cotton, 25g balls) throughout, but of course you could use your yarn of choice
• A 2.5mm crochet hook (if using the yarn above)
• Toy filling
• Safety eyes (I have used 7.5mm throughout but you may need a different size if you use a different yarn)
• Stitch markers
• A small sharp pair of scissors
• A tapestry needle
• A few pins
• Sewing thread for some of the accessories

The end of an era

My parents sold the restaurant in 2000. Since then my dad has taught cooking, done consultancy and even cooked for TV productions! His latest achievement is publishing a cookbook with recipes that span his whole career of 50 years!. You can buy the book here. It is also available on Amazon.