Lovers of Jerk chicken will be delighted to know that the Croydon chef George Whatle, often called the ″Jerk king″, has now returned full-time to his food stall in Croydon’s Surrey Street market after an absence of almost two years. The Caribbean chef was greeted like a celebrity on his first full day back at work.
Following a stroke in February 2010, George was left unable to work and needed two life-saving operations to get him back on his feet, and he is very excited to be back among the familiar faces of his regular customers.
Speaking to Hannah Williamson of the Croydon Guardian, George said: “Words cannot explain how nice it is to be back, it has been heart warming. They have all said they have been waiting for me.”
When George first suffered the stroke he was told by doctors that he would need at least a year off work to recover. He went back to his stall on a part-time basis in October 2011, and is now fit enough to be able to work full-time.
George Whatle, who is popular with all the Croydon market traders, has had his stall for eight years and many of his customers have been buying their lunchtime meals and snacks since the early days. Some even make long detours into the town just to enjoy his Caribbean cooking. It helps boost the local economy because George’s customers also do their shopping in the bustling Croydon market.
George, who is known for his lovely smile and the wonderful atmosphere that develops around his café, plans to keep the Jerk lovers of Croydon happy and well-fed for many years to come.