Character from South Park by Trey Parker & Matt Stone
South Park Elementary's beloved cafeteria cook — the one adult who actually listened to the kids, answered their questions with inappropriate songs, and left a hole the show never fully filled.
Chef was the kids' confidant — the adult they went to when they had questions too weird, too awkward, or too real for their parents. He'd listen to whatever insane situation they'd gotten into and then, instead of useful advice, he'd start singing an elaborate R&B love song that was always wildly inappropriate for the context but somehow made everyone feel better. His catchphrase 'Hello there, children!' was the warmest greeting on the show. He was voiced by Isaac Hayes and his departure from the show was as messy in real life as it was on screen. The character was killed off in a controversial episode, and while the show has created new mentor figures, none have replicated what Chef was: the one adult in town who treated children like people worth talking to. He is a legacy character — referenced with genuine affection by the boys even years after his death.
Large, heavyset African-American man in a white chef's hat and apron. Warm face with a thick mustache and a smile that immediately put kids at ease. Carried himself with the easy confidence of someone who was cool and knew it. His presence in the cafeteria was the visual signal that the kids had a safe space to ask dangerous questions.
Also known as: Chef, Jerome McElroy