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David Croft

Author of Food For Thought

A combination of life, karate, cooking and disability

About The Author

When David Croft went for a dive while working on the island of Bermuda, he had no idea that it would

change his life. An accident paralysed the chef and 2nd Dan karate black belt from the shoulders down –

on the same day that he was informed he would compete in the 1980 world karate championships and

inaugural world games.

 

David, who had previously worked at the Savoy and Churchill hotels in London along with hotels in

Cornwall, had also competed on two occasions in the British karate championships. In turn he was on

the verge of being chosen for the England under-21 karate squad before going to Bermuda to work.

 

David had always been told by many people to write a book about his life story but was always reluctant

to do so for various reasons. In addition to his spinal injury he had had other difficulties in life that made

the prospect daunting. However, with a lot of encouragement he decided to combine his life story with a

cookbook  

 

'Food for Thought' therefore documents the highs and lows of his life, often in a humorous manner, and has a recipe section at the back which some of the best chefs in Britain have contributed to. The book shows in the face of much adversity, how David rebuilt his life in a way he never thought possible after his accident.

 

In a ‘Dinner Party’ section of the book, David highlights the achievements of 10 other sporting tetraplegics, some of whom lead extremely remarkable lives despite being paralysed, with each choosing their ideal guests for a dinner party. The book also educates the hospitality industry about catering for disabled diners.

 

Ticky Donovan OBE 9th Dan endorsed David’s past and present achievements by writing a foreward for the book, with the chef Brian Turner CBE doing the same via an afterword. In turn numerous companies supported recipe pages to help David raise further funds for his two chosen charities.  

 

David said about the book ‘I wished to show others that, despite suffering a spinal injury, a good life can still be achieved if you have the right care and support. Likewise, I wanted to highlight the achievements of other sports tetraplegics some of whom lead incredible lives despite being paralysed.’  ‘I also wanted to help two charities while educating chefs and others as to the best ways to cater for disabled people,’ said David regarding his motivation to publish the book.

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