Can an Amateur Sleuth Become a Series Protagonist?

     I recently read a post about mystery protagonist types, and an unequivocal no was given as an answer to the title question.
     I think many authors who write mystery fiction realize the benefit of utilizing the series. Why? If readers like the first book, then it's probably because they become attached to the protagonist (and the author's style). Remember how you felt after reading your first Elvis Cole mystery? You were hungry for more. That's how it was for me. And sometimes the attachment is so great, readers remember the protagonist's name and can't remember the name of the author.
     That's not necessarily a bad thing. As an example, go to amazon.com and in Books, search for Elvis Cole. What comes back is a complete listing of all Robert Crais' novels. See?
     We all know about the success Robert Crais had with his Elvis Cole mysteries. But what about a protagonist who, unlike Elvis Cole, isn't a private investigator? What if he's a pastry chef, who gets involved in his first investigation after a family member gets killed and he gets mad? Does that mean the man who said an amateur sleuth is only good for one book is right?
     Well, maybe, unless in the second book of the developing series, the pastry chef, now ensconced in his own bakery, gets a call from an old friend, a retired newspaper reporter, who tells the now-bakery owner that he might be interested in talking to a reporter in another city who's looking for someone to take an unadulterated look at a puzzling death that no one, so far, has been able to explain. Hmmmm . . . that might work.
     Those books I'm talking about?
     First in the series is: Murder at Third Base, currently in pre-publication (that's code for seeking a buyer). Third Base is the story of what happens when a murder investigation brings to light the fifty-year-old murder of a Mexican boy in Chávez Ravine, and when pastry chef, Larry Gar, gets involved and tries to solve the crimes, he must face his prejudices about his own heritage.
     Second in the series is: A Green Star in Scorpius, currently in progress. Green Star is the story of a man afflicted with Neurofibromatosis, who is accused of kidnapping a child, but who dies in a peculiar manner before he can be arrested. Chef Gar answers the call from an old friend, a newspaper reporter, who asks if he'll take a fresh look at the unexplained death.
     Third in the series is: All the Marbles, currently on the drawing board. Marbles is the story of a suspected heist of the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum that comes to light just before Chef Gar visits London on a recipe-gathering vacation.