The owner of a South Australia fish and chippery, Jimmy Leonardos, is famous for his hospitality, positive outlook and of course the tastiest and most authentic fish and chips in town, Port Noarlunga Fish and Chips (also known as Jimmy’s).
Jim and his Italian wife Kathy, had been running the business for three decades before their daughter Marina and son-in-law Kosta Papageorgakis, took over.
Aside from the business, the young couple also inherited their parents’ passion and dedication to quality.
Kosta Papageorgakis, who has been managing the eatery for the past few years had to shut-shop for the first time in 30 years, not because of COVID-19 but due to the poor quality of local produce. A delivery of potatoes from Adelaide that did not cook properly but ended being “raw and soggy” while brown on the outside, was not something he could afford happening again.
Whether it’s a climate reason or most likely, “early potato harvesting” according to Papageorgakis, potatoes that still hold a lot of water are not good enough.
Determined to find the perfect kind of fresh potato for his loyal customers he drove 293 kilometres from Port Noarlunga to Bordertown to purchase a tonne of potatoes for chips. A near 600 kilometre roundtrip altogether.
Not just any potatoes; high quality russet potatoes from an independent grower, as reported by The Advertiser .
Ready to please his customers lining up for his “crispy” hot chips, he took a few days off.
“My customers come first. I won’t serve s–t to the customers. I don’t want to tarnish my reputation,” Mr Papageorgakis told the newspaper.
“We have a long-lasting legacy and we will not let it slip.”
