Kosta Papageorgakis’ 600km round trip to find quality potatoes in South Australia

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The owner of Port Noarlunga Fish and Chips in South Australia, Kosta Papageorgakis, had to close his shop for the first time in 30 years due to the quality of local produce.

What did he do instead?

He travelled 293 kilometres from Port Noarlunga to Bordertown to collect a tonne of quality russet potatoes from a grower, after a delivery of white star potatoes from the Adelaide Hills led to “raw and soggy” hot chips.

READ MORE: ‘I love what I do’: Meet the family behind one of SA’s iconic Fish and Chips shops.

Mr Papageorgakis told The Advertiser the almost 600km round trip was worth it for his customers who expect “crispy” hot chips. He is now set to reopen his shop on Tuesday.

Jimmy Leonardos (founder of the fish and chip shop) with his daughter Marina. Photo: The Greek Herald/Argyro Vourdoumpa.

“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.

READ MORE: Greeks take out awards for the best jaffles and hot chips in Australia.

This sentiment was echoed in an interview between Mr Papageorgakis and The Greek Herald in early January, where the shop owner stressed: “We have a long-lasting legacy and we will not let it slip.”

Different reasons for the poorer potato quality have been suggested, with Mr Papageorgakis blaming early harvesting of potatoes for the problem.

Source: The Advertiser.

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