Adapting in lockdown: Greek Australian food truck owners set up shop in their driveway

·

Food truck owners Angeliki Paxinos and Gabriel Kontelos were on a roll selling souvlaki and meat packs at Peakhurst Food Markets the day NSW fell under a two-week lockdown in June. 

Gabriel Kontelos co-owns Nisos Food Truck with his wife Angeliki in Glenfield and says it took him about a year to make the 2.4m x 1.8m trailer “from scratch” before they began attending markets less than two months ago. 

“About a year ago, I decided maybe I should get a trailer and start doing the same thing I started to do in Darwin,” he says. 

Kontelos says Nisos Food Truck is an extension of his parents’ former restaurant in Darwin.

Fofis Greek Kitchen, named after his mother Fofis, operated for about three years before the Kontelos family decided to move back “home” to Greece in 2018. 

“[Mum and dad] are the spinal cord of this business. Mum does the deserts and dad does the food.”

Less than a year later, the family moved back and set the food truck in motion but today find themselves confined to their driveway. 

“In the beginning, I did feel a little bit uncomfortable … but it’s just the driveway. Plus, there was no other choice … Due to coronavirus, we can’t operate anywhere else,” he says. 

Mrs. Paxinos told A Current Affair that they’ve had a lot of support from the community.

“Since we can’t travel very far, they’ve got take away food at their doorstep,” she said.

“We’ve got souvlaki, meat packs, tzatziki and pita bread, chips, and a lot of pre-ordered food.”

“When we got the approval from the council they did tell us since COVID they’ve allowed people to be trading from home.”

Mr. Kontelos echoes a similar sentiment.

“We didn’t expect the first day to have that many people … The first day we started was massive,” he says. 

He says the truck will benefit from a recent A Current Affair appearance and social media advertising. 

*Do you have a similar community story? Email us at: greek@foreignlanguage.com.au

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

‘I will never forget you’: Emotional farewell for Greek Consul General in Sydney

An emotional Greek Consul General Yannis Mallikourtis delivered his farewell speech on Monday evening at Business Sydney’s Event Centre.

Adelaide’s St Sophrony Parish raises funds for hall construction

The newly established St Sophrony of Essex parish in Hectorville, Adelaide, held its first official fundraising dinner on Sunday, June 29.

From homelessness to homeowner: Kostas Papadimitropoulos shares his inspirational story

Melbourne man Kostas Papadimitropoulos has turned his life around after being scammed out of his life savings and forced to live in his car.

Sydney Dance Company shines at Athens Epidaurus Festival with ‘Impermanence’

The Sydney Dance Company captivated a crowd of 5,000 at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus last week, performing 'Impermanence.'

Former ATO worker Paraskevi Vula Danassis convicted in $2 billion GST scam

Former Australian Taxation Office employee Paraskevi Vula Danassis has been convicted over her role in a $2 billion GST fraud scheme.

You May Also Like

‘Our tireless guardians’: Greece commemorates Armed Forces Day

Greece's Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and President Katerina Sakellaropoulou commemorated Armed Forces Day on Sunday.

Cyprus Food and Wine Festival returns to Sydney bigger than ever

The Inner West's largest Cyprus Food and Wine Festival kicks off on Sunday, November 19 at the Cyprus Community Club in Stanmore, Sydney.

Turkey at the centre of PM Mitsotakis’ meetings at Capitol Hill, Washington

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with prominent members of the two congressional legislatures, the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United...