National chip award scooped up
From fishing them up to dishing them out, Steve Fair knows a thing or two about fish and chips.
Now he knows about winning awards too.
The former fisherman’s Mr Chips eatery, in Masterton, recently won the Bidfood New Zealands’ People’ Choice Award for making the country’s best chips.
Fair said he had had his eyes on the chip prize for years. ‘‘It’s a bit of a surprise, actually. Initially, we thought we’d just won the regional competition, and it wasn’t until the following day ... that we heard we’d won the New Zealand competition.’’
More than 4100 votes were cast in the online poll, of which Mr Chips gained 11 per cent.
Fair, whose favourite eating fish is a coral trout, has owned the Wairarapa eatery with his wife, Monica, since 2011.
Before then, he worked in the fishing industry, spending long stints away as a deep-sea fisherman for Sealord and Sanford.
‘‘With Sealord, it was six weeks on, six off. They were very long hours. It’s a very good job ... if you’re young.’’
His previous career helped prepare him for life behind the counter of a fish and chip shop, he said. ‘‘I wanted to be behind the scenes.
‘‘Having a background on boats helped, especially in terms of health and hygiene, and dealing with the paperwork. It definitely made it easier.’’
Mr Chips, which is located on Masterton’s Chapel St, beat 114 other competitors from around the country.
However, Fair said fish and chips weren’t his most popular dish: 70 per cent of his customers preferred to order from the eatery’s popular Chinese smorgasbord.
It’s not the first time a Masterton chip shop has come up trumps in the Best Chip Shop competition. Rival Masterton eatery Mac’s Fresh Fish and Chips has won the competition’s regional finals in the past.
And Mr Chip’s secret? Fresh oil, good staff, and attention to detail, Fair said. ‘‘You do all the little things correctly and, at the end of the day, it comes right.’’