The 60-year-old owner of Gourmet Seafoods QE II on Travis Rd is a third-generation fish and chip shop owner.
His grandparents moved from China to open one in Lower Hutt and his parents had one in Wellington.
Mr Joe and his wife Helen took out the people’s choice category at The Chip Group Industry Awards.
They were voted as having the best fries of any fish and chip shop in Canterbury, the West Coast, Nelson and Marlborough. Mr Joe said the award would not have been possible without Helen and their son Ben, who helped out the shop.
Mr Joe has owned Gourmet Seafoods QE II for more than 20 years and said there is more to making good chips than just potatoes and a deep frier.
“You’ve got to have a passion, you’ve got to love the industry, you’ve got to care about people, and you’ve got to care about how you get a good product out and that’s pretty much all there is to it.
“You’ve got to say, oh, I love going to work today.”
He said his family has a long history as fish and chip shop owners and his grandparents were among the first to open one in New Zealand.
“Where they came from [China], they liked cooking you see, so when they moved to New Zealand that’s what they enjoyed and they said why not go for the New Zealand traditional food type and that was fish and chips,” Mr Joe said.
“They only had about five items in those days, just chips, fish, sausages, hotdogs and potato fritters, that was pretty much it. Look at it now, it’s changed so much.”
Mr Joe said he is proud to carry on his grandparents and parents legacy and contribute to a Kiwi tradition.
“It’s just culture, you know. It’s just a tradition that New Zealand has . . . it’s unique here because it’s always been embodied here . . . no matter how hard you try, you can never compete with the tradition in that particular food.”
