After 28 years, Jan and Phil Vallance are handing over the flames of Echuca Charcoal Chicken to new owners Elias and Hanna Kostoglou.
“We are retiring and haven’t got any plans at this stage, just enjoying being at home and sleeping in,” Mrs Vallance said.
“We will be spending some time at home with our little babies, our grandchildren.
“We know the shop is going into really good hands.
“We are really pleased to be handing it on to a young couple that is going to take it forward.”
Mrs Vallance thinks that Echuca Charcoal Chicken is just as well known in Melbourne as Echuca.
“We get a lot of people who may have cabins or houses up here and they will often ring on the road and say, ‘can you put a chicken aside for us’,” she said.
Elias and Hanna Kostoglou were looking for a change after working in pharmacy through COVID.
“We have always wanted to do something like this and with COVID, we worked pretty hard for those few years and didn’t have a day off,” Mr Kostoglou said.
“I realise that I am not getting any younger, so we will give it a go now, as we may not get the opportunity again.
“I’ve got a Greek background, food and cooking are part of our culture.
“It is the only shop around that does charcoal chicken, still on the charcoal, still original, authentic and it is a really old recipe.
“It is all in the season mix, but we can’t give that secret away.
“Echuca Charcoal Chicken is famous for the chicken salt, too, as well as the chips.
Before retiring, the Vallances passed on all their recipe secrets to the Kostoglous, with Echuca Charcoal Chicken continuing to be open Wednesdays through Sundays from 11am to 8pm.
“Jan and Phil have been here for 28 years,” Mr Kostoglou said.
“We tried to add it up the other day, and it was probably half a million chickens they had roasted.
“That is a lot of chicken to thread and stuff as well.
“A lot of people have been coming in and thanking Jan and Phil for all those years of hard work and commitment to the town and to the community.”
You can find Echuca Charcoal Chicken at 206 Pakenham St. Echuca, or order your charcoal chicken ahead on (03) 5482 5350.