Chippo's

Ask any Nelspruiter where to find the best chilli chips in town,
and the answer will probably be Chippo’s. Nobody is really
sure when and how chilli chips, the Lowvelds contribution to
world cuisine, made it onto the local scene, but Jaco dos Santos’
version of this iconic local calorie bomb is legendary. And
he learned it from his dad Adriano.
The Food thing definitely comes from him, “it’s in the blood”.
The original recipe, he says, took three years to develop.
“It’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but my dad got
the ingredients and method just right. It all started with
his chilli chips – I added the chicken and burgers later.”
A born-and-bred Lowvelder, Jaco and his brother Adriano
junior are continuing the family tradition. His dad, originally
from Portugal, immersed himself in a completely new culture
after marrying an Afrikaans girl. “He loves braaing and rugby -
you’d battle to get him to watch a soccer game,” Jaco smiles.
Customer involvement goes hand in hand with owner involvement,
according to Jaco. He has known many of his customers for
years, some of them still loyal to his father. “You will always
find either me or my brother here,” he says. “And we don’t mind
getting our hands dirty. I like to do quality control, and I’ll jump
in and cook. When things get busy, there’s no job description -
‘helping customers’ is the only job description.