A West Belfast family are marking 50 years since their father opened his first fish and chip shop by reigniting the brand eight years after they closed their doors for what they thought was the final time.
Their father, Peter Kelly, left school at the age of 13 and learnt his trade working in his trade woking for his uncle Peter in the Savoy Fish and Chip restaurant in North Queen Street before he and his brothers opened their own chip shop on the New Lodge Road which they called the Kelstar.
The family then opened another Kelstar on Shaws Road, where they remained for almost 40 years before moving to Andersonstown Road. This Kelstar eventually closed its doors in 2016 after then-owner Ciaran Kelly decided to focus on his pizza business.
Now, Ciaran’s brother Dee has revived the Kelstar brand by opening a new fish and chip shop on Blacks Road using the recipes his father passed down.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Dee said: “I was always getting tortured.People knew I was a fish fryer and I was bluffing my way in the pizza shop and people always said, when are you going to open the Kelstar again, you know, you’d have got random taps on the shoulder in the town saying jeez, we miss your fish and chips and all that there.
“This wee unit came about then and yeah, it was just like it was meant to be, the timing was right.
“My kids are all up now, so I’ve nothing else to be doing other than walk their dogs a couple of times.”
(Image: Justin Kernoghan/Belfast Live)
Dee said that their father taught them their trade from a young age and it is something that they have always stuck to.
“We grew up with it all our lives, and, you know, those kids would have went to football things at all, whereas we were going to catering shows and stuff like that,” he said.
“He instilled in us a good work ethic and how to do this game properly.
“It feels great to be back in the business and we have been flat out so it’s great to work in a busy shop.”
(Image: Justin Kernoghan/Belfast Live)
Dee told us that since reopening last week, he has enjoyed reconnecting with former customers and that they have had people travelling from far and wide to enjoy their food.
“Seeing the customers again, seeing that some of our old staff members even coming in who have retired and stuff has been great.
“Kelstar was always a very community-based chippy, and you know, while a lot of them would live near us here now, but when we have moved premises and this is the third incarnation, for people to still travel and go that wee extra mile, it really means the world to me. I couldn’t thank them enough.
“But we will keep our prices keen and the food great and hopefully they’ll continue to come.”
Dee finished by saying that the art of fish frying is something that is rarely taught today and as such, while he is working on getting the Kelstar off the ground once again, he has hopes and ambitions of starting a fish frying academy so that he can train the next generation of fish fryers.
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