Prize-winning chippy dedicates Herald award to former owner

Dylan Vettraino, who runs Lemetti’s chip shop in Main Street, Camelon, paid tribute to Joe Lemetti whose family had owned the shop since the end of the 19th century.

The shop was taken over earlier this year by new owners Gino and Gloria Notarangelo – who also own the award-winning La Gondola chippy in Grangemouth – and they kept the Lemetti name on saying it was so well known and loved in the community.

Former councillor Mr Lemetti owned the shop famous for its fish suppers with brother Michael for 28 years and was the third generation of the family to run it since their grandfather Luigi, from Tuscany, opened it 1895.

Joe and Michael’s father, Joe senior, stepped down in 1988. Mr Lemetti sadly passed away earlier this month aged 69.

Mr Vettraino said: “To win this award is really amazing for us and I want to dedicate the award to Joe and the Lemetti family.

“On the day of his funeral we closed the shop out of respect and the funeral car stopped outside the shop so everyone could say goodbye.”

Mr Vettraino added: “I would also like to thank Gino and Gloria for this opportunity and thank all of our customers for their votes.”

To find a winner of our Chippy of the Year award we have been asking you to vote for who you thought should be given the coveted crown of the best chippy in the area since March.

We wanted you to take into consideration what it was that you thought gave your favourite Chippy the right to be ‘plaiced’ above its rivals and gave you what you wanted.

And you did, thanks to the strength of this year’s entrants we’ve had hundreds of votes registered for the business you thought was the best chippy that featured in the top ten.

But in the end there could be only one winner and that was Lemetti’s in Camelon.

In second place came Bruno’s in Main Street, Stenhousemuir and in third place was Sinbad’s Chippy from Falkirk’s Maggie’s Wood Loan.