Noellene hands Chicano’s over to capable hands
Noellene admits that the thought of not being involved in the business any longer still seems strange to her.
IT is not uncommon for school children to walk into Chicano’s to ‘interview’ Noellene Jacoby on the history of the restaurant for school projects.
Over the past two decades, the ‘uniquely Vryheid’ business has become enmeshed in the history of the town and, with Noellene holding on to her unique recipes over the years, no return home to Vryheid is ever complete without a taste of Chicano’s, where everything, including the sauces and the burgers are handmade from scratch.
With her 76th birthday looming around the corner, Noellene has finally decided to call it a day in the catering industry and spend quality time with her loved ones… But she is confident that Chicano’s has a bright future in the capable hands of Buks and Rika Maree.
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Noellene was born in Durban, and while she had no formal training as a cook, she was inspired by her mother, who was a wedding caterer, to pursue a career in the industry. She accumulated years of experience, catering for up to 6000 people a day at Premier Hotel in Johannesburg, before moving to Vryheid.
“My husband and I moved to Vryheid 25 years ago to retire after a life-time in the catering business. Soon after moving here, we started a restaurant at the Golf Club called the Caddy Shack. Two years later we moved the restaurant into what was then the market building and called it Chicano’s. The market building is now occupied by the municipality,” began Nollene, relating the history of the business one last time.
The name Chicano’s was derived from some of the letters that make up the names of Noellene, her husband, Ivor, and their good friends, Charmaine and Carlos.
“We started off selling two burgers for R10 and sometimes sold up to 920 burgers in a day. We were there for three years until the market closed down and then we moved into the BP Garage next to where the Wimpy is now. When the space became inadequate, we briefly occupied the Wimpy premises before moving to our current premises on Utrecht Street. All-in-all, Chicano’s has been going for 23 years.”
Noellene admits that the thought of not being involved in the business any longer still seems strange to her.
“My body clock is still set to come in early and run the shop. Over the years, I have gotten to know nearly everybody in this town, and their children, and in some cases, their children’s children. I have become friends with a lot of these people. Even those that have left Vryheid, pop in to see if I am still here at Chicano’s when they visit the town.”
Asked about which accomplishments she is most proud of, Noellene says, without hesitation, that one of them is the close relationships she has built with her customers.
“I have had so much happen at Chicano’s. We once had a documentary shot in the store by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission about how different people experienced democracy. I even made bread for King Zwelithini’s 50th birthday party,” recalls Noellene.
“You won’t believe this, but years ago we had a tourist bus come in and a short man came to me and said, ‘Me, chicano.’ I corrected him saying that he was in Chicano’s. Then, the tourist operator explained that ‘Chicano’ actually meant ‘little people’.”
Noelleen’s biggest challenge has been to cope with her husband’s passing.
“He was my partner and my sounding board.”
Chicano’s staff have been dedicated to the business for the past 20-years and will continue to assist Buks and Rika ensure that Chicano’s traditional recipes and reputation for customer service continues into the future.
“I am very sad to leave Vryheid. I am moving to Durban where I will live with my son and help take care of my grandchild. I will miss the people who have supported me and I would like to thank my staff, Nicolene, Beauty, Siphiwe, Nelly, Beatrice, Cynthia and Alphinia. We have become like family,” she concluded.
“I wish Buks and Rika the best of luck. I hope they will enjoy Chicano’s as much as I have. I hope they get as much pleasure from running Chicano’s as I did.”
Asked if she will be visiting Vryheid once she has relocated to Durban, Noellene responds, “You won’t be able to keep me away.
