Pam Bertalli has spent her life perfecting the fine art of the hot chip.
Growing up on the road in her father Terry’s hot chip van as it stopped at country shows in Victoria, NSW and Queensland, Ms Bertalli is a seasoned expert.
“Cook ’em fresh, cook ’em hot,” she told AAP from the family’s van at the Birdsville Races in outback Queensland.
“I use the best oil and the best spuds for a nice, crisp chip. They’re just tasty, it’s a simple thing.”
Many Australians may recognise the van, which Terry Bertalli first set up to feed ravenous Melbourne crowds during Queen Elizabeth’s visit in 1954.
He spent more than six decades serving hot and salty carbohydrates, always using produce bought directly from growers and peeling and chopping buckets of spuds on site.
Ms Bertalli took over the business when it was time for her 87-year-old father to give it up.
The food truck is a fixture at the Birdsville Races, where more than 1200 cups of chips are sold each day.
Historic photographs show the van at the event in an era when men wore pork pie hats and race results were scrawled on chalkboards.
After her first visit to the outback town as a child, Ms Bertalli swore she would never return.
“We were doing it rough, we camped in the street and we had to cook on the open fire,” she said.
“We didn’t have much power, we had six kids with us and my dad would cook a rabbit stew and we’d have it for five days.
“It was tough going.”
But the allure of the outback eventually got to the mother-of-eight, who has bought property in Birdsville and works part-time at the hardware store.
She loves the town of 110 people for its unique mix of peace and adventure.
Recently she came to the aid of tourists broken down on the side of the road, telling them they needed to prioritise their safety in the outback.
“Then I drive off and I leave the back of my truck up and as I’m driving along, all my tools and everything is falling out the back of the truck,” Ms Bertalli said, laughing.
“So then I had to drive back … and you can see all the potatoes on the road, tools and a can of baked beans.”
For Ms Bertalli, continuing the legacy of her father, complete with outback larrikinism, means the world.
“He built up such a good business, he’s got such a good name,” she said.
“All he thinks about is the shows, I tell him ‘don’t worry about it, I learnt from the best’.”
The journalist travelled to Birdsville as a guest of the Birdsville Races
