LONG-time Canberra Café owner Paul Calokerinos is being remembered as a giant of the Manilla community.
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The 87-year-old passed away peacefully at the Manilla hospital on Thursday and tributes have been pouring in.
Famous for serving hand-cut chips and malt milkshakes in his Manilla Street shop for more than 60 years, Mr Calokerinos migrated to Australia from Kythera in 1948 and began working at Andrew Glitzos' Walcha Café.
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From there, he worked at Varipatis brothers' Ritz Café in Tamworth, before entering into a partnership in 1950 with his uncle Bill Summers, who owned Tamworth's Golden Bell Café, and Paul's cousin John Trevassaros.
The partnership ran two cafés in Manilla, the Canberra Café and the York Café.
Mr Calokerinos bought the Canberra Café's freehold in 1965 and ran it until it's closure in 2017.
Long-time friend and Weswal Gallery Café owner Sandy Allen said Mr Calokerinos was "a community legend".
"Paul was a quiet achiever," Mr Allen told the Leader.
"I first met him when I moved to Manilla after buying a business about 30 years ago and I got to know Paul through joining the Rotary Club as well as eating at the Canberra Café quite a bit too.
"We got to know each other and one of the things I'll never forget was how good a businessman he was during the good times and bad times.
"On top of that, Paul was just really dedicated to the community and really lived and breathed it."
Mr Allen said the pair's time with the Manilla Rotary Club provided him with lasting memories.
"The club was having a Scottish-themed night to help raise some money and Paul put himself in charge of making the haggis," he said.
"One of the other club members gave him a chef's hat and made an apron that looked like a kilt.
"I get a bit emotional thinking about it now, but I can still vividly remember the smile Paul had on his face throughout that entire event.
"Paul did everything he could for the community, always had a lot of fun in the process and will be sorely missed."
Tamworth councillor and Manilla native Jim Maxwell said Mr Calokerinos had left "a lasting impact on the Manilla community."
"The Canberra Café is certainly a significant part of Manilla's identity," Cr Maxwell said.
"I can remember when I was going to school we used to go there and get some hot chips because his fish and chips were second to none.
"There have been times at Local Government NSW conferences where people have asked me where I'm from and once I tell them I'm from Manilla they instantly bring up the Canberra Café.
"To be in business for more than 60 years is a major achievement and I know Paul will be missed by many people in the community."
Mr Calokerinos will be farewelled at a funeral service at Tamworth's St Dimitrios Greek Orthodox Church, on September 7.