a Essendon North factory, where he began to progressively modernise the machinery and improve packaging, freezing and distribution facilities. A mutually beneficial relationship with a local firm, Floyd's iceworks, resulted in the amalgamation of the two companies in 1960 to form Frozen Food Industries Pty Ltd. The new company went public in 1963. Formula for success Ingredients for the Chiko Roll were diced and extruded into a long tube of pastry which was then cooked as it made its way along the production line, after which the rolls were deep-fried and then snap-frozen prior to distribution. As a pre-cooked product, the rolls only required a rapid deep-fry at the place of purchase to reheat them. The convenience of selling and eating the rolls under all kinds of conditions, along with their novel savoury flavour, made them a highly popular alternative in an era when the fast food industry was rapidly expanding, and the Chiko Roll became a staple product of the ubiquitous Australian fish-and-chip shop as well as other takeaway food outlets for many years. By the late 1970s, 40 million Chiko Rolls were being sold Australia-wide each year, and more were exported to Japan. With the increasing diversity of fast food outlets over the last two decades, Chiko Rolls have gradually declined in popularity in Australia, but they can still be purchased in fish and chip shops, or as a frozen convenience food for home use from supermarket shelves. The Chiko Roll brand today is owned by Simplot Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of the J. R. Simplot Company, a private food and agribusiness company based in Boise, Idaho. Personal life McEncroe married Anne Doreen Nolan at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo on 20 August 1932. He was fond of fishing and shooting as a young man, and later enjoyed playing golf at Medway Golf Club, Melbourne, and Tweed Heads Golf Club, New South Wales. He died of ischaemic heart disease on 14 March 1979, and was buried at Keilor cemetery, Melbourne, survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Footnotes Recurring references McEncroe, Francis Gerard (Frank) – David Dunstan, Australian Dictionary of Biography Online. 1908 births 1979 deaths Businesspeople from Victoria (Australia) People from Castlemaine, Victoria People from Bendigo Australian boilermakers 20th-century Australian businesspeople