Early life
Francis Gerald (Frank) McEnroe was born on 11 October 1908 in Castlemaine, Victoria. He was the son of Pierce Francis McEnroe, a wheelwright, and Sara Ann, née Desmond.
After finishing his secondary education at Marist Brothers College, Bendigo, Frank undertook an apprenticeship in boiler-making at Thompson’s foundry, Castlemaine, where he continued working for some years.
In the 1930s, Frank joined his father and brother in the family’s dairy farm and milk processing business in Bendigo.
Later in the decade, he started a small outdoor catering business, selling pies and hamburgers at country race meetings and local shows.
From 1940–47, Frank owned and ran the Court House Hotel in Pall Mall while also working as a boiler-maker in Bendigo.
Career
After the end of World War II, Frank returned to outdoor catering, using his family’s former dairy farm to manufacture and store frozen goods that could be easily reheated for sale.
On a trip to Melbourne, Frank noticed chop suey rolls being sold outside the Richmond football ground.
Inspired, Frank decided to invent his own item that was both larger and sturdier than the Chinese snack – perfect for enjoying a quick, easy meal in an informal outdoor setting like a football game.
A mix of cabbage, barley, carrots, celery, condiments and meat wrapped in an egg-batter dough, Frank originally called his invention, which contained no chicken, the ‘Chicken Roll’. He renamed the product the Chiko Roll before launching it at the Wagga Wagga Show in 1951.
In the 1960s, Frank moved to Melbourne to scale up his new business. The Chiko Roll steadily rose in popularity throughout the decade and at its peak in the 1970s more than 40 million were sold in Australia each year.
While not as popular as it was in its heyday, the Chiko Roll remains an icon of Australian food culture.
Personal life
On 20 August 1932, Frank married Anne Doreen Nolan with Catholic rites at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo. Together they had a son and daughter.
Death
Frank died of ischaemic heart disease on 14 March 1979. He lies to rest at Keilor Cemetery.
Bibliography
Adapted from material supplied by historian Dr Jan Penney, GMCT Trust member 2010-2020.
Dunstan, D (2000) Francis Gerald (Frank) McEncroe (1908–1979), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University [website]
Image credit
Image taken from Mashed.