Borsch, vodka and tears – the story of Andrzej Kaczmarski If there’s one thing that can be said about Polish immigrants, it’s that they don’t do things halfway. Take Andrzej Kaczmarski, who moved from Poland to Australia in the early 80s to start his own business based on his passion for food and spirits – a restaurant selling Polish food and Polish vodka at wholesale prices. But business wasn’t easy, and Andrzej found himself working 17 hour days just to make ends meet.
Andrzej emigrated from Warsaw to St Kilda via Dortmund in the early 80s. He made a name for himself with his bars on Chapel Street - Polish bars that served borsch and vodka in the traditional way. He also became known for his take-away cocktails, which he delivered to people's homes. His business prospered as the Polish restaurants in Melbourne closed down one by one.
Andrzej Kaczmarski left Warsaw in the early 80s to find a better life. He ended up in Australia and started working at a Polish restaurant. After he had been there for three years, he became the owner of Borsch, Vodka and Tears bar. It's located on Chapel Street in St Kilda, Melbourne.
It might not seem like much now but back then it was an immigrant's dream come true - owning your own business that catered to other immigrants from Poland. People came from all over to this place where they could drink their native vodka or try borscht for the first time since communism took over their country.
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