Six of the best for Kahil Meats Bass Hill Plaza – and the major ‘gong’ as well!

On Tuesday 26 May at the Revesby Workers Club, Kahil Meats Bass Hill Plaza achieved something truly extraordinary – claiming both Business of the Year and an unprecedented sixth consecutive Butchery of the Year title at the Canterbury Bankstown Local Business Awards.

The double victory left the Kahil family and their team momentarily speechless.

To win the night’s top honour, Business of the Year, from a field spanning thousands of nominees across more than 25 categories, was something even Bill Kahil – a man not easily lost for words – struggled to process.

“There are literally thousands of nominees in the local business category alone, so to win that award is surreal,” Mr Kahil told AMUST.

 “Winning the Butchery award six years in a row means the world to us – but to then also be named Business of the Year on the same night….that is the cherry on the top and an honour that is simply beyond words.”

On the sixth straight Butchery title specifically, he was equally moved.

“Six years in a row is something I still find hard to believe,” he said.

 “It tells us that our customers and our community believe in what we do, and that means everything.”

“To win one award on a night like this is special but to win the major award as well is something we will never forget.”

The foundations for this success were laid half a century ago. 

Bill’s father Anis – known affectionately in the community as Abu Khaled – established Lakemba’s first halal butchery on Yangoora Road in the late 1970s, a short walk from the then newly opened Lakemba Mosque. 

What started as a single shop serving a rapidly growing community has since evolved into one of south-western Sydney’s most trusted and decorated food businesses.

Bill Kahil and his business partner Sam Chami have taken that legacy and built on it with a clear and unapologetic philosophy: there is a world of difference between what you find pre-packed in a supermarket and what a skilled butcher prepares fresh for you each morning. 

At Kahil Meats, every cut is prepared daily, and customers don’t just leave with quality meat, they leave with genuine advice tailored to how they actually cook at home. 

It’s that personal touch, combined with direct relationships with farmers and a firm paddock-to-plate commitment on beef, that keeps people driving from all over Sydney to shop there rather than rely on their local Woolworths or Coles.

Anis Kahil himself, now in his later years, still helps out regularly to the Bass Hill site – a quiet but powerful reminder of where it all began, and of the standard he set that Bill and the rest of the team continue to honour every single day.

The business has never seen community involvement as optional. 

Whether sponsoring local clubs, contributing to fundraising drives, or working with organisations to put food on the tables of families doing it tough, Kahil Meats has consistently given back without fanfare. 

That culture of quiet generosity earned them a Local Hero Award and recognition in the NSW Parliament following their 2022 Butchery win – and now the ultimate honour that their region can bestow on a local business.

Bill, as ever, was quick to redirect the spotlight.

 “This belongs to our entire team,” he said. “Their passion is what makes the difference.”

“And to our customers, we are incredibly humbled….they are the reason we do what we do.”