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Who is NZ’s supreme pie maker?
Thursday, July 19, 2012 • Mark Peters
NINE Gisborne bakers hope their pies will be among the winners in the Bakels New Zealand Supreme Pie Awards.

Close to 300 Gisborne pies are among around 4500 entries which are being judged today. Winners will be announced next Tuesday.

With only two years of bakery experience behind him, Golden Crust Bakery owner Sukun Kheng’s mince and cheese pie was highly commended at the 2008 awards.

This year he is aiming for gold.

“I have entered five out of 12 categories this year — mince and cheese, mince and gravy, steak and cheese, bacon and egg, and seafood. I believe my fish pie is the best one.”

Mr Kheng enters to improve his skills.

“I try my best but you never know how it’s going to go. I just wait and see. I try different things with pastry and filling to make it better.”

He admits to his pies having a secret ingredient . . . which it will remain.

Head judge Dennis Kirkpatrick and his team of 17 professional baking judges have a long list of what constitutes a good looking and tasty pie.

Mr Kirkpatrick says while taste and flavour are vital, judges also look at the pastry to see if the top fits snugly, whether the casing is filled properly and what the filling looks like.

More than 400 bakeries and cafes around New Zealand have entered what is now the largest food contest in the country. Entry numbers this year are the highest since the awards began 16 years ago.

The pies will be blind-judged in 12 categories. A new category this year, cafe boutique, has been introduced to cater for the growing number of cafes serving a variety of tasty pies.

Forty nine awards are up for grabs. Prizes include $7500 cash and the coveted Supreme Piemaker Trophy while gold award winners receive $1000 cash.

Last year a spiced plum, port and apple pie, made by former Wairoa bakers Shane and Kathy Kearns of Viands Bakery, of Kihikihi near Te Awamutu, knocked the classic meat pie off its perch. The Kearns’ pie beat a record 4400 entries to take out the coveted title of the country’s top pie.

Dennis Kirkpatrick has been involved with the Pie Awards for 14 of the 16 years and has seen a massive increase in standard over this period.

“Pies were pretty basic when I first started judging. Mutton and spuds were the big one. I think the prestige of the competition has led to a huge increase in standards of New Zealand pies.”
THE GOLDEN TOUCH: Golden Crust Bakery owner Sukun Kheng checks on his golden pies while he waits to hear how his five entries go in the Bakels New Zealand Supreme Awards this year. Mr Kheng is one of nine Gisborne bakers among the 4500 entries in this year’s awards. Story on page 2. Picture by Dave Thomas
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