New Zealand's best pie has been crowned, with the mince and cheese offering at Patrick's Pies in Tauranga yet again taking the top spot at the Bakels NZ Supreme Pie Awards in Auckland last night.
Patrick's Pies owner Patrick Lam has now won the award seven times , giving credence to the "Pie King" moniker that he embraces.
But it doesn't come easy, he told TVNZ1's Breakfast today, explaining that he works "seven days a week in roughly 12, 13 hours a day".
Mr Lam, who grew up in Cambodia, said he "knew nothing about pie at all" before arriving in New Zealand.
His first pie, he said, was mince and cheese.
"It was good," he recalled. "Flavour was good, pastry was good. Yep, I love it."
Mr Lam said the secret to a good pie is the pastry, explaining that his winning pie's "top pastry was quite fluffy and the bottom pastry was nice and firm".
"Pie King" Patrick Lam has won over seventy awards for his beautifully baked pies.
The flavour, of course, is also important, he said, along with "the ratio ... not too thick and not too runny".
"The whole combination was so nice," he said of his winner.
The Tauranga store has a loyal customer base, he said, with many returning to "tell us how nice the pie is".
Mr Lam also recalled the time when Breakfast host John Campbell visited the store about a decade ago.
"You gave us the name 'Pie King’ back in 2009 or '10, and it was so amazing," he said.
Watch the full interview in the video above.
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