Fancy a pie? EMILY'S ARE BEST IN THE WEST!

Earning a crust is easy when you're this passionate about food

- Rebekah Hebenton

Over the past 20 years, chef Emily Lucas has made her mark on the New Zealand food landscape. She has won countless awards, cooked for dignitaries, and catered weddings for high-profile sports stars like Beauden Barrett and Ryan Fox.

But after conquering the world of fine dining, Emily is returning to basics - elevating the humble pie with her latest venture, The West Coast Pie Co.

“There are days where I miss the full-on busy service days, but I love being a baker and creating pies,” says the 52-year-old.

As one of 10 siblings growing up in rural Taranaki, Emily knew her way around the kitchen from a young age. With many mouths to feed, she had to pull her weight, taking part in every aspect of food preparation - from working in the vegetable garden with her mum to helping kill and prepare animals for the freezer, then cooking in the kitchen.

“I feel that connection with food is something that has been lost,” she muses.