Lockdown changed everything for co-owners of Foxton's Humble Pie Cafe

Humble Pie Cafe in Foxton. Photo / Jennie Gutry

Mum and daughter team Debbie Baker and Christina Wilcock opened their first café Humble Pie on Monday, July 27 in Johnson St, Foxton.

They had no idea how popular their pies would be, especially when the original idea was to sell keto meals.

A business plan hatched during lockdown saw mum and daughter take out the lease on the premises near Turks, which used to operate as Luigis. Christina moved out to Foxton in February after leaving her job as a chef at Egmont Street Eatery in Wellington.

Driving around during level 4 lockdown, she noticed the vacant premises on SH1. It was perfect for a commercial kitchen venture she wanted to start with business partner and mum Debbie.

Debbie has been on a keto-based diet and lost over 27kg in the last year. Friends told her they would love to eat keto foods but don't have the time to prepare them. With that in mind, and her chef daughter now living in Foxton, the plan was to find a commercial kitchen to prepare keto meals in which could then be delivered in the local area on a trial basis.

Humble Pie's apple and rasberry pie. Photo / Jennie Gutry

"Based on where the kitchen is, the idea just grew to make pies, sandwiches, and other bakery items to cater for the local businesses around," said Christina.

Debbie was surprised how popular the café and takeaway was.

"We had the best welcome on the Monday we opened. We started off making 30 pies a day which quickly became 30 of each different type of pie. All our apple and raspberry pies have been sold out before noon."

Foxton free food shop Te Awahou Kai gave the café 20kg of apples and their volunteers spent hours peeling them for Christina and Debbie to prep for fruit pies. As a thank you, Humble Pie Café are donating $1 from every fruit pie sold in August towards transport costs incurred by Te Awahou Kai.

A Facebook post by Te Awahou Kai organiser Linda Lake reached over 11,000 people and is helping raise $20-30 a day from the fruit pie drive.

Locals supporting locals seems to be the theme at Humble Pie with chicken coming from nearby Turks, honey from local beekeepers and drinks including Foxton Fizz.

Debbie says the support from locals has been great. "The guys from Turks appreciate us serving Turks chicken."

As well as the pies proving popular, the keto meals and keto filled rolls sell out every day. Although the two ranges of food offered are opposite nutritionally, the combination seems to appeal to many.

"Lockdown changed everything for us," said Debbie. She said part of their business plan now is how they would carry on their business if the country had to go into level 4 lockdown again.

"We are pretty sure we could manage to carry on."

Humble Pie Café is open Monday to Friday 6am-2.30pm.