KEY POINTS:
The mouth-watering pastry, those hearty, meat fillings - it could only be a Ponsonby Pie. Pie lovers have long rated it Auckland's finest - or should that be Tauranga's finest?
Production of the award-winning pastry snack shifted well south of the Bombays two years ago.
And Bryce Cole, of new owner Gourmet Foods, said most pie lovers had remained blissfully unaware of the change.
"Aucklanders probably don't like the idea ... but the pies are just as good, better even," he said.
Ponsonby Pies was launched in 1978 and built a loyal following in Auckland and beyond.
They prompted mentions in overseas newspapers and gushing tributes from exiled Kiwis.
Tauranga-based, and then trading as Pat's Pantry, Gourmet Foods bought the brand in 2005 from ageing founder and Ponsonby legend Victor Talyancich, who once sold the pies from his famed Open Late Cafe.
Since acquiring the company, sales had gone through the roof, said Cole. The pies were now available in most North Island supermarkets, though pie lovers on the Mainland were still missing out.
Retailing for around $3.69 in supermarkets, and up to $4.20 elsewhere, there were plenty of takers for the Ponsonby Pie, which had a "high image" Cole said.
He assured buyers the pies tasted the same: "We have modified the pastry recipe slightly, to give a better mouth-feel."
A packaging revamp will see the wrappers lose their red checks in favour of green. And that would make the ownership change more obvious to the consumer, said Cole.
Brigid Rogers, of the Ponsonby Road Promotions business association, said it was "quite sad" the famous pies were no longer made on the trendy strip but change was "a sign of the times".
"At least it's not gone offshore. If it were Shanghai or somewhere it would definitely be a scandal."
