The Food Truck NZ - S01E01 - Pies
The Food Truck NZ - S01E01 - Pies
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TVTranscript
00:00The New Zealand fast food industry is worth over $1.3 billion a year, but there's a huge
00:08social cost.
00:10Two out of every five deaths have some link to diet-related factors.
00:14Without putting you off your dinner, us Kiwis need to change what we eat.
00:21Michael van der Elzen is the owner and head chef at the award-winning molten restaurant
00:25and liquid molten bar in Mount Eden, Auckland.
00:28He's on a mission to make fast food healthy food.
00:32Fast food can be exciting, it can be healthy, it can be food that we serve in our restaurant.
00:37The bit I'm worried about is, are Kiwis willing to go for it?
00:41To find out, he set himself up in a mobile kitchen, swapping five-course meals for five-dollar
00:46burgers to take his healthy fast food to New Zealanders.
00:54Can Michael create nutritious takeaways with the price, speed and taste that Kiwis demand?
01:00Find out in the food truck.
01:08The early British colonists brought many things to New Zealand, including the pie.
01:14And since then, Kiwis have been stuffing their pie holes with 65 million calorie-packed mystery
01:19packs a year.
01:20Kiwis love pies.
01:21They're just so convenient.
01:22You can get them from service stations, your corner dairy.
01:23I've got friends that have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
01:24They are installed into our DNA.
01:25To change this Kiwi classic, Michael will need to face a convenient truth about pies.
01:26A pie is convenient.
01:27Pull them out of the packet and away you go.
01:28More value than a bag of potato chips.
01:29If you don't like them, there's something wrong with you.
01:30Well, there's plenty wrong with the fat-packed pie.
01:31With an average of 500 calories a serve, most pies hide a lump of protein.
01:32And that's why they're called the fat-packed pie.
01:33And that's why they're called the fat-packed pie.
01:34And that's why they're called the fat-packed pie.
01:35And that's why they're called the fat-packed pie.
01:36A pie is convenient.
01:37Pull them out of the packet and away you go.
01:38More value than a bag of potato chips.
01:39If you don't like them, there's something wrong with you.
01:40Well, there's plenty wrong with the fat-packed pie.
01:41With an average of 500 calories a serve, most pies hide a lump of lard the size of a golf
01:42ball.
01:43The pie is a biggie on the food truck hit list.
01:44Michael's going to park his healthy pies at a meat-loving hot rod festival in just two
01:45days, which isn't long.
01:46And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:47And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:48And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:49And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:50And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:51And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:52And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:53And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:54And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:55And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:56And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:57And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:58And like this mullet and this purple beard.
01:59And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:00And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:01And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:02And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:03And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:04And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:05And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:06And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:07And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:08And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:09And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:10And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:11And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:12And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:13And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:14And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:15And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:16And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:17And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:18And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:19And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:20And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:21And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:22And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:23And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:24And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:25And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:26And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:27And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:28And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:29And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:30And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:31And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:32And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:33And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:34And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:35And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:36And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:37And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:38And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:39And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:40And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:41And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:42And like this mullet and this purple beard.
02:43Mazza!
02:44Good day, how is today?
02:45How are you?
02:46Wonderful, thank you.
02:47Yourself?
02:48Good.
02:49Look at them, beauties.
02:50Very nice.
02:51I would like to order your most popular pie you have.
02:52Steak and cheese.
02:53Always?
02:54Always.
02:55It's a Kiwi icon, isn't it, the steak and cheese pie.
02:56It certainly is.
02:57How many steak and cheese pies would you sell?
02:58100 a day.
02:59120 a day.
03:00With those kind of numbers, at $4 a pop, Mazza must be earning a good crust.
03:01But what's a steak and cheese pie?
03:02A steak and cheese pie.
03:03And a pita.
03:04And a pizza.
03:05And a pizza.
03:06And a pizza.
03:07And a pizza.
03:08And a pizza.
03:09And a pizza.
03:10Maza must be earning a good crust, but what's his secret?
03:14Beef, beef. This is a real meat pie.
03:17You know, there's so much meat jammed into this.
03:19It's fantastic value.
03:21You know, it weighs a tonne.
03:23This is true steak and cheese pie.
03:27Far out. Man, she's bursting.
03:32Maza's pies are made fresh each morning,
03:34but there's one place you can get a pie any time you like,
03:37day or night, the servo.
03:39Filling up on a pie when you fill up on petrol
03:41is a matter of course for most Kiwis.
03:43With just 29% beef content and a price tag of $3.50,
03:47what's the big deal with a Big Ben pie?
03:50That's s***.
03:52It is. It's terrible.
03:55Yes, it's a Big Ben. It's something we all recognise.
03:57It's something I had as a child.
03:59But it's doughy on the outside and the centre,
04:02while it looks like meat, it doesn't taste like meat.
04:06Next, Michael heads to the trendy Auckland suburb of Kingsland,
04:10where posh pies filled with gourmet ingredients
04:13cost more than the two pies he's already tried combined.
04:16But is it worth it?
04:18Looks great, I must say.
04:20It is a shining example of a wonderful, glistening pie.
04:27Chicken, mushroom pesto.
04:30Not as good as what I thought it would be.
04:32I think it's got far too much sauce, opposed to the chicken.
04:35For $7.50, you'd want a damn good pie.
04:39So, after tasting all the pies on the pie chart,
04:42what has Michael learnt?
04:43The world's your oyster in regards to what you put into a pie,
04:46but I need to pack health factors into it,
04:49I need to pack vegetables into it,
04:51and I need to think of a pastry that's not buttery and full of fat.
04:58Oh man, sauce is going everywhere.
05:02On his quest to source a more nutritious pie,
05:05Michael's driving round to Dad's Pies,
05:07one of the fathers of New Zealand pie production.
05:10Dad's Pies are baked with Kiwi waistlines in mind,
05:13and Michael's got an appetite
05:15for seeing how their famous puff pastry gets the health tick.
05:18How are you doing?
05:20Welcome to Dad's Pies.
05:21Absolutely.
05:22Here we are.
05:23I'm excited. I want to see how you make your pies.
05:25Are you sure?
05:26Absolutely.
05:27Well, I'll be proud to show you.
05:29Great.
05:30Come with me.
05:31With 25 years of pie making behind him,
05:33Eddie Grooten will show Michael the ropes.
05:36Pull that over your ears a little bit more.
05:39OK, let's do it.
05:42First stop on this whirlwind tour of Dad's Pie Factory
05:45is the cool room.
05:47This is where it all starts.
05:48It's very lean, very low fat content.
05:51A very fatty pie will taste nice,
05:53but if we talk about the health content,
05:55this is where it starts.
05:57Michael and Eddie are getting on like a house on fire.
06:01See why you wear gumboots.
06:03Maybe Michael and this pie giant
06:05have more in common than he first thought.
06:07Here we are in the main production area.
06:12Then again, maybe not.
06:17That gives us a capacity of 10,000 pies an hour.
06:21Three tonne of pastry.
06:23450 metres long.
06:25The numbers are mind-boggling.
06:2714,000 units per hour.
06:30That's a lot of pies.
06:31That's a lot of pies.
06:32Michael needs to make pies on a much smaller scale,
06:35but he's still hoping to get some tips
06:37for his much more humble pies.
06:39Yeah, but what a beautiful finished bake that is, isn't it?
06:43And now it's time for business.
06:45Come with me.
06:47Here we are in our pastry production room, Michael.
06:50A dad's pie contains as much as a third less fat than other pies,
06:53thanks to Eddie's folded puff pastry.
06:56Michael wants to know how he does it.
06:58What makes your pastry that much healthier?
07:00It's the technology that does it.
07:02I can't take this machine and put it into my truck.
07:05No, and you can't do that as a hand product.
07:07You can't do that if you haven't got the technology at hand.
07:11How could I make a healthy wholemeal pastry in my food truck?
07:16I'm not sure how that would bake.
07:19I don't think Michael can do it, to put it in a truck like this.
07:22I don't think so.
07:24He may have been headed off on the healthy wholemeal pastry idea,
07:28but Michael's not giving up on the anti-pie just yet.
07:31There seems to be a void in the market
07:33for lots of vegetables inside pies.
07:36It will never be a big seller.
07:38It's the customer who decides.
07:40It just wouldn't sell.
07:42The long and short of it is that Kiwis love meat pies.
07:47And that's really the way it is.
07:49Hey, Eddie. Hey, cheers. Good help.
07:51You too. Cheers, mate.
07:55Gourmet chef Michael van der Elzen
07:58has spent the last few days
08:00finding out what's inside the famous New Zealand pie.
08:03It's a Kiwi icon, isn't it?
08:05But he hasn't been impressed.
08:07So he's hoping his healthy yet hearty version of this iconic snack
08:11will go down a treat with the hungry punters
08:14at Whangamata's Beach Hop and Hot Rod Festival.
08:18First, Michael's road-testing his newfangled pies
08:21on the front line of Famished Fellows,
08:23truckers at the ports of Auckland.
08:25One thing about truckies is they love their pies.
08:27I like pies because of the meat.
08:29The pastry. The steak and the mushroom.
08:31The mince and cheese. Steak and cheese pies.
08:33Pork pie on pickle.
08:35I eat a lot of them, as you can see.
08:37You know, I've noticed a few big boys, you know.
08:40Apparently last year there were five heart attacks here.
08:43That's outrageous.
08:45I've got three pies that I want to make.
08:47All the pies are healthy.
08:49All the pies have a load of vegetables in them.
08:51If I'm going to influence a group,
08:53this is a great place to start.
08:55A veggie-packed pie is surely a recipe for disaster.
08:59Down here, the only veggie you'll see is tomato sauce.
09:03How will Michael feed these carnivores?
09:05I want to make a fish pie,
09:07but it's not going to be your normal fish pie
09:09because I want to bake my pie in bread.
09:11Mmm. A ladies' pie for the blokes.
09:13No meat, no pastry.
09:15I'm really interested to see what they think of that.
09:18Jumping in the deep end with his fish pie,
09:20Michael gets to work.
09:22Firstly, he carefully takes the flesh off the smoked kawai.
09:25I think this whole kawai cost me less than $10.
09:27Then soaks the fish in milk.
09:29Now I want to add my veggies into the smoked fish pie.
09:32Onions, leeks, celery, fennel.
09:34Fennel, smoked fish, always a beautiful combination.
09:37While Michael softens the veggies in olive oil,
09:40he rolls out the wholemeal bread dough
09:42as his healthy pastry substitute.
09:44Classic wholemeal dough for our wholemeal pies.
09:46Michael's confident his approach will hold the men's attention
09:49and the tasty filling.
09:51I'm hoping this bread will hold it all in this great shape
09:53and you can just pick it up, eat it like that.
09:55Then a sprinkling of peas and some lemon zest.
09:58It may not be your traditional-looking pie,
10:01but it's got all the attributes of it.
10:03It's got sides, it's got base, it's got beautiful filling.
10:06I hope the truck drivers think the same thing.
10:08It's time to put his money where their mouths are.
10:11The first truckie approaches the bait.
10:13OK, matey, well, I'm going to give you a smoked fish pie.
10:16Let me know what you think of it.
10:19A healthy fish pie at the port is asking for trouble.
10:23And it all comes down to this one first taste.
10:31Not bad, yeah.
10:34Piping hot smoked fish pies straight out of the oven.
10:38That's bloody nice.
10:40Do you eat a lot of pies as a trucker?
10:42My doctor tells me not to.
10:44Would you go for a healthy pie that tastes good
10:47as opposed to just your normal pie?
10:49As long as it's like this.
10:51I haven't had a smoked fish pie that tasty for a long time.
10:56So his fish pie made a splash.
10:59Next, Michael's put his twist on the classic pork pie.
11:02Remove as much of the fat as you can
11:04so you're left with just the lean pork meat.
11:06Michael separates the water that he used to cook the pork overnight,
11:10then adds...
11:11Carrot, celery and the pork stock,
11:14then thicken it with the cornstarch,
11:16add your pork back in,
11:18and maybe a couple of peas.
11:20Bang, you've got a filling.
11:22Michael puts the pork pie filling into some puff pastry
11:25and adds a lid.
11:27I'm going to use a little bit of egg wash
11:29just to give us that beautiful glaze on top.
11:32You do eat with your eyes.
11:34If something looks gorgeous, looks tasty,
11:36you're already telling your brain it's going to taste fantastic.
11:39But what will the tasters think?
11:41At least their hungry truckies are not refined pork pie connoisseurs.
11:45Here, sir. Caution, filling may be hot.
11:47Or are they?
11:48Thank you very much.
11:50Bit of a pork pie fan.
11:51Oh, it's an English thing.
11:53I'm picking up a bit of a, what, English, Scottish?
11:55English.
11:56So you love your pork pies?
11:58Yes.
11:59And what makes a good pork pie is lean meat,
12:02a little bit of gelatine,
12:04nice flaky pastry.
12:10Very nice.
12:14Quite enjoyable.
12:15And it's healthy.
12:17Is health a big factor in the truck driving world?
12:20A lot of them are on a seafood diet.
12:22They see the food, they eat it.
12:25They don't care what it is.
12:28These hard-working men make short work of the pies,
12:31so Michael feels empowered to reinvent the pie
12:34you just don't mess with.
12:36Let's hope it hits the spot.
12:38Steak and cheese pie is a Kiwi favourite,
12:40so I'm going to do my take on a steak and cheese pie.
12:43Michael cuts a single layer of supermarket puff pastry
12:46for his base, then fries some sirloin steak.
12:49Instead of adding oil to your pan,
12:51a few rations of pancetta,
12:53and it'll give you enough oil to cook your beef in,
12:55but that oil is flavoured.
12:57Fantastic.
12:58To that I'm going to add mushrooms, onions.
13:01Already you're getting that aroma of that smoked pancetta.
13:04Just stunning.
13:06The moisture is going to come from a single tomato.
13:11A few final touches, then Michael whips up some mashed potato
13:14to curl around the top of the pie,
13:16eliminating that heavy, lardy pastry lid.
13:19They do look quite cute, I must admit.
13:21And finally...
13:22I'm just putting an absolute slither of Parmesan cheese on top.
13:26That's the beauty about it.
13:28You're not getting all that fat with this cheese,
13:30you're just getting flavour.
13:32Fantastic.
13:33I'm going to put this in the oven,
13:34and I'm ready to get some feedback on my pies.
13:37Michael's incredible, edible steak and cheese pie,
13:40with half the fat thanks to a potato top.
13:43That's the kiwi flavour of the old steak and cheese pie.
13:45Can he make it three out of three?
13:47Potato top is nice.
13:49Tasty.
13:51Michael's healthy steak and cheese pies
13:53have really spun these truckies' wheels.
13:55Selling them at a profit to the hot rod petrolheads
13:57should be simple.
13:59How much would you be prepared to pay for that,
14:01when it's got lots of veggies in it,
14:03and it's been made with love and with health in mind?
14:06Considering that these are pretty, you know,
14:08melts in your mouth, really.
14:10$2.50.
14:13$2.50.
14:15$2.00, $2.50.
14:17$2.00.
14:18You truckies, I tell you.
14:20I'm not going to make much money out of you.
14:22No, you won't.
14:23The biggest worry was when I asked them
14:25how much they wanted to pay, it was like $2.00.
14:27That's it.
14:29I don't want to rework my pies,
14:31but I really have to produce a healthy pie
14:34at a cheap price,
14:36and that is a huge challenge.
14:41Gourmet chef Michael van der Elzen
14:43has set himself the challenge of making a healthy pie
14:46to serve and sell to hungry hot rodders
14:48at the Whangamata Beach Hop.
14:50So far, people are happy with the taste of his pies.
14:53It's part of the cash that may be the problem.
14:56$2.50.
14:57$2.00, $2.50.
14:58With only 24 hours till showtime,
15:00Michael's starting to wonder how far outside the box
15:03he can go to bring costs down.
15:05I've got to take it outside the box a little bit further.
15:08And there's one very healthy idea
15:10that Michael can't quite let go of.
15:12The vegetable pie will never be a big seller.
15:15He can't say he wasn't warned.
15:17I could almost hear Eddie's voice in my head going,
15:19you know, you can't make a pie without meat.
15:21Let's see.
15:23It's a bold last-minute move,
15:25and the proof's in the pastry.
15:27I used white flour, wholemeal flour,
15:29turmeric for colouring and a clever substitute for butter.
15:32Coconut oil is going to give me a really short,
15:35crusty pastry without the fat.
15:38You know, you feel like you need to put it all over your body.
15:41But he doesn't, and after mixing it through,
15:43adds apple vinegar and water for a pastry like no other.
15:47Beautiful.
15:48Now for the filling.
15:49Onions, chickpeas, green lentils, peas, spinach, pumpkin,
15:53buffalo ricotta...
15:54High in calcium, low in cholesterol.
15:56..puréed lentils and coconut cream.
15:58It's 100% vegetables.
16:00Next...
16:01In she goes.
16:02..after rolling the pastry,
16:03Michael puts it in the pie mould, ready for the filling.
16:06Taste is what it's all about, and this is going to taste great.
16:10Ready to go in the oven.
16:1235 minutes or until golden brown.
16:14But it's not just the vegetable pie that's got Michael in a spin.
16:18His steak and cheese will stay just as the truckies like it.
16:21Beautiful.
16:22And to his fish pie,
16:23he's adding a tasty, nutritious salsa of herbs, capers and egg whites.
16:27Fish pie à la food truck.
16:29But now it's back to business.
16:31Michael's so confident about his vegetarian pie,
16:33he's losing the pork pie altogether to keep costs down.
16:36Look at that.
16:37That is what I call a pie.
16:39Here's your pie, sir.
16:40Oh, thank you.
16:42The big moment's arrived.
16:44It's time to see if Michael's vegetable pie gamble has paid off.
16:49Needs truckload more flavour.
16:51Oh, dear.
16:52Not the result he was after.
16:54So the mad scientist worked late into the night in his lab.
16:58You've got to have meat, Michael.
17:00Otherwise it won't sell.
17:02And in the morning, Michael's invented a monster.
17:07OK.
17:08I worked really late last night working on this veggie pie,
17:11but I got it, I cracked it.
17:13I promise I haven't done any of my other prep,
17:15so I've got a lot to do down there.
17:17And the matter of price?
17:19I've managed to keep my price down a little bit by doing the veggie pie,
17:22but I'm using premium products,
17:24so I've decided to go for a flat rate of five bucks.
17:27And the food truck, the food truck actually made some money.
17:32The Whangamata Beach Hop is an annual gathering of hot rods,
17:36classic cars, rock and roll and 50s and 60s mania.
17:42Michael's food truck is a converted classic 1970s Bedford,
17:46so this old girl should fit right in.
17:48But it's not Michael's wheels on display, it's his pies.
17:52And he's starting to wonder if hot pies and hot rods
17:55are such a good match after all.
17:57I hope I've made the right decision with my vegetable pie,
18:00because, you know, these guys here, they're all...
18:03They look like the meat lovers.
18:05You know, they've got their hot rods,
18:07so are they going to go for my vegetarian pie?
18:09I don't know, but all I know is that vegetarian pie
18:12is loaded with goodness, it's great.
18:16Michael may end up with vegetable pie on his face,
18:19but the huge hungry crowd will need something to eat,
18:22and they'll need it soon.
18:23For $5, can Michael tempt them with his wholemeal breadfish pie,
18:27the outrageous veggie pie without a scrap of meat,
18:30or his dangerously good steak and cheese?
18:32Will people pay $5 for a pie?
18:34There's good ingredients in there, there's sirloin,
18:37there's smoked kawaii, there's loads of veggies.
18:40But not loads of time.
18:42There's a hungry mob gathering, and Michael's food truck
18:45is in their sights.
18:46OK, OK, so many people outside, all waiting for the pies.
18:50So I've just got to get them cooked.
18:52Smells delicious, can't wait.
18:54Got to try the steak and cheese, you know,
18:56it says it's healthier here.
18:57Healthier, hopefully.
18:59But remember, Michael's meant to be serving fast food.
19:03After a long wait, finally...
19:08I'm ready.
19:09Look at them, look at these pies.
19:11My pie warmer is full, and it's going to sell out.
19:14It's going to sell out in minutes.
19:16Minutes.
19:17Ladies and gentlemen, the food truck is open.
19:21Who's first?
19:22Three fish pies, thanks.
19:24Fish, fish, fish.
19:25It's a strong start for the wholemeal breadfish pie.
19:28Brilliant, brilliant.
19:30Very nice.
19:31If you have a choice, wholemeal is always better.
19:35Sorry for the fish pie and its wholemeal bread pastry,
19:38but Michael's still confident that the Kiwi favourite,
19:40steak and cheese, will be a bestseller.
19:43Two steak and cheese, please.
19:44No worries.
19:45And he's right on the money.
19:47No worries.
19:48Steak and cheese, please.
19:49No worries.
19:50Can I get two steak and cheese?
19:51No worries.
19:52Enjoy that, huh?
19:53Sir, two steak and cheese.
19:55No worries.
19:56It was a steak and cheese frenzy.
19:58Steak and cheese are a-going.
20:00In only 10 minutes, Michael has sold nearly 20 steak and cheese pies,
20:04and they're living up to the hype.
20:06Beautiful.
20:07The pastry is mmm.
20:10You can taste the parmesan.
20:12Really beautiful, tender, chunky meat.
20:14Not just your minced-up pie that you normally have.
20:17We've been nailed.
20:18This is our last steak and cheese pie.
20:20We have sold so many of these.
20:22If I knew it was going to be this busy, I would have made more.
20:25Sorry, people.
20:26We have sold out of steak and cheese pies.
20:28But it's not just the meat-filled favourite that's selling out.
20:31Michael's faith in his vegetable pie has led to a miracle.
20:34Vegetable pie, please.
20:35Beautiful.
20:36Sir.
20:37Vegetable pie.
20:38Lovely.
20:39Vegetarian, yes.
20:40Go for the vegetarian.
20:41It's possibly a New Zealand first.
20:43Good choice.
20:44But after 20 minutes, the vegetarian pie has sold out too.
20:48Mmm, yum.
20:50You can actually taste the nutrition of the pie.
20:52Very nice.
20:53You know, idiot, the pie factory told me you cannot sell pies without meat in it.
20:57I've just proven them wrong because I've sold a vegetarian pie
21:00that tasted fantastic and it sold out before the fish.
21:03Eat that, Eddie.
21:05And surprisingly, it's the fish pie that's last off the boat.
21:08OK.
21:09Lovely.
21:10In one final fish pie flurry...
21:13Find another one.
21:14It's so bloody tasty.
21:16..he sells the lot.
21:17Thank you very much.
21:18Cleaned out.
21:19That's it.
21:21I'm opening a pie shop.
21:23That was fantastic.
21:25I just sold 72 pies in 26 minutes.
21:29Booyah!
21:31It's a great day as a chef when you can produce something that's healthy
21:35and people will buy it.
21:37The food truck is a legend.
21:40Chef Michael van der Elzen wants to change fast food for the better.
21:44And at least today, he has.
21:46But to make a serious lasting difference, he has a long way to go.
21:50And next week, he'll find out it's not always as easy as pie.
21:59.
22:29.