Tezukuri Pie-no Mise (handmade pie shop) Nuchi (in Ginowan City) offers bite-sized, handmade pies with a wonderfully nostalgic taste.

Although it was my first time trying the bite-sized Nuchi Pies, I was delighted with the nostalgic taste.



Tezukuri Pie-no Mise (handmade pie shop) Nuchi opened in September 2020, in Ginowan City.


Retracing memories to recreate the nostalgic past.

The owner of Nuchi, Kimihiko Shimabukuro, remembers how he loved the pies offered at the long-established steakhouse that his family often went to when he was a child. As time went by, he increasingly wanted “to offer the delicious tastes etched in his memory to more people.” He talked about this wish to his elder sister, Ryoko-san, who had a chef’s license and years of experience working in the food and beverage industry. Ryoko-san went to work and tried to recreate the tastes of the “pies from their childhood.”



Ryoko-san says, “I don’t know how many times my brother rejected my attempts, but finally, we recreated the pie from our childhood. It was then that we opened our pie shop.”


Delicious, bite-sized pies.

The pies they were aiming for have a delightfully light and crispy crust. They also wanted to make them small enough to be enjoyed with just one bite, and also so that people can enjoy more than just one.





At Nuchi, they regularly offer 10 varieties of pies: custard, chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, Beni-imo (purple potato), Taanmu (taro), apple, sesame, Matcha and sweet red beans, and cream cheese. They also offer one extra flavor that’s available only for a limited time.



The most popular pie is their Taanmu. Taro is a specialty product of Ginowan City where Nuchi is located, and so it’s no surprise that it’s the top choice among the local customers. The most popular pick among tourists is their Beni-imo purple potato pie, made with Beni-imo powder kneaded into the crust.



The crispy crust is on the thicker side, with a sweet fragrance of wheat, and offers a simple yet wonderful taste. The filling is nice and moist and isn’t too sweet. The pies are cute and small, so you’ll probably find yourself reaching for a second and third.


Offered at reasonable prices, so you can try them all.

You might be pleasantly surprised to learn that these pies are available for only 75 yen each. The reason for their reasonable price tag is simple: “We want people to try all the different varieties we offer,” says Kimihiko-san and Ryoko-san. They often have customers come in to pick up 20 or 30 pies to take to their gatherings with friends and family, and the shop has a nice gift box for these yummy goodies.


(Order sheets with the varieties and space to fill in how many you’d like to buy.)

The pies are good for two days at room temperature (three days when refrigerated). You can enjoy them on their own or alongside a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream, or however you’d like.


Cute, heart-shaped Nuchi Pie Cookies

These are Nuchi Pie Cookies made with Azuki red beans mixed into the Nuchi Pie crust and then shaped into hearts before they’re baked in the oven. These cookies are not available all the time, and because of their popularity, they quickly sell out. If you’re lucky enough to come across them on your visit to Nuchi, I recommend you pick some up.


 

“Many of our customers ask us to make more of these cookies but we often can’t secure the time to make more,” says Ryoko-san, apologetically.

“We start our preparations every morning at 6:00, but since I’m the only one making them, my hands are full just from making the pies. In the future, though, we hope to make more Nuchi Pie Cookies and also to expand the variety of the pies. We offer sweet pies now, but we also want to make pies that are savory and good as finger food to accompany alcoholic beverages, or as a light meal.”

The pies offered at Nuchi are nostalgic in taste and you’ll be delighted with just one bite. When in the neighborhood, why not drop by and give them a try?

 

Handmade Pie Shop Nuchi
Address: 5-6-5 Ojana, Ginowan City, Okinawa
Telephone: 098-897-4181
Hours: 11:00 to 18:00
Closed: Thursdays
https://nuchipie.com    



Okinawa CLIP photo writer, Sachiko Tachi