Ryan and Chan Khun, Cambodian-born brothers running Country Cob bakery in Victoria, have won the Baking Association of Australia's (BAA) overall best pie award for the fifth time in eight years with a Malaysian-style prawn curry pie. The winning pie features golden pastry encasing coconut-poached prawns infused with galangal, lemongrass, chilli, and ginger.
From Pie Novice to Prize Winner
Ryan Khun, who arrived in Australia from Cambodia in 2012 at age 27, had never tasted a pie before. His first encounter was a meat pie from a service station, which he found unappealing. "There is something I don't really like," he recalls. Despite his initial aversion, Khun joined his brother Chan at his bakery in Kyneton, Victoria, starting work at midnight. For years, they only baked bread, with pies supplied by a third party. Dissatisfied with the quality—"too dry, too salty"—they decided to make their own pies and cakes, enrolling in baking trade school while working full-time.
Award-Winning Creations
Their first original recipe was a garlic prawn pie, still on the menu. By 2018, they had moved to a new shopfront in Kyneton and won their first BAA best overall pie award with a satay fish entry, described by a judge as "unbelievable – well created with that smooth satay flavour and seafood cooked to perfection." Subsequent winners include a caramelised pork and pepper pie (2019) inspired by the Cambodian dish kaw sach chrouk, and a fish amok pie (2023). Their 2026 winner is the Malaysian prawn curry pie.
Adapting to Local Tastes
Khun notes that their pies are tweaked to suit Australia's predominantly white customer base—fillings are slightly sweeter and less spicy. A multicultural team at Country Cob deliberates on new flavours, with the Malaysian prawn pie taking three months to perfect. Not all experiments succeed; failed flavours include kung pao chicken, kimchi pork, and beef bulgogi. Future plans include Singapore chilli crab and "super cheese" pies.
Expansion and Customer Response
Country Cob now has stores in Kyneton, Boronia, and Springvale, plus a production kitchen in Dandenong South, baking over 10,000 pies weekly. Customers travel from afar; Bob Reggio drove from Sydney to Melbourne with a Mustang club, calling the prawn pie "absolutely delicious … it brings a tear to my eye." Customer Teresa Nguyen praises the bakery's adventurous flavours, stating, "We're not a boring country … We're not monoculture."
