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A slice of pie is a treat at any time, but as the weather cools down and fall beckons, there is something about this season that makes it particularly tempting. Tokyo-based American Amya Miller is the new “Pie Queen” in town and she has all your needs covered. Saturday usually finds Miller selling her delicious handmade baked goods at the Farmer’s Market in front of Ark Hills in Tokyo, and she makes pies and cakes to order through her Pie Queen website.
This month, you can also meet her at the Taste of Tokyo, a popular gourmet event gathering the best international food in Tokyo. It runs from September 22 to 24 at the Ishi to Hikari no Hiroba near Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba.
If Miller’s name sounds familiar, it wouldn’t be surprising. Since the Great Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, she has frequently been the “voice” for Tohoku in the English media through her work with the town of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture. Rikuzentakata was one of the hardest-hit communities, losing 1,700 citizens in the tsunami. Having spent her childhood in Japan, Miller was keen to volunteer her services and the town mayor, Futoshi Toba, asked her to join his staff. In ongoing efforts to bring Tohoku’s voice to the world, Miller was appointed as the town’s global public relations director, then special adviser to the mayor — and now a principal consultant.
Savvy Tokyo catches up with Miller to learn how she combines two completely different lines of work and why pies matter.
What led you to start a home baking business?
The work in Rikuzentakata for the past six and a half years has been incredibly meaningful and seriously intense. I found that my life was not balanced at all. I worked all the time and played little. Then my husband and I moved into an apartment in Tokyo that had an oven. I threw together a pie the night we moved in before we even had the bed set up. The food I missed most from home was pie. I just could not find anything in Japan that came close to what I considered a real pie.
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8 Comments
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SumoBob
Looks great. Japan sorely needs more real baked pies.
gokai_wo_maneku
Yeah, those pies do look great. And what happened to the similar sounding "Anna Miller's", the US pie restaurant that was around in the 90s, when I was in junior high. I had real pumpkin pie there for the first time in my life and loved it. There seems to be only one shop now in Shinagawa. Where else can I get real American pies?
pacint
Looks interesting but need to try the local Bubby's first.
Personally more into British style pies, there used to be a Brit here making them, local meat shop also makes a few of I buy from Meatguy.
JeffLee
Was there about a year ago. Amazing but left me feeling guilty. Is the one on that narrow hilly walking path in Shibuya gone? Shame.
Thanks for reminding me. I havent been there in a long while, even tho I live not too far away. Once went to a Thanksgiving soiree featuring Kyle's creations ages ago.
gokai_wo_maneku
@Educator60 Thanks for that information. I will definitely look into that! I wish these great restaurants were more aggressive with their Tokyo/Japan business, like the fast food places. At least we still have Sizzlers in West Shinjuku.
lostrune2
They closed one by one
https://kotaku.com/5880788/the-waitress-uniform-that-started-it-all