PEA, PIE AND PUD WITH A SMILE

Press, 7 July 1977, Page 20

PEA, PIE AND PUD WITH A SMILE

For 23-years, Fed and Pat Ross operated the Blenheim piecart. For the last two years and a half, their 26-year-old daughter, Diane Rasmussen, has been keeping the “pea, pie and pud” up and coming for hungry clients. Diane, who is married with three children, loves the life, although this lifestyle involves her in an 18-hour working day. There are household chores, husband Dennis and children to attend to at the start of the day before she commences preparations for each evening’s work. This normally finishes at midnight during the week and at 1 a.m. on Saturday. On Sunday night she enjoys her one night off a week. Diane isn't certain, but

she believes that she’s the only women in New Zealand running a pie cart single handed. Although most of her night-time clients are men, she says she has had little trouble with them. “We’ve had a fevz fights around the pie-cart, but nothing much.” The presence of the police station about 100 m along the road is comforting. “Service with a smile,” she said after wrapping the remains of a client’s meal in a “doggy bag” for him to take away and dispose of later. “And it is great service too,” said another client, faced with a plate piled to mountainous height with sausages, chips, eggs, mashy peas and buttered bread. “Look,” said another

after photographs had been taken, “I don’t know how she does it. I’m in the food business and I can’t see how she’s making a bob out of that enormous meal she served me. It cost less than $2 and so big I couldn’t finish it. Don’t know how she does it,” he mumbled as he disappeared into the night. At this stage there was little time in which to talk to Diane. It was 10.30 p.m. and suddenly (and not unexpectedly) the pie cart was crowded.

To the question: “Any plans to give it up in the future?” Diane didn’t hesitate while her hands were flying over the vats of bubbling fat. “I’m going on with this as long as I can.”