This Broadsheet "First Look" piece covers Wonder Pies' new Coburg North headquarters, opened after the brand — founded in 2018 by chef Raymond Capaldi and partner Jodi Crocker — lost its Bulleen factory to a compulsory redevelopment acquisition. The lofty new site sits within The Newlands Quarter, a food-and-beverage hospitality hub developed by Banco Group with the aim of becoming a local destination where visitors can see where Melbourne brands are made; fittingly, a large viewing window exposes the pie production, letting customers eat a pie while watching it being made and reinforcing the company's "100 per cent handmade" claim. Renowned for sturdy pastries (a light shortcrust base topped with crisp puff) that supply cafes, caterers and Flemington Racecourse, the shop offers around 15 fresh pie varieties at a time — from classic braised beef mince and gravy to a wagyu-and-bechamel lasagne version — plus sausage rolls, pasties, toasties and sweets from spin-off brand Nana Fraser's Bakery. Upstairs, a custom mezzanine with an open kitchen and marble bar hosts functions of up to 100 and private four-course chef's-table dinners for up to 16 (featuring dishes like duck à l'orange pithiviers or kangaroo tail pies), with future plans for virtual cooking classes, industry events and a 24-hour pie shop catering to crowds from the nearby Pentridge Cinema.