The Sweet Smell of Success Lingers Over Orlando at the 2008 Great American Pie Festival Sponsored by Crisco®
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American Pie Council Newsletter www.piecouncil.org Spring 2008 THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS LINGERS OVER ORLANDO AT THE 2008 GREAT AMERICAN PIE FESTIVAL SPONSORED BY CRISCO® More than 25,000 Pie Lovers and Pie Bakers United in Weekend of Competition, Family Fun and Of Course, Pie Eating It was a pie-lovers dream come true. For one weekend, April 19-20, thousands of pie lovers, pie bakers, celebrity chefs and vendors of all things pie-related converged in the idyllic town of Celebration, Fla., just outside Orlando, to celebrate a love affair with what is arguably America’s most beloved dessert, pie. The 2008 Great American Pie Festival sponsored by Crisco® was the most successful in the event’s 14-year-history, with more than 25,000 pie lovers in attendance and a record- setting 50,000 slices in the Never-Ending Pie Buffet, which was sponsored by a smorgasbord of local, regional and national commercial bakeries, restaurants and markets. The Food Network added an exciting presence at the pie baking championship and throughout the weekend festival, as film crews captured the thrills, spills and chills of every competition and event to compile into a special program which will air at a later date. Danielle Nettuno, 2008 Junior Chef Division Winner, with Celebrity Chef Jon Ashton Among pie-eating contests, baking demonstrations, vendor exhibits, games and live entertainment, the highlight of the festival was the announcement of the winners of the APC Crisco® National Pie Championships. Held annually since 1995, the National Pie Championships offer participants the opportunity to test their pies against other top bakers nationwide. The APC has established a standard of quality in pie making on all levels. During the championships, 123 of the nation’s leading Commercial, Professional, Amateur and Junior Chef pie bakers entered 867 pies and competed for honors and serious bragging rights in their divisions. Competitions were held at the host hotel, the Orlando Sun Resort by Lexington in Kissimmee, and winners were announced at the Great American Pie Festival on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20, with the exception of the commercial division winners, who were announced in a private reception on Friday, April 18. Gale Gand, Food Network Celebrity Dionna Hurt, 2008 Professional Chef and NPC Judge Division Winner “Best of Show” grand prize winners included Professional pie baker Dionna Hurt from Orlando, and former host of iVillage Live’s cooking segment, who won the title, as well as $5,000, a Crisco® gift basket and a Four Points by Sheraton Gift division. Commercial Division categories consisted of: Family- Basket for her “Bananas Foster Cream Pie”. wholesale cost under $2; Premium-wholesale cost under $4; Gourmet-wholesale cost under $6; Super Gourmet-wholesale Amateur pie baker John Sunvold from Orlando won “Best of cost over $6; and Independent Bakers with pie sales under Show,” $5,000, a Crisco® gift basket and a Four Points by $1,000,000. Sheraton Gift Basket for his “US Route 1: Florida Key Lime with Maine Blueberries Pie”. Celebrity chef judges included Gale Gand, the executive pastry chef and partner in Tru, a four-star, five-diamond dining The winner of the Junior Chef Division was Danielle Nettuno establishment in Chicago; Chef Jon Ashton, an English-born from Titusville, FL. who won the “Best of Show,” a $1,000 gift culinary artist who is currently the Food Correspondent for the certificate to Chef Depot, a Crisco® gift basket and a Four Points by Sheraton Gift Basket for “Brown Sugar Streusel Pie”. nationally syndicated morning show “The Daily Buzz” and Susan Bond, product development chef for Bakers Square. While no best of show is traditionally awarded in the Commercial Division, more than 150 first place ribbons were At the festival’s close, a giant four-foot, 200 pound fruit-filled awarded among 447 entries. Bakers Square captured 22 pie was created, with slices sold to benefit Kids Cafe and category first place wins, the most awards given in this Second Harvest Food Bank in Central Florida. AMATEUR BAKERS FROM COAST TO COAST BRING HOME BLUE RIBBONS AT THE APC CRISCO® NATIONAL PIE CHAMPIONSHIPS First time entrant John Sunvold from Winter Springs, FL Other Florida winners included Jeanne Ely from Mulberry for almost didn’t make the Sunday Amateur Awards Ceremony her “Blueberry Mousse Pie,” Evette Rahman from Orlando for because he had already purchased concert tickets for that her “Apple Yum Crumb Pie,” Alyson Osczepinski, also from evening. But as soon as John Marzich from Crisco gave John Orlando, for her “Butter Pecan Pie,” and Janet Ropp from his “$5,000 check,” he exclaimed, “Wow, am I glad I stayed Edgewater with her “Back to the Islands Pie.” 2007 Best of around for the ceremony!” Show winner Carol Socier from Bay City, MI took a first place ribbon in the Fruit & Berry category for her “Old-Time John impressed the APC judges with his “U.S. Route 1 Pie: Blackberry Pie.” Florida Key Lime with Maine Blueberries.” This recipe includes key lime, blueberry preserves and white chocolate mousse The 2008 APC Crisco National Pie Championships Best of Show layers in a graham cracker crust. recipe, along with other first place recipes may be found on www.piecouncil.org. This year’s Crisco Classic Cherry first place winner was another first time entrant, Jim Woodworth from Pueblo West, CO, with his “All American Sour Cherry Pie.” Patricia Lapiezo from La Mesa, CA was the Crisco Classic Chocolate winner with her “California Mudslide Pie.” New sponsor Philadelphia® Cream Cheese had an innovative winner in the “Double Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Pie,” entered by Amy Clemons of Babson Park, FL. Amy Clemons also won for her “Creamy Coconut Custard Pie” in the Custard category. Another new sponsor, California Raisin Marketing Board, also had a great winning pie, “California Dream Raisin & Sour Cream Pie”, entered by baker Karen Hall of Elm Creek, NE. This year’s Splenda® category winner was Martha Campbell of Richmond, VA with her “Razzle Dazzle Splenda Pie.” Other contest winners included first place awards in both the Peanut Butter and Pumpkin categories for Raine Gottess of Champion’s Gate, FL. Raine’s pies were titled “Buckeye Pie” and “October Fest Pie.” Christine Montalvo of Windsor Heights, IA won in the Sweet Potato category for her “Sweet Potato Pie.” LInda Hoskins, APC Executive Director, with John Sunvold, 2008 Amateur Division Winner “FOOD NETWORK CHALLENGE” AT THE NATIONAL PIE CHAMPIONSHIPS Food Network® Channel filmed each day of the 2008 APC Crisco National Pie Championships to create a one hour “Food Network Challenge” airing on television this fall. This year, Food Network particularly focused on our Professional Division bakers in the Baking Challenge Room on Saturday, April 19th. Every Professional entrant was asked to bake on site, so film staff could meet and get to know each person in the competition. Film footage includes the highs, lows and stresses associated with baking in this competitive contest! The filming continued Sunday in the judging room, including participation by celebrity judges Gale Gand and Jon Ashton. You won’t want to miss this exciting Food Network Challenge this fall on Food Network! Valarie Enters, Professional Division Crisco Winner with Food Network film crew APC COMMERCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL DIVISION NATIONAL PIE CHAMPIONSHIPS WINNERS APC introduced two new categories in the Commercial Division Other first place Professional Division winners include: Susan NPC this year, California Raisin and Best New Product. The Boyle for “Heavenly Apple Crunch Pie,” Linda Hundt for new Raisin category especially was a great success, with a “Linda’s Key Lime and Raspberry Pie,” Dionna Hurt for “Razzle total of 16 commercial pies entered. The winners in the Raisin Dazzle Raspberry Pie,” Andrea Spring for “Key West Crumb category were Bakers Square for three pies, “Raisin Supreme, Pie” and Suzie Sidhu for “Peanut Butterfinger Pie.” Rum Raisin With Walnuts and Chocolate Raisinet,” Bonert’s Slice of Pie for “Apple Raisin Granola Pie,” and in the Independent Bakers Division, Lisa’s Pie Shop for “California Raisin Pie.” The following are the winners in the Best New Product category: Rocky Mountain Pies for “9-inch Fruit Basket Pie,” Cyrus O’Leary’s for “Grasshopper Pie,” Publix Super Markets for “Tangerine Pie,” and Hill & Valley for “No Sugar Added Chocolate Truffle Pie.” Other winners in the NPC Commercial Division include: Bonert’s Slice of Pie, J. Horner’s Desserts, Harlan Bakeries, Jessie Lord Bakeries, Schwan’s North American Consumer Brands, Wayne’s Family Restaurant, Key West Key Lime Pie Company, Sara Lee, Michele’s Pies, Lisa’s Pie Shop, Sweetie- licious Pie Pantry, Lake Geneva Pie Company, Norske Nook, Kroger Private Label, Gardner Pie Company, and Wicks Pies. In the Professional Division, this year’s Best of Show winner was Dionna Hurt from Longwood, FL, with her “Bananas Foster Cream Pie.” In addition, Crisco sponsored two new From left: Larry Blagg, California Raisin Marketing Board (CRMB), Pamela categories, Crisco Classic Cherry and Crisco Classic Chocolate. Williams, Susan Bond, Kara Phillips with VICORP Restaurants (Bakers Valarie Enters of Sanford, FL won both categories with her Square), and Melinda Coffman (CRMB) “Better Than Grandma’s Cherry Pie” and “Ode to Phill Miner’s French Silk Pie.” THE AMERICAN PIE COUNCIL THANKS OUR EVENT SPONSORS Crisco® Kitchen Craft Intl. J. M. Smucker Company Kraft Foods/Philadelphia® Cream Cheese Bonert’s Slice of Pie Pillsbury BEMA Publix Super Markets, Inc. California Raisin Marketing Board Pyrex® CM Packaging Rocky Mountain Pies Colborne Corp. Schwan’s North American Consumer Brands Four Points by Sheraton Southeast Steel General Electric Southeastern Paper Group Harlan Bakeries Splenda® Holton Food Products Velda Farms/Healthy Cow J.