Start dieting now because the Pie is coming! From Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April
28, 2013 the American Pie Council/Crisco National Pie Championships will be
held at the Caribe Royal All-Suite Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando. The event draws hundreds of professional and commercial
bakers. Last year featured 441 commercial 115 professional, 237 amateur, and 8 junior entries for a total of
801 pies and this year is expected to be even bigger!
“It’s amazing to think that right now, bakers across the
country are baking their hearts out, testing out new recipes and breaking the
barriers to create even better tasting, more creative and more tantalizing pies
than the year before,” said Linda Hoskins, Executive Director, American Pie
Council. “Every year brings new surprises and new recipes from the best bakers
in all categories, from our amateurs to our professional and commercial
bakers.”
Entry forms and pie categories for each division are available
on the APC website. Entry is $15 per pie for amateur APC
members, $35/non members and each entrant receives an Emile Henry pie dish; see
website for professional and commercial entry costs. APC members receive discounted entry costs;
membership information is also available online.
Pie lovers are also invited to apply to be a judge at the
prestigious competition. No previous judging or baking experience is required;
applicants need only explain why they would like to be a judge. Potential pie
judges may fill out an entry form online through March 30,
2013.
Going along with the Championship is famed APC Great
American Pie Festival in downtown Celebration, Florida at Lakeside Park (631
Sycamore St, Celebration, Florida, 34747).
The festival runs both Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27,
2013. The festival features a Pie Creation
Station where participants can create pie tin art. The Demonstration Stage, sponsored by Village
Inn and Bakers Square Restaurants, will feature entertainment and baking demos
both days. The Pie Eating Contest is
also a must see of the festival.
By far the most talked about, and enjoyable, part of the
festival is the Never Ending Pie Buffet.
Last year’s buffet had over 90,000 slices of pie. Plus all the ice cream, toppings, and
beverages that make pie all the more enjoyable.
Tickets to the Pie Buffet are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors (over 65)
and Children under 5.
