Enjoying the Sweet Taste of Success

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Engagement Ring Pie took top honors in the Professional category as well as the Royal Wedding Pie category during the American Pie Council's 2011 championships. courtesy American Pie Council

Orlando, Florida — The American Pie Council is as pleased as, well, pie, to announce the winners of the 17th Annual APC/Crisco® National Pie Championships® held earlier this month in Orlando, Florida. The pie competition is held each year in conjunction with the Great American Pie Festival and the Never Ending Pie Buffet, an event that draws an annual following of more than 32,000 pie lovers and features more than 87,000 slices of pie!

This year's pie championships drew an astounding 896 entries in four divisions: Amateur, Professional, Junior Chef and Commercial, and featured three exciting new categories: ""Royal Wedding," Gluten-Free” and "Crisco Innovations." The pies were judged by 174 pre-qualified volunteer chefs, bakers and assorted pie aficionados.

"We want to thank all those who traveled to Orlando to participate in the 17th Annual APC/Crisco National Pie Championships®. The creativity and skill demonstrated in all of the categories, but especially our new categories – 'Royal Wedding,' Gluten-Free and 'Crisco Innovation' – were truly inspiring, not to mention, mouthwatering!" says Linda Hoskins, APC's executive director. "Congratulations to those who earned first, second, third and honorable mentions, and especially to our Best in Show winners. It's not uncommon for our bakers to pull all-nighters during the competition to ensure that they're entering the 'perfect pie' and we truly appreciate their dedication to their craft."

The Royal Wedding Pie category, which was only added for one year, challenged professional bakers to use their imaginations to create a pie fit to serve Prince William and Kate Middleton at their upcoming April nuptials. The winner of the Royal Wedding Pie category, Bryan Ehrenholm of The Lunch Pail in Modesto, California, also took the Professional division's Best in Show out of 142 entries for his creation called "Engagement Ring Pie." Of his sweet confection, Ehrenholm wrote, "The engagement ring worn by Kate Middleton is rich with history and grace, symbolizing the eternal love of Diana for her son William and William for his future Queen. So this pie is rich with history of English walnuts and dates, graced by a meringue crust and topped with the deep color of blueberries and encircled with the lightness of whip cream and diamond dust."

For his Professional Best in Show win, Ehrenholm took home $5,000 in prize money, a new Sears Kenmore range and a Crisco gift basket. He earned an additional $200 and Crisco gift basket for taking first place in the Royal Wedding category.

Taking second place in the Royal Wedding category was, ironically, Susan Boyle – no, not the British Susan Boyle who rose to worldwide fame on the TV show, "X-Factor," but a baker from DeBary, Florida, who also made a blueberry pie in honor of the soon-to-be princess's engagement ring. She took home a Crisco gift basket for her second-place win.