World Food Championships AQ Event Recap: APC Crisco National Pie Championships

Share:

Posted May 9, 2013

As any experienced food competitor will tell you, winning a contest is no slice of pie; but it just may take a slice of pie to get that winner’s call. The 2013 APC® Crisco® National Pie Championships®, held April 26-27, welcomed pie bakers from near and afar to the sunny Florida shores for a chance at sweet victory. The championship weekend, inclusive of an Amateur and Professional division, showcased creative spins on classic tastes from Mile High Key Lime pie to Honey Roasted Peanut Butter pie and Splitsville Summer Sundae pie.

Congratulations to Amy Freeze of Avon Park, Fla. for her Best in Show Amateur Division win. Freeze’s winning recipe is entitled, “Sittin’ On The Sandbar Key Lime Pie.”

“I first saw the championship on the Food Network,” said Freeze. “I thought, ‘I think I can do this… why not?’” Freeze has now been competing in the National Pie Championships for six years. With the exception of her first year, Freeze has placed every year she has competed.

Every competitor has their own practice schedule and preparation style. For Freeze, a full-time English teacher, she takes off work the day before a competition to spend the day baking. Most years, Freeze admits, there seems to be some kind of disaster, including a pumpkin shortage the year she submitted a pumpkin pie entry. In contrast, this year panned out eerily smooth.

“It was very relaxing this year,” commented Freeze. “I’ve realized that the years I don’t practice, things don’t go well. This year, I made my key lime pie at least 12 times.”

With her amateur division win at the National Pie Championships, Freeze now looks forward to competing at the World Food Championships in Las Vegas this November.

“I know I’ve got to show what I can do,” said Freeze. “I’ve never done anything this large, and I’m going to put everything I have in to it!”

In preparation, Freeze plans on spending her free time this summer writing new recipes and trying new combinations.

In addition to amateur division is the professional division, made up of competitors who make their income in the food industry. This year’s National Pie Championship Best of Show Professional Division title went to Andrea Spring of Bradenton, Fla. Spring’s winning recipe was a peanut butter pie entry entitled “Peanut Butter and Cracker Pie.”

“This [win] was just unbelievable!” said Spring. “This is my third time winning the National Pie Championship!” Spring began competing in 2007 and has either placed or taken Best in Show every year since.

“This year, I submitted seven entries,” commented Spring. “I started at 7:30 p.m. and baked until 4 a.m. with a turn-in time of 6 a.m.”

Aside from the intense hours of pie preparation, Spring notes that she loves the entire competition process, from meeting people, watching other chefs, on down to awards time. Of course, awards time is always made sweeter when you get a call.

Spring boasts years of culinary experience, having acquired her first chef job in 1985. She has been the co-owner of the popular Sign of the Mermaid restaurant in Anna Maria, Fla. for 21 years where she spends many of her hours baking homemade pies and pastries for her customers.

“I’ve always made my own desserts,” said Spring. “And that’s part of what makes our restaurant so unique.”

Looking forward to the World Food Championships, Spring notes that she takes her competitions very seriously. If there is a competition in April, she’ll start preparation in November and think very little about anything else. Research and pie practice for the World Food Championships will begin shortly as she looks forward to competing under the World Dessert Championship.

“What am I most looking forward to?” asked Spring. “Winning. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Congratulations to both Amy Freeze and Andrea Spring for the National Pie Championships wins. Now, it’s onward to Las Vegas!

« Back to News

World Food Championships AQ Event Recap: APC Crisco National Pie Championships

© 2024 World Food Championships. All rights reserved. The World Food Championships is a production of WFC Holdings, Inc.