LAKE FOREST, IL — Applications for the 28th Annual American Pie Council (APC) National Pie Championships close March 17.
The event, to be held April 14-15 in Orlando, FL, allows bakers of all levels to showcase their pies.
This year, there are two new categories designed for commercial and independent bakers: Best New Product and R&D.
Bakers can compete for a blue ribbon in the Best New Product category, which recognizes innovative and unique pie creations from May 2024 to the upcoming competition. It highlights new flavors, ingredients or techniques that are commercialization ready.
“If a bakery had a brand-new pie that they put out anywhere in that time period, they can enter in that category,” said Mary Deatrick, APC executive director.
The R&D category provides only scoring and comments and is designed to serve as a focus group for bakers to get guidance and feedback from judges. Deatrick shared that the idea for the category came from commercial bakers interested in receiving feedback outside of their own R&D processes.
“If one of our bakers has a pie that they’re not sure about, they can put it in that category, and we’ll have judges who will provide them score sheets,” she said. “There are no blue ribbons in it, so they don’t need to worry. They can just submit it, and they’re going to get a lot of feedback.”
APC National Pie Championship highlights more than 30 sweet and savory flavor categories in addition to other specialty categories. For example, this year, the Karo Syrup category is open to any type of pie vs. strictly pecan pie.
“One great thing about the APC is that we’re always listening to our members and the bakers who compete with us,” Deatrick said. “We want to make this the best competition for them, so any ideas they have are welcome.”
While the submission deadline for this year’s championship is March 17, APC is accepting late entries with a fee through March 24. APC members also receive a discount for the competition.
Visit the APC website for additional information on the event.
